Between fun and frustration: The monster hunting game “Wild Hearts” needs nerves

Anyone familiar with the “Monster Hunter” series will immediately know what is going on in “Wild Hearts”: in a fantasy world, we sneak and march through lush landscapes and hunt for large creatures. Those who diligently collect loot and level up become more powerful and can face the next super beast. The Japanese development studio Omega Force has taken the basic mechanics of the genre king and now offers its own playground for hobby hunters.

Game, what do you want from me?!

In the first hour of play, “Wild Hearts” raises eyebrows: we seem to be in feudal Japan, but we’re not so sure. We encounter too many strange creatures, the flora and fauna is often too strange and when dark magical abilities should facilitate the hunt, we increasingly turn away from historical realism.

All well and good and our gamer’s heart is open to many colorful things, but a narrative format is sorely lacking in the beginning. It doesn’t help when a supposedly wise old man at a campfire throws meaningful words at us and speaks in riddles. Yes, a little more meat on the story bone would have been nice.

With many question marks on our face, we can at least blow off steam in the character editor to provide our personal character with many details. But the fundamental question of what exactly the game wants from us remains unanswered.

We surrender to the game mechanics

So our hunger for a basic motivation has not been satisfied. So we continue to progress and surrender to the game mechanics. Armed, we sneak through the undergrowth with the goal of grounding the next big creature. Until we meet the creature, we have to overcome obstacles that we can overcome with our climbing skills or with the help of special tools.

The tools are needed quickly as the character can only climb up for a short time before running out of breath and falling down. With the help of a magical-technical gadget, for example, we can conjure up stackable boxes, which then make it easier for us to climb to the top. But also here: where do they come from and why exactly do we have them?

Anyway, take a deep breath here and keep submitting to the gameplay, which at least tells us later that these magic boxes and other extra bells and whistles can also be used for monster hunting. Incidentally, we also diligently collect small animals, plants, wood and anything else that is not nailed down in the landscape. We set up camp, build a fire, make a table and just stop asking questions.

Monsters leave impressions

Let’s take a look at the main feature of any good hunting game, the monsters: and here «Wild Hearts» finally shows its very beautiful side, because the great creatures to be killed leave positive impressions. Without giving too much away, they are big, elegant, charming, surprising, curious and challenging. The technology (we’ll get to that in a minute) forces some super-beings to their knees and thus lacks complete grace, but overall the critters are the highlights and spark the motivation to experience them all up close.

The problem with the technology

“Wild Hearts” has received the most criticism on the technological front. Especially in very hectic situations, when we are about to internalize the movements of the monsters and every attack of ours has to be good, there can be a stutter and the image rendering lags. To be fair, moments like this don’t always happen, but when they do, they take away from the fun of the game and build up a lot of frustration.

Who has more money?

The look of the game also confuses us, or to put it directly, it’s very similar to last-gen graphics in some places. Muddy textures, horribly animated hair blowing in the wind, clothes that look like they’ve been stuck on, and loveless facial animations make the graphic fetishist in us cry. Funnily enough, the monster animations can be seen again, which raises the suspicion that a certain development department had more money at its disposal.

A multiplayer game

By the way, «Wild Hearts» is anything but simple. The monsters are so focused on one character that they only die with a lot of practice. It quickly becomes clear here that the game is mainly intended for the multiplayer part, where several players can then simultaneously devote themselves to a creature to complete it together. It is also possible for solo players to hunt, but it becomes much more difficult.

The danger of a lack of motivation is great

Conclusion: “Wild Hearts” has three problems: the game is weak in terms of story, the technology is brutal in places, and the hunt can be very difficult in single player mode. These three factors together can create a high frustration potential that leaves a lot of forehead wrinkles.

Sure, the monsters are impressive and leave a lasting impression. And of course, if you’ve played all of the “Monster Hunter” games and retire, you’ll get an extensive addition of the usual genre content and a large playground. However, the danger of lack of motivation is great in this hunting game and «Wild Hearts» requires more nerves and patience than necessary.

«Wild Hearts» is available for Playstation 5 (tested), Xbox Series X/S and PC. Suitable from 12 years.