Wild Hearts

WILD HEARTS manages to carve out its own identity in a genre dominated by Monster Hunter: World/Rise through its clever take on classic monster hunting gameplay. The combination of cool creature designs, interesting weapons, awesome maps, and a unique building system all add up to form a fun time.

Ok, let’s push this elephant in the room right out of the way. There’s a lot of similarity between Wild Hearts and Monster Hunter. You’d be forgiven for thinking that Koei Tecmo’s Wild Hearts is just a knockoff of Capcom’s popular franchise, but you’d be wrong. Dismissing Wild Hearts as a wannabe Monster Hunter will deny you the pleasure of playing the first of a new and potentially endless series...

Wild Hearts is a worthy competitor to Monster Hunter, boasting brilliantly creative weapons and fearsome beasts to match, scuppered only by an infuriating camera. Omega Force deftly avoids delving into colonist themes, and Wild Hearts is all the better for it .

While Monster Hunter still reigns supreme, Wild Hearts still holds its own in the hunting arena. Those on Xbox Game Pass shouldn't hesitate to give it a go.

It's time to tame the untameable.

Despite all of Wild Hearts‘ faults, it’s hard not to be be taken in by its charms. Omega Force has really tried to create a solid Monster Hunter contender with this one, and it mostly succeeds. There are some genuinely neat ideas here, and its monster designs are a welcome breath of fresh air. Overall, it’s a great game in its own right, but it’s more exciting when you consider it a base to be imp...

Wild Hearts latches onto the familiar gameplay loop of Monster Hunter and infuses it with a fast-paced crafting system that lets you build your way to victory.

Wild Hearts has everything you need for a competent Hunting style game. The weapons are fun to use and the upgrades go a long way to make you feel powerful. It's the Karakuri system that will be what draws new players to it adding a new level of depth to gameplay.

Strong combat let down by PC performance issues, far too few monsters and finicky building system.

Far more than just a Monster Hunter clone, Wild Hearts exceeds expectations and then some, mixing streamlined action with inventive new toys.

Irritating performance issues on PC aside, Wild Hearts is an impressive Monster Hunter clone that brings a lot of fresh ideas to the table.

Wild Hearts has potential to be an awesome game, and while it can technically be played on the Steam Deck, it's not an enjoyable experience just yet.