Review Wild Hearts: A Fusion of Fortnite and Monster Hunter
Hunting monsters that are a hundred times bigger than you sounds impossible, yet Wild Hearts defies expectations by seamlessly integrating epic monster-hunting mechanics into its enchanting gameplay. Developed by Omega Force, the studio behind the Dynasty Warrior series, this game emphasizes the importance of deliberate decision-making as you face off against foes that are capable of decreasing your health bar in one blink of one eye. The game was released on February 17, 2023, and is available on Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5, and PC.
If you’ve played Monster Hunter, it will take a little while to notice the multitude of similarities that Wild Hearts shares with the acclaimed franchise. Both games revolve around traversing vast, open landscapes alone or with companions to uncover and defeat colossal creatures, gathering their materials to craft more powerful weapons and better gear.
Despite that, Wild Hearts is still a whole different game that presents new features and systems you won’t find in Monster Hunter. One of the most distinctive features that set Wild Hearts apart is its innovative Karakuri building system which allows you to construct strategic elements such as walls or springboards during intense battles, all while placing structures like tents or zip lines anywhere across the areas.
The Karakuri System
Apart from the monster-hunting mechanic, the Karakuri system serves as an essential part of the entire Wild Hearts gameplay. Designed from wood and powered by clockwork mechanisms, these devices function as support enhancement to make hunting easier and smoother. It starts with the basic one, in which you can build huge crates that you can climb and jump off to reach new areas or dodge attacks.
As you progress through the game, you can unlock new advancement that grants you a wide range of flexibility for how you adapt to a battle. For example, you can create a wall to protect yourself by stacking six crates. Or you can stack six torches to create a firework that blinds the monsters, disrupting their attacks and creating opportunities for counterattacks.
Overall, the Karakuri system is excellently crafted, striking the perfect balance between limitation and flexibility. The restricted number of structures you can build prompts careful thought when choosing the ideal spots for a custom base camp or a convenient shortcut. Yet, the system remains open enough to prevent overthinking, allowing for adaptable and intuitive decision-making. Once you master the Karakuri, defeating all monster that gets in the way will be a breeze.
Monsters and Weapons
When it comes to weapons, Wild Hearts presents a selection of eight weapon types, all of which has a very simple design at first glance. Yet, as you delve into the game’s immersive world and engage with the Karakuri system, their exceptional complexity unveils itself. Each weapon in Wild Hearts operates in its own unique way, with certain ones sharing similarities to the weaponry system in Monster Hunter. It can be seen from how the Nodachi blade delivers powerful strikes that will remind you of Monster Hunter’s great sword. In contrast, certain weapons like Cannon provide a truly unique feel. It combines mortars and energy management to strike a powerful shoot.
That leaves me somewhat dissatisfied is the lack of monsters, making the gameplay a little bit monotonous since there are no new challenges to conquer. There are around 20 monsters in total, including variants. It’s understandable though because Wild Hearts is a newcomer to the monster-hunting genre. Even so, it doesn’t make the monster less dangerous. Throughout the combat, they will transform and evolve to make you feel threatened, pushing your survival skills to the absolute limit.
Minimum Requirements for Wild Hearts
Since Wild Hearts is an action game, many details and elements make the size pretty huge. To install the game, at least your PC has an AMD Ryzen 5 2600 or Intel i5–8400 CPU, AMD Radeon RX 5500 XT or Nvidia GeForce GTX 1060 GPU, 12GB of RAM, DirectX 12, 80GB of storage space, and the 64-bit Windows 10 operating system.
If you are an Xbox owner, there’s no better time than now to grab an Xbox gift card from the G2G marketplace. So grab your weapons, master the Karakuri system, and embark on an unforgettable journey where the fate of the world rests in your hands.