At the peak of the PlayStation 3 and Vita, it was common to see two or three Monster hunter than alternatives Soul sacrifice and Ragnarok Odyssey will appear within one year. While many had their own twists on the established plot, almost all retained the general mission-based structure of Capcom’s series. Later we would see more experiments like with Omega Force Caterpillar 2, which boldly took the formula into the open world. Now fully rooted in the new console generation, Omega Force’s Wild hearts is the first game to push the hunting genre forward Monster Hunter: World modernized it and took it to new heights in 2018.
Effect World has been on Wild hearts is obvious from the start. Many elements, such as fluid movement and large areas to explore, feel a lot World, so you’ll end up in almost the same career. Likewise, the action itself finds a solid middle ground between the animation prioritization of early hunting games and more ways for the player to recover from dangerous situations. Much of the game’s inherent strategy revolves around taking advantage of enemies that outmatch themselves while avoiding similar overkill yourself. The constant pushing and pulling is what makes taking out monsters called Kemons so exciting, and learning the intricacies of each one is how this strategy always evolves.
However, this is far from a clone and its main differences Wild hearts can make it difficult to fully place once you’re used to the rules Monster hunter. The most obvious (and interesting) change is the addition of an in-flight crafting mechanic that looks a lot like Fortnite. While your ability to craft is limited to the resources you collect, the options are quite extensive, such as crates that players can jump into or walls that can stun a beast if they penetrate it.
It’s incredibly annoying at first and my first reaction was to ignore it. But this was a huge mistake because my stubbornness meant I put myself off. After struggling through some early hunts, I finally gave in and decided to embrace this unique mechanic and start building like an 11 year old trying to win a Victory Royale. That’s when the gameplay of Omega Force started to click, as I had a much more unique and interesting experience. Creating structures on the fly adds another tactical layer and made me feel like I was outsmarting large, dangerous creatures, which is what real hunting should feel like.
In crafting, players can also craft items that heal Wild hearts‘ search. Creating new fast travel destinations, zip lines, and healing water wells are just some of the benefits you can get from using the coolest mechanic in the game. It’s a pervasive mechanic that isn’t a gimmick, and that quality reinforces the whole experience. It all adds up Wild hearts A distinct personality and flavor that takes it far beyond being a clone.
Like Monster hunter, Wild hearts really shines in multiplayer. Destroying the giant beast is not only easier with the help of other players, because new strategies and ideas are born when hunting together. Teaming up with others to defeat multi-stage boss battles is a real joy, aided by a fairly fluid party and matchmaking system, which is unfortunately rare within the genre, as Capcom has often struggled to implement simple ways to play with friends (although Monster Hunter Rise was a step in the right direction).
Nevertheless, there are still many elements World has it hit. Meanwhile Wild hearts has amazing monster designs and levels that are a joy to traverse. They never feel like a living, breathing biome in the way that Capcom has been able to achieve. The biggest beasts still feel like they’ve been dropped in places and don’t really have a chance to figure out how to survive. There’s also little opportunity for memorable stand-up gameplay moments, like leading one giant enemy to another and honoring the various game systems at work and interacting with one another. With beasts that don’t fit organically into the world and lack an interwoven system, Wild heartsThe world still needs work.
Despite the minor flaws, it’s great to see a team other than Capcom innovating in the hunting area and providing some real competition. Competition breeds innovation and is healthy for the industry, for example in games Wild hearts to provide a viable alternative during the downtimes in between Monster hunter is released for several reasons. Players get to try something new and Capcom is encouraged to push themselves forward. Monster hunter is still the top hunter here but Wild hearts“Innovations mean it’s not the only skilled beast slayer in the business.
Disclosure: Provided by the publisher Wild hearts code for our feature. Played on version 1.004.000.
