Wild Hearts S Review – A Solid Second Shot, If You Missed the First

Wild Hearts S Review

The Monster Hunter games are renowned for their addictive gameplay loop, fearsome foes, and cooperative adventuring. While World and Wilds have been hugely popular, the entry that landed on Nintendo hardware, Rise, lacked the ambition and freedom of the mainline titles. Wild Hearts S aims to fill that void, promising an open-world spectacle and encounters with brutal beasts. Originally released in 2023, Omega Force’s take on the beast-hunting formula never quite found a dedicated audience. But now, with a re-release on the Switch 2 and no real competition in sight, is this Wild Hearts’ chance to finally establish itself as a true rival in the genre?

You play as a silent hunter who travels to the land of Azuma in order to work. Upon arrival, you learn that monsters, known as Kemono, are roaming the region and threatening human life. To help rebuild and protect society, you must hunt the wild creatures and use their materials to help humanity survive. Although the story is fairly basic, its delivery is more effective than many of its peers. Cutscenes provide just enough context and motivation to support the action, offering a light but welcome narrative thread. While it doesn’t include emotional highs, the storytelling is adequate for the adventure and does enough to make the world feel cohesive and purposeful.

A Familiar Fight

Wild Hearts closely follows the path forged by Capcom, delivering an addictive loop of gathering resources and crafting items to take down gigantic monsters. Each Kemono you encounter is unique, unleashing a barrage of deadly attacks that can end your adventure in an instant. While this can feel overwhelming at first, careful study of their attack patterns and movement opens the door to striking back. As battles progress, wounded foes will limp away to safety, forcing you to pursue them in order to claim victory. Although these epic encounters are reminiscent of the Monster Hunter series, Omega Force adds flourishes to the formula. Blue crystals emerge from the beast mid-battle, requiring you to climb and remove them. This mechanic heightens the intensity, as you need to time your leap and manage your stamina carefully to reach your target.

You also have the ability to use your Karakuri skills to create items that support you during battle. From structures that allow you to leap into the air and perform a fierce strike from above to weaponry and barriers that help you get the upper hand. The system makes combat more diverse, rewarding experimentation. If a beast races towards you, quickly build a spring to evade or even a structure for it to collide with. There are plenty of options and these expand as you progress.

Collect, Craft and Continue

Killing creatures rewards you with items that you can use for crafting. Build a camp, add a blacksmith and begin to experiment with new weapons. Each tool alters your approach to encounters, with some favouring a fast and nimble approach and others placing emphasis on damage output. The variety on offer is impressive and allows you to adapt your strategy based on your opponent’s offense. Although there is a range of options, battles can still get a little repetitive, especially with larger foes that can take a long time to defeat.

Unfortunately, the Switch 2’s only notable addition is support for a fourth player in online co-op. While some rebalancing helps refine the experience, it’s not enough to justify a return for those who played the original. Instead, this version is clearly aimed at newcomers, especially those looking to hunt on the go. It does scratch that itch, but performance issues hinder the overall experience. As battles grow more chaotic, the frame rate becomes increasingly unstable, breaking immersion at critical moments. Visually, the game looks dated; basic environmental textures clash awkwardly with the more detailed Kemono designs. Despite its sub-par presentation, there’s still plenty here for newcomers looking to fill a Monster Hunter-shaped void.

The Final Blow

Wild Hearts S clearly takes inspiration from Capcom’s classic formula, but it puts its own spin on the genre to keep things feeling fresh. Battles are epic in scale, with the Karakuri system allowing you to adapt your approach on the fly. Whether used for offense or defense, this mechanic adds welcome variety to each encounter. However, as enemies grow more aggressive and fights become increasingly chaotic, the frame rate can noticeably dip. Combined with basic textures and a lackluster visual presentation, the presentation underwhelms. Even so, the addictive gameplay loop remains intact. While the ‘S’ version doesn’t offer enough to bring back returning players, it still delivers a compelling monster-hunting experience for newcomers.

***A Nintendo Switch 2 code was provided by the publisher***