The EA originals program, which branches out and collaborates with developers who are set to deliver unique experiences, has EA teaming up with veterans of the industries, Koei Tecmo.

Wild Hearts has been revealed with a closed preview attached, and MKAU was lucky enough to be a part of it. Koei Tecmo has been known for the Dynasty Warriors series, which pits the heroes against hundreds of soldiers at a time, this time, however, the number of enemies will be significantly less, but these Monsters will tower over the environments, and you, for that matter.

At first glance, a Monster Hunter inspiration may be an easy comparison to make based on the theme of hunting monsters, but it should be noted that this is closer to a spiritual successor to the Toukiden series. Comparisons aside, Wild Hearts is here to separate itself from what came before and deliver a self-contained and downright badass experience, built from the ground up. Set in the hostile lands of Azuma, the Kemono have grown into unnatural abominations that have harnessed the elements of nature and have begun to shape the lands into extreme conditions.

I wasn’t sure what to expect when I first entered the arena. I was half expecting to be given a sword, pointed towards the closest beast, and told to have at it with little context to go with it. Instead, I was introduced to a fleshed-out world that has seen the evolution of the hunters being cast out of the ever-developing world around them, and the lands infested with the demonic-like Kemono’s being abandoned as a lost cause. My character, which was fully customisable right down to the hairstyle and colours, was offered a few verbal options to help the player tailor their past and garner a bit of a connection with them.

For a preview build, I was also floored at how well-crafted the game engine and art style had been developed. The beautiful flora and fauna-covered landscape had nature, alongside the giant creatures overtaking the remains of Japanese-themed architecture, or what was left standing at least. Moss-covered stone walkways led to giant archways that framed some of the cherry blossom trees that littered their pink petals across the grass.

The monstrous Kemono that have fused with the elements offered giant rodents with plant growths on them as they gathered in the foliage. Immense arctic wolves with icy tendrils gathering over the body and forming into a jagged mass of frozen antlers on their backs were terrifying by themselves, let alone the frost-bitten attacks they could wield.

Hunting such magnificent creatures in Wild Hearts comes with a bit of a twist though, as your character can wield the ancient art of the Karakuri. Through a bit of otherworldly energy, you can summon and construct various contraptions with a quick mini menu that can be brought up on the fly during combat.

The first creation I had was a simple crate that could be stacked, climbed, and launched off of, delivering a devastating aerial attack. They can also act as a temporary cover system and can be paired with a launch pad that can give you the edge to quickly escape or shake the sticky sap that the monsters sprayed me with.

These are tied to a skill tree system that lets you branch out into support or attack-style options, such as a launch pad that offers a helicopter-style attachment to close the gap or escape through the air. You are not limited to what you can create in the available tools, but you do have to assign what you want to take into a fight beforehand, so it is not a limitless pool to pick from during combat. The system was tied together with a limit of Karakuri thread you could hold, limiting how much could be crafted at once. This material can be found by mining rocks, cutting trees, or attacking the Monsters directly, so crafting becomes a major component of the fight.

Crafting, while being a new and exciting tool to harness, is still in addition to the somewhat oversized and impressive weapons you can pick from. The starting katana was able to break into smaller pieces and act as a whip, with the pieces being bound by energy for the special attack. The bow was able to overcharge your arrows for stronger shots to try and stagger the monsters, while the more outlandish items, such as an umbrella fan with blades clashed in a stylistic attack pattern for maximum flair. Pairing this with the dodge abilities and the crafting tools, these can open the attack patterns from the standard light, heavy and special attacks that consume a power bar you earn from combat.

There didn’t seem to be an option to adjust the difficulty, but the fights were just punishing enough to make me experiment with all my new toys, and if I was being overwhelmed, I was able to escape and heal up with the plentiful farmable healing options.

The creatures had sizable health pools to cut through and during the fight with the Sapscourge, I managed to cut its tail off for some crispy materials, but this only managed to anger the beast even more. Watching the Kemono evolve through the fight as the bloodlust overtook them indicated how much health they had left, which also increased the difficulty of the fight due to the creature’s new abilities. As exciting as it was to know I was almost there, it was equally as scary at the same instance.

In between the fights you can harvest Dragon Pits that allow for a little bit of base building to re-collect yourself between hunts. I was able to craft a tent that doubles as a fast travel point, and a forge to craft new weapons with the materials I was able to farm from the world and the monsters. This was also where I set my loadout as you cannot do this on the battlefield. A fireplace system is a quick place to cook a meal for a boost or the all-important option to invite up to two hunters to your world.

I would have loved to get someone in the game to test our synergy of the builds, but alas, was not able to. The Dragon Pits need to be found across the open world style map to allow for more campsites to be made, which essentially leaves the design ideas on the best ways to quickly navigate the island firmly in your hands.

Wild Hearts has exploded onto the scene in colossal fashion with its crafty way of tackling devastating Monsters. Crafting contraptions and building temporary bases around the island made the experience feel inviting to let me leave my mark on Azuma as I ventured into the Minato region. With so much that I didn’t get to find in my short time with the game, it just left my imagination to run wild trying to think about what I would do next in the full release of Wildhearts.

Written by: Shane Fletcher