The Wild at Heart launched merely a couple of weeks ago. The game has firmly established its own identity, while also managing to be reminiscent of other video games, movies, and TV shows. The game follows the story of Wake and Kirby, young friends who are exploring the hauntingly mysterious and mysteriously haunted Willowvale Deep Woods alongside their cute Spriteling friends. Game ZXC recently talked to Moonlight Kids, the developer behind The Wild atHeart, about its themes, the 90s, hordes of little friends, and much more.
During the interview, Moonlight Kids highlighted the importance of The Wild at Heart's overarching theme of coming of age, and how the developers' experiences growing up shaped the game and the characters in it. This interview has been edited for brevity and clarity.
GR: Is it an intentional design choice that The Wild at Heart conveys a certain feeling of nostalgia for past games? Or is it something that came naturally while developing the game?
We grew up in the 90s and have such great memories of the games that came out in that time, so yeah, there's perhaps a hefty dose of nostalgia thrown into the game. While we didn’t necessarily set out to make a "period piece" of the era, it ended up being perfect for the story we were telling.
GR: What was your inspiration for the graphics and the setting of your game?
My style is influenced a good amount by storybook illustrations, as well as various media and books like Song of the Sea, Where the Wild Things Are, and Gravity Falls. As far as setting goes, we knew we wanted to do a different take on something like Neverland or the various worlds seen in Ghibli films. Just based on our experiences growing up in the Pacific Northwest and it being what we know, we set the world in a place that draws inspiration from the Oregon or Washington forests and coastlines.
GR: Many say the game has Pikmin vibes mixed with Luigi's Mansion elements, but to me, it feels like Stranger Things meets Don't Starve. What are your thoughts on the comparisons?
Yeah, Pikmin, Overlord, etc are definitely at the core of what we call the “herd-like” gameplay so those are going to be the most stand-out things to people. As far as Don’t Starve I can see why people maybe see that on a surface level because of the nighttime mechanic and the art style being 2.5d, but while I personally have spent limited time with that game and enjoyed what little I did play of it, honestly it was never an inspiration in any way. But I get why people make the comparison.
Stranger Things, I also can see the comparison since the setting feels nostalgic and it being blanketed in this fall-like, pretty yet haunting vibe. But funnily enough, our world is set in the 90s as opposed to the 80s, but given the pop culture references and influences that the show also draws from, they bleed together. Still, I can’t deny that that show didn’t potentially influence the art and world in some form or another.
GR: The theme of coming of age seems to be key to the plot of The Wild at Heart. Was Wake's story influenced by your own experience growing up?
Yes, it was. Two of us (Justin and Alex) began writing and conceptualizing the game long before full-time production began, and the characters of Wake and Kirby are based on real-life experiences. Difficult home life, adoption... Heavy things that some may shrug off as "Well, they're just kids, they'll get over it..." and our rejection of that dismissal. Life can be hard for kids too. Kids feel the heavy things too. However, these also can form who you are, how you connect with and feel empathy for others. We definitely try to strike a balance of wholesome vibes and hopefulness while also doing some heartstring-tugging.
GR: So, you chose the name Moonlight Kids because it was cool, and it conveys themes you care about, but how has it influenced your work in the long term?
The name was always more about what feeling it evokes. We just wanted it to sort of reflect our vibe. It sounds like the name of an M83 song or a shoegaze band to me. Or even some alternative name for The Midnight Society from Are You Afraid of the Dark or something. It makes me personally think of being out late on summer nights or feelings of youth. So I’d say our name was more influenced by the work we do as opposed to the opposite I suppose.
GR: Everyone is head over heels about how cute the Spritelings are, and rightfully so, but what are the stakes for them in combat? Can they be defeated and die?
They can “die,” sort of. Enemies and obstacles can hurt or “kill” them and it’s explained a bit more in the game but they are spirit-like creatures so they don’t technically die per se, they just “return to the forest." The combat is tuned to fit with the vibe of the game which is a bit more relaxed, but there is some level of strategy involved with the types you use or approach you take to dealing with certain enemies. They do get more challenging as time goes on and the enemies that appear at night can definitely put a dent in your herd pretty quickly if you’re not careful. Ultimately though, we just made a conscious choice to be a tad less punishing than Pikmin because it just feels so bad to lose your little buds, but there is still some level of risk there.
GR: How will choices affect the players' experience in The Wild at Heart? Can they change the course of the story?
While we may have had early thoughts about character choices affecting outcomes within the game, we let those go to focus more on telling the story we wanted to tell. That said, there is dialogue that differs depending on whether you are currently controlling Wake or Kirby!
GR: The world of The Wild at Heart seems to have lots of secrets and mysteries. Are there hidden things, NPCs, locations, or even quests, possibly?
Yep! There are many things to discover off the beaten path within the Deep Woods. Hidden areas, items, achievements; We did our best to pack the world with stuff as well as encourage exploration and reward it.
GR: Which part of the game are you excited about the most? Which is your favorite feature and why?
Well, speaking as the writer I can’t wait for everyone to meet the cast of characters and get to know them! As a player I can attest that grabbing a bunch of Spriteling friends, exploring and crafting with them, hanging out at Halfmoon Pond, then relaxing while Aatto serenades you with his flute, is as good a spa day as any.
GR: What do you hope players will take from their experience while enjoying your game?
Firstly, we hope players enjoyed their time in the Willowvale Deep Woods. Connections made, friendships strengthened, etc. We hope that they’ve found a world that they’d love to come back to or talk to their friends about.
GR: What are your plans after The Wild at Heart launches, apart from nurturing its community thanks to the dedicated subreddit and Discord server?
We have quite a few ideas of things we would like to explore but it’s pretty dependent on how the game does and the demand for additional content. Currently, we are focused on supporting the base game and building our community.
GR: Because your team is spread across Portland, Atlanta, and Spokane, how did the pandemic impact your work on The Wild at Heart? Which were the hardest challenges to overcome?
Thankfully we’ve worked remotely even before the pandemic began. We’re lucky enough to say that the pandemic didn’t largely affect our ability to work, but the toll on many of our friends and family has been devastating.
GR: Have you considered porting the game to the Switch at a later time?
Currently, we can only confirm Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, and PC.
GR: What would you want players to know before getting into the game?
Mostly that the player should expect a more relaxed experience. There are many moments of action, sure, but largely you'll spend your time exploring, puzzle-solving, and spending time with your Spriteling horde and the other denizens of the Deep Woods.
GR: Is there anything else you want to add that I didn't touch upon with my previous questions?
We just hope folks enjoy it, we made it with a lot of love. If you like little buddies, exploration, quirky characters, and coming-of-age stories that are heartfelt and honest, this game might be your jam.
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The Wild at Heart is available on PC, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.