With Wild Hearts just a few short days away (as of the time of writing this), fans of the Monster Hunter games or monster-hunting subgenre, in general, are drooling in anticipation. The designs of the Kemono, the visuals of the world, and the overall aesthetics of the game are all so appealing. But, there's a lot about this game that players still don't know or that the advertising hasn't made clear.
Thankfully, for those looking for answers, this should help. This guide will aim to use knowledge of the full game, the early game, and all available information on the game in general to answer the internet's most popular questions about the open-world action game that is Wild Hearts.
Is Wild Hearts Coming To Game Pass?
Sadly, Wild Hearts will not be coming to Game Pass. The only thing that Game Pass Ultimate subscribers get in regards to Wild Hearts is a 10-Hour Trial of the game since EA Play is included with their membership (specifically for Game Pass Ultimate).
To access this, players will need to download the EA App and link it to their Microsoft account with Game Pass, then they'll be able to download and play the trial on the EA App or on Origin.
How Big Is Wild Hearts?
The pre-load shows about 68.4 Gigs on PC, 54.712 Gigs on Console, and asks for available space of 80 Gigs overall on the Requirements section of the game.
Is Wild Hearts Coming To Nintendo Switch?
Unfortunately, the website for Wild Heartsmakes no mention of a Switch version of the game, and the developers have no plans for a future version either. Currently, the game will only be playable on PC (Steam, Epic Game Store, EA App, and Origin), PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series S/X. Yes, this does also mean that the game is skipping both the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One as well.
Is Wild Hearts Open-World?
Well, it depends on a player's definition of 'Open-World'. In the standard sense? Yes, Wild Hearts is Open World. It's a game with a hub area that players usually accept missions/tasks in, but there's a gigantic map to explore however the players wish.
Some parts of the map (AKA the four regions based on different seasons) or certain areas are separated by loading screens/zones, but for the most part, Wild Hearts checks every box for an 'open world' game.
Is Wild Hearts 'Just' Another Monster Hunter Clone?
Short answer? Not at all. Wild Hearts has a lot in common with Monster Hunter, yes, as do plenty of other games such as the Toukiden games, God Eater games, Dauntless, and so on. But, Wild Hearts is not just a Monster Hunter clone, as there are numerous core design elements of the game that are nothing like Monster Hunter. Just to give a few examples
- Weapons all have their own unique systems that are completely separate from how similar weapons would work in Monster Hunter. For example, the Maul in Wild Hearts has an active input system that elongates the shaft of the hammer and adds to the combo which is very different from Monster Hunter's charging system for their Hammer.
- Kemono are not just 'monsters' to hunt, they're these almost 'divine' creatures that are a blend of plant and animal life. And, most Kemono have large AoE attacks that cause different types of plant life or nature-based elements to materialize out of thin air.
- The Karakuri system and the fact that Karakuri stays around the map until destroyed means that the longer a player hunts in the game, the more the map becomes flush with jump pads, zipline shortcuts, and all sorts of other convenient traversal inventions.
There are plenty of other examples as to how Wild Hearts is a very different type of experience, but in general, players just need to know that this game should be easy for MH fans to initially pick up, but will also absolutely appeal to all types of players and isn't just for people looking for the next MH clone.
Is the Karakuri System Tedious Or In-The-Way?
Surprisingly, no. A lot of people that saw the Karakuri constructs in the trailers for the game probably expected this mechanic to be overly complicated or tedious to use, but our personal opinion and all early receptions to the game say that it actually feels pretty natural. Players use the Dragon Karakuri to modify the map around them, creating easier access to routes, making shortcuts, and all sorts of other things. Honestly, the way the Dragon Karakuri work is comparable to the Chiral Structures system in Death Stranding.
Additionally, players will also use Karakuri to create different interactable systems such as a Forge for crafting weapons/armor, a Drying Rack for drying ingredients, or a Campfire for accessing the online functions and selecting a new quest.
Outside of this, players can also use Basic Karakuri in the heat of combat to create launchpads for jump attacks, buff their weapons with specific elemental types, or create immediate escape options. In fact, depending on the Kemono fought, players can use their Basic Karakuri as a sort of 'defensive wall' that will cause many of the enemy attacks to bounce off.
And to add onto this even further, a lot of Kemono will have bull charge-type attacks where players will need to use the Fusion Karakuri to create stronger barriers to reflect these powerful attacks right back on the opponent.
Is There Multiplayer In Wild Hearts?
Yes, there is absolutely multiplayer in Wild Hearts with up to two other players at a time (for a max of three total), and there are actually a few different 'types' of multiplayer in it:
- Hunter's Gate Multiplayer: There are Hunter's Gates all over the map in Wild Hearts, and players that interact with them should see anywhere between 3 (in the early version) and 5 active Kemono quests in it. Picking any of these will allow the player to join the session of someone currently hunting said Kemono. After the beast is defeated, they're sent back to their world. It's very similar to summoning for bosses in any FromSoftware game.
- Lobby Multiplayer: This is where a player will create or join a session at a campfire and will be able to stay in that session until the host decides to end it. Unlike Hunter's Gate Multiplayer, this doesn't automatically end after a Kemono hunt.
- Global Multiplayer: This is basically the opposite end of the Hunter's Gate Multiplayer, where a player starts a quest and then chooses to 'open it up' for anyone to join or for them to go join them. Very similar to Hunter's Gate multiplayer overall.
How Long To Beat?
From the initial responses coming in, it seems like Wild Hearts' main story will take between 40-50 hours to complete, with side objectives and exploration adding an additional 20-30 hours on top of that, minimum.
But, as any Monster Hunter fan would know, it's the repeat hunts and grinding these games with friends that really pump up the playtime, so dedicated players should expect to easily clear this amount of playtime.
Does Wild Hearts Have Crossplay?
And finally, yes, Cross-Play is available in Wild Hearts between all versions of the game and on all platforms at launch. So, friends with copies split amongst, say, Playstation 5,Steam, and Origin should all be able to play with each other easily. There's also an accessibility-centric option in-game to turn this off for those who like to keep their online experiences to their own platform of choice.
Wild Hearts launches February 16 for PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X|S.