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With Wild Hearts due out this week, there’s a lot of hype for Koei Tecmo and EA’s new hunting game, and the start of what might even be a new saga..
We’d tried out the game back when it was first announced, where we found it an interesting shake up to the monster hunting genre. We’d recently caught up with Kotaro Hirata and Takuto Edagawa, the game’s directors to introduce the game as well as their future plans for the Wild Hearts IP after launch.
One of the most unique features of Wild Hearts is its Karakuri system, letting you conjure all manner of constructs from crates to jump up of to gliders and more. According to Hirata, it’s a big part of being able to hunt your way:
“Thanks to that players can use them not only in combat, but also change their hunting grounds or however they like. They can make up their actions and they will be able to experience new hunting game experiences”, he says.
From springboards to bulwarks and more, they’re an important part of the gameplan that lends well to the game’s improvisational combat. Since you can drop them so quickly, it makes sense that knowing when to drop a giant mechanical hammer or jump on your glider would have big effects on your actual combat.
Of course, that doesn’t mean these wooden constructs are the killer app to kill the game’s 20+ nature beasts. Hirata also says Karakuri-less runs are available for the discerning hunter who’d do without them.
Wooden crates aside, Hirata also spoke on the Kemono. Their nature-themed designs give the game a spectacular air of spirituality, setting it aside from other games in the genre such as the Ragetail, who grows blossoming trees as it gets upset.
“I would say that as Japanese we have a special respect for nature and surroundings and we can see that inspiration of nature and respect from ancestors as well so we were all inspired by that”, Hirata says.
But what of the actual fights? An action game lives and dies by its bossfights, and the hunting genre in particular has the challenge of dragging out its bossfights, but in a way that feels engaging rather than padded out.
“In order to build this game we were expecting for 20 minutes to hunt down the beast. If you’re having a hard time maybe it will take 30 minutes or even 40 minutes”, Hirata says. “We didn’t plan for players to spend as much time, and when you are playing in multiplayer mode there are features with Karakuri so I think you would be able to beat every mission much faster when you’re playing Co-Op mode”.
Confirming the game would also be good for speedrunning, Hirata wasn’t shy on talking about Wild Heart’s roots- the game was born from a mix of the hunting genre’s legacy, as well as the team’s own experiences.
“I would say we had a lot of inspirations, but in terms of a hunting action game it would be the Monster Hunter series. However, our team already developed Toukiden then so we were also inspired by the series as well. In addition to that, Edagawa-san also used to develop Dragon Quest, and since this was a crafting game, we were also inspired by that”, he says.
“For Koei Tecmo we’ve developed different types of combat action games. And for Wild Hearts we are adding more crafting elements and we’re trying to see what we can do with these new elements. I hope you get the nuances of games like Nioh 2 or Toukiden game, but also get the new experience as well from Wild Hearts”, he continues.
Edagawa even chimed in, saying that he hopes that Wild Hearts could be a new saga for Koei Tecmo, adding to their list of big IPs.
“This is a new IP that hopefully will be the core of Omega Force and i would like to continue, so we are hoping for that”, he says.
Drip Hunters
But what about the fashion aspect? There’s no point hunting a bunch of sick creatures if you can’t turn them into sick drip, and Edagawa promises you’ll have fun with that in Wild Hearts, too.
“In terms of outfits or other elements when you hunt down Kemono you will get that”, he assures. “In addition to that in terms of outfits any other elements that are not related to hunting that exists as well, so you can enjoy that without hunting”.
It’s not just one-per-Kemono, either. The game’s branching upgrade system allows for three different armor sets per monster, letting you really customize yourself how you want.
“It’s something very special”, Edogawa says. “So there are three different variations for one armor, so for human wise, for kemono wise, and the third type. For the human-path you can think of something that’s very similar to what we can see in the real life, and the [Kemono-Path] are the armor that looks kind of look closer to Kemono. So you can enjoy this type as well”.
It should be noted that the third type he’s talking about is the base form of the gear, which is a more in-between of classic Feudal Japanese attire and Kemono parts.
While Edagawa confirmed you’d get new threads as the game releases new Kemono to hunt, he promised these Kemono themselves wouldn’t be behind a paywall, saying its antithetical to the experience:
“Since this is a hunting game it’s important to have other players to hunt so we do not think of any paid elements for now”, he says.
Accessibility Features
Part of enabling other players to hunt also means better accessibility features. Edagawa says they worked with EA on the Wild Hunt’s accessibility features, which include fully rebindable controls and screen readers for players who want that experience.
“In terms of accessibility, we were helped by EA. For people with difficulties, there are features that will read [the text] out loud for you”, Edagawa says.
He explains that these features include tools for helping people who have difficulty in pressing buttons, which is a great step forwards to getting more people into an input-intensive title like Wild Hearts.
“So in terms of basic structure, we are hoping to get rid of things that might be difficult for some people to manipulate”, he says.
There’s a lot to look forward to with Wild Hearts. It’s got cross play, meaning you’ll no longer have to engage in the awkward situation of you and your friends being locked to different platforms. Our thanks to Edagawa and Hirata for talking Wild Hearts with us, and you can look forward to our own review of the game later this week.
