Wild Hearts S on Switch 2 breathes new life into an overlooked gem

The Nintendo Switch 2 has been out two months and its library continues to grow. As a multiplatform gamer, I’m nonetheless going to consider it as my Nintendo-exclusive-machine first, however its newness is now giving me an excuse to check out ports of video games I didn’t have the possibility to play once they initially launched. Such is the case with Wild Hearts S, the Swap 2 version of Koei Tecmo’s 2023 monster searching sport.

Wild Hearts S acts as one thing of an early show of the Swap 2’s capabilities for third-party ports because the {hardware} is poised to deal with loads of video games that wouldn’t have run on the unique Swap, just like the excellent launch title Cyberpunk 2077. After all, Wild Hearts S doesn’t look as graphically spectacular as its counterparts on PlayStation 5, Home windows PC, and Xbox Sequence X; we’re speaking a few slight step above a PlayStation 4 and Xbox One by way of {hardware} right here. Its textures lack a sure stage of polish and element to actually make them pop, and its framerate can dip throughout intense moments. Nonetheless, when you care extra about substance than fashion, there’s a lot to take pleasure in right here.

As within the unique sport, Wild Hearts S facilities round your created character going out on hunts to trace down and slay kemono. You’ll discover small kemono out within the maps, and so they gained’t put up an excessive amount of hassle. The actual enjoyable begins when embarking on hunts to hunt out giant kemono — nice beasts that mix animals and nature. Their designs take acquainted animals, like a rabbit or a boar, and coat them in vines and leaves, or give them a bulb appendage they’ll use to slap you foolish.

The kemono each astonish and horrify; some kemono are docile, letting you try the design of a turtle with coral rising from its shell. (Apologies to the turtle I killed unpromoted — I should have tried to pet you!) Others, just like the boar boss early within the sport, don’t permit you to admire their designs as they’re making an attempt like hell to kill you. As they need to — you’re searching them, in any case.

The majority of the gameplay loop revolves round these nice kemono hunts. You’ll scout out a location on the lookout for your hulking quarry, and might construct towers to search out their location. The magical karakuri constructs play a big position in Wild Hearts S; they’re picket objects that may air in exploration or battle. The extra you hunt the extra karakuri you’ll unlock, like the way you be taught throughout an early battle to mix six crates to construct a wall and thwart the nice boar’s prices. Mix three springs to create a swinging hammer contraption, or three gliders to assemble a clutch therapeutic mist to step by step replenish a few of your character’s well being.

As soon as the kemono are discovered, and together with your arsenal of karakuri at your disposal, the battles are wonderful. They’re lengthy affairs and actually make you’re feeling such as you’re a robust hunter combating an much more highly effective beast to the loss of life. A element I admire is how time passes throughout these nice kemono battles. Daylight turns to sundown and ultimately to a star-filled sky, implying that your 20-minutes spent prepared a Kingtusk to submission was really hours price of grueling combating in-universe.

One thing else that made me giddy was encountering the Lavaback for the primary time. I all the time admire seeing enemies combating different enemies in video games because it makes their worlds really feel extra alive, and seeing the Lavaback swing a Spineglider round just like the Hulk making a mockery out of Loki makes Wild Hearts S not solely really feel alive, however much more harmful. I simply exhausted myself attaining victory over a Spineglider, and now a Lavaback is flinging it round like nothing? Oh boy.

As loads of the nice kemono are nice in measurement, Wild Hearts S suffers from some digital camera jank. I’m not overtly accustomed to the Monster Hunter sequence, so for me a few of the kemono fights felt like battling giant monsters in a FromSoftware sport in the best way that the digital camera would section by the kemono mannequin (treating me to a stunning view of its hollowed-out insides). Getting too near a cliff face spells doom as effectively; with the big kemono fashions, the digital camera would usually be wildly unhelpful, not exhibiting me my character and as a substitute only a view of the kemono’s again because it trampled me. Earlier than, in fact, the digital camera swung by the kemono.

Jank apart, Wild Hearts S is an pleasant time and a fantastic addition to the Nintendo Swap 2’s library. Whereas its graphical constancy isn’t going to make your jaw drop, that shouldn’t be too shocking — or the precedence when gaming on a handheld. Stalking nice beasts makes for a busy and interesting gameplay loop, and I look ahead to extra monster searching whereas on the go.