It’s important to switch between weapons each battle and play around with combinations in co-op for the most optimal loadout. For example, the Earthbreaker is vulnerable to pummel and lunge damage weapons like the heavy-hitting maul and the ranged bow. The weapons function like character classes and the game encourages experimentation with an expansive upgrade tree as well as its many elemental specialisations.

Hunters start with five of the weapons almost immediately in the main story, It allows players to quickly focus on an elemental pathway of their choice and start investigating playstyles straight away. As the story progresses, the remaining three weapon types are unlocked which shakes up approaches to already defeated monsters. It’s always a promising idea to return to explored areas and hunt the gruelling beasts again to collect key upgrade materials for weapon enhancements, seek out hidden talismans for bonuses, as well as complete quests for the citizens of Minato. Through this, Wild Hearts makes replaying areas entertaining and not an otherwise boring chore.

Before heading out to the next big fight, it’s critical to prepare at a camp. Hunters collect food items and can prepare them to increase the stat boosts they offer. Eating food that provides resistance to a Kemono’s innate elemental attributes is vital before even considering taking them on. Same with upgrading armour and weapons. A forge can be crafted at a camp so there’s no need to return to the main hub of Minato to change equipment, make significant upgrades, or forge new items to dominate in combat. Being able to access all these options and set camps in multiple locations using Karakuri across the vast maps is great quality-of-life game design.

Evolving to a second stage, Kemono will bolster their nature-bending powers as a last resort for survival. This is where they become extremely deadly, changing their moves and speeding up attacks or increasing damage. They’ll manipulate the environment around them, creating harmful trees and branches like the Dreadclaw or spreading poison like the Fumebeak. These moments require a change in strategy and force hunters to be quick on their feet for exciting gameplay.

Hunters can jump onto the creatures and aim for weak spots. By attacking the glowing blue areas using the Hunter’s Arm, players are likely to retrieve rarer materials from the battle. It’s a risky move that requires finesse and practice, but rewarding when pulled off correctly and another thrilling feature of the action.

The downside is, there are roughly 20 giant Kemono in Wild Hearts and eventually their tricks become child’s play. Returning to the same beasts and areas to gather materials for upgrades and armour is part of the gameplay loop, meaning after some time the special “wow” factor wears off. It may get repetitive for players who don’t enjoy that grind cycle.  With additional content to come, hopefully the superb foundations Omega Force have set will be a launching pad for an enormous catalogue of beasts to hunt.

Karakuri can also be used to move around maps easier. The flying vine can be set up to take players from one side of the map to the other, allowing them to jump off at any moment to get where they need to be. The wind vortex creates a strong upwards draft and when used with a glider it can allow hunters to reach otherwise unreachable places and fly around the environment. The roller can be used to catapult into Kemono or simply traverse long distances in a snap. How versatile Karakuri can be in combat, exploring, and as a tool to get around demonstrates the complexity and superb design of the mechanic.

Tsukomo companions, little orbs that roll around and provide healing or materials during battle, are powered by Karakuri and are useful aids. Although, their capability isn’t deep, offering simple random support for attack, defence, healing and material tethering that can be upgraded with collectable cogs. It’s a shame as there could be more inventive flair to these little bouncy beings. While they may not be as cute or memorable as Palico, they are just as important to solo play and challenging fights.

Karakuri is truly what sets Wild Hearts apart from Monster Hunter. It’s an amazing addition to the formula that not only makes the game more interesting but takes it to the next level.

The good news is cooperative play is fantastic. Hunters can join each other at campfires, bringing up a menu to join or host a multiplayer session. The Hunter’s Gate is another option, these glowing portals show five joinable quests from players who are requesting assistance. Making sure Request Assistance is on when entering a hunt means anyone can join at any time to fight alongside, and this is where the best moments of the game are made. Especially early on, players with more experience will be a guide through challenging battles with their impressive arsenal and understanding of Karakuri and weapon upgrades.

Cross-play is also available in Wild Hearts. So, players across PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC can join together and take on the titans of Azuma. Omega Force also has planned completely free content updates throughout 2023, with no plans to feature microtransactions.

Unlike Monster Hunter, Wild Hearts doesn’t start slowly and isn’t overly punishing. The game empowers players and gets straight to fighting gigantic beings, even offering three lives and a revive option in multiplayer. There’s less focus on understanding timings and moves with the mostly easy-to-learn arsenal of weapons and fewer punishing attacks from Kemono. The learning curve for Wild Hearts is admittedly not as high, meaning combat isn’t as deep as Monster Hunter, but Karakuri turns the game into something special with how easy it is to pick up and enjoy.