You can’t talk about Wild Hearts S without understanding what’s gone before. This Switch 2 port comes some two years after Koei Tecmo’s ambitious hunting game appeared on other platforms, taking the monster hunting formula that Capcom originated, and building something that retained enough of the familiar framework, while creating new gameplay experiences within it.
It did an excellent job of it too, with Wild Hearts right up there as the best non-Capcom hunting game we’ve ever had. Here, Wild Hearts S brings the game to Nintendo’s brand-new portable, retaining all of the game’s previous updates and improvements, expanding the original’s three-player parties to four, while shrinking and compressing everything down for the portable platform. In doing so, it’s not necessarily the best place to play, but in a post-Monster Hunter Wilds world, Wild Hearts S sets out its stall as a compelling alternative.
The original Wild Hearts pushed its platforms to the limit. I’ve played on PC and PlayStation 5, and while my PC brute-forced its way through many of the more challenging sections, the PlayStation 5 version looked decidedly less polished than you’d expect. Some of that was due to the scale and detail that Koei Tecmo pumped into each area, as well as the incredible monster design, while some of it was poor optimisation. It’s fair to say that these issues persist in the Switch 2 version.
As a game that’s been out for a couple of years, and which has received a steady stream of updates, I was expecting a flawless experience on Switch 2. That has, however, not been the case. The frame rate drops below 30fps, stuttering through heavily detailed, larger areas, while there’s visible pop-in as assets stream into place. That’s on top of lacklustre snow effects, flat or reduced textures and a visual grain that makes everything look that bit less detailed. It’s not a great look on the new Nintendo hardware.
That said, it runs well enough the rest of the time, the majority of the central action feeling quick, challenging and enveloping, particularly when playing on handheld, which smooths out some of the issues.
This is a hunting game. The central loop sees you take your character into a large, distinct area, seeking out one of the insanely large, naturalistic monsters known as Kemono, and then whittling down its health with a series of sword, hammer, or spiky umbrella strikes. Killing them grants you a bevy of monster bits that you can then use to make new weapons and armour. So far, so Monster Hunter.
The added wrinkle here is the Karakuri. You can conjure up hunting tools to aid you in battle, and while these start off as a series of crates that you can clamber up and leap off of, they soon expand into barriers, weaponry and traversal tools, with an exciting and interesting combo system that gives hunts a new, more frantic and freeform feel, clearly differentiating Wild Hearts from its inspiration.
Wild Hearts S’ Japanese-style setting still makes it feel like a companion to Monster Hunter Rise, both exploring the mythology and potential of that setting, while playing with the core hunting mechanics. Wild Hearts S is less bombastic, and manages to make its characters that little bit more compelling, a touch more human, than Capcom’s, though it lacks the solidity and assurance of Rise’s well-established monster roster and mythology.
It’s Monster Hunter Wilds, though, that is currently on the minds of hunting fans. The clear advantage that Hearts S has over it is its difficulty level. While it streamlines some of the aspects of Monster Hunter, giving you options to help locate your prey, and doing away with crafting for health potions and other items, Wild Hearts S boasts a series of creatures that will decimate your health if you’re not incredibly tuned in and aware. You need to grind for parts, upgrade your equipment, then snatch the correct moment to attack, bring the Karakuri to bear at just the right time, and it feels, for all intents and purposes, like an older Monster Hunter game. Wilds is brilliant, but, it’s not hard enough. Wild Hearts S is.
While Koei Tecmo have expanded the hunting party size to four for Wild Hearts S, there’s no crossplay available with the other platforms, making it feel strangely lonely for a multiplayer title. I’m sure that new Switch 2 owners looking for a Monster Hunter kick will find a lot to like in Wild Hearts S, but sticking with three players or updating the other consoles to match the new four player count and having crossplay would have helped Koei Tecmo establish a wider community for the game.