Wild Hearts S Switch 2 Review
Version Reviewed: Nintendo Switch 2
Wild Hearts first crashed onto the scene in 2023, promising a Samurai rival to the popular Monster Hunter series. It was fairly well received from a critical standpoint, and despite seeing some great numbers on launch, it quickly faded into the background by failing to see many returning players, largely attributed to poor optimisation on PC, EA account requirements, and the lack of a long-term player engagement strategy… something Capcom have managed to refine into an artform. So it’s safe to say that Wild Hearts S on Switch 2 is a second chance for the game, removing EA account requirements, adding 4-player hunting, and all endgame content right off the bat. Can this second appearance breathe life back into a budding franchise and reignite that Samurai spark in players? Koei Tecmo certainly wants to find out. What’s it Like? Sharpen your swords, gear up, and have your schematics ready as we review Wild Hearts S on Nintendo Switch 2.
The Way of the Hunter
Wild Hearts S follows the story of a hunter, travelling from a distant land to hunt Kamori, giant beasts that roam the land. The story will take you across several unique biomes over 4 large chapters to hunt Kamori and help rebuild the devastation they have wrought on the local people. Now, I always believe in reviewing a game for what it is, but let’s be real, Wild Hearts S shares a lot of parallels with the Monster Hunter series here. That said, it would be a disservice to say Wild Hearts is a clone, as it brings a lot of unique ideas to the table with its Karakuri building system. This system sees you harvest threads, sometimes desperately in combat, to create some wonderful constructions. Players will start with basic crates to leap off, only to be sparked with inspiration to create massive bulwarks, aerial cannons, and comically sized hammers to knock the Kamori down a peg or two. These structures can also be used outside of combat, helping you establish camps around the map of each rather sizable biome, allowing for fast travel, stocking up on supplies, and even traversing difficult terrain. This construction system leads to some amazing unscripted cinematic moments where a teammate would swoop in and build a bulwark to shield us from an incoming attack, while reviving a downed player, or moments where we would all use different Karakuri to launch an assault, turning the tide of battle. Wild Hearts S is full of moments like these, and it’s made even more exciting and dynamic when fellow hunters tag along or join you mid-fight.
Rise and Grind
The core gameplay loop will see you hunt Kamori, obtain materials, craft new items and gear, rinse and repeat. It’s a fairly different structure to Monster Hunter, allowing you to bridge monster stats via a weapon tree, cherry-picking stats that suit your build. Armour is also a similar affair, crafting a base set, then further enhancing it with human or Kamori traits for both different aesthetics, as well as awakening different effects and abilities. While the beastiary in Wild Hearts S may not rival the size of Monster Hunter, the option to customise specific weapons and sets in different ways helps give the player ownership over their build. The endgame content focuses on grinding for better talismans and trinkets, as well as introducing more powerful variants of familiar foes. It’s very well in parts, and despite the endgame being more of a grind, the combat never seemed to wear thin, and the excitement of having different players help build fortifications and healing wells never fails to entertain. There’s a lot of depth on offer here, although it’s rarely explained well, and I found I accidentally discovered a lot of systems rather late in my playthrough that would have been a godsend in the earlier game, like enhancing my Karakuri skill tree, which I had completely forgotten about. Still, when it all clicked into place, it really worked, and despite some attack patterns from rather aggressive monsters, that game’s learning curve seemed to be similar to what seasoned hunters would expect from a game like this.
What wasn’t expected, however, is that Wild Hearts S features the biggest swing in graphics I’ve seen on the Switch 2 platform. On one hand, character models and creatures look incredible, brought to life with fantastic detail, making the Kamori a botanical hybrid of vines and spores mixed with everyday creatures like chickens, rats, and crows. They are both menacing and imposing with an amazing sense of scale. It was intimidating to turn a corner to see a giant Kamori Boar slowly trudging through some ruins, or seeing a crow-like creature watching you while perched atop a shipwreck. These moments add a sense of urgency and danger, and make exploration and battles exciting. On the other hand, the environments tend to be rather boring and have bland textures with washed-out colour schemes for the most part, countering the tension by making traversing large spaces fairly dull. The Karakuri system counters some of this, with grappling hooks, whirlwind fans, and even a sort of mount that speeds this process up. But early on, getting back into battle can be a weary trudge. The dull textures are disappointing since the rest of the game is polished and oozes a unique Samurai charm. Players will honourably land the final blow once they have taken down a creature, and I witnessed during a lot of my playthroughs that the killing blow was often left to the player who initiated the hunt, which made it feel like sharing mutual respect and camaraderie amongst players.
Running through the Jungle
Performance on the Switch 2 sees Wild Hearts S sit in between the 45-60 fps range for the most part. There were a rare handful of moments where I felt the framerate got uncomfortably close to 30 fps or less, mainly in larger areas with Karakuri constructions everywhere, but aside from that, it’s a pleasant experience to play. There were no bugs or crashes during my time either, and it’s a fairly well-polished experience. I feel like the game would have benefited from a locked graphics mode and a more cut-down performance mode, but instead, we seem to have both sides of the coin for better or for worse. For my Hunters looking into accessibility options, I’m pleased to report that Wild Hearts S has a myriad of both visual assists, controller assist, and audio options to customise to your needs. Players can adjust a myriad of sound settings, Ui scaling options, content filtering, and colourblind modes to make their time in Wild Hearts S more enjoyable. As always, though, I suggest further research into finding out if Wild Hearts S suits your needs.
It takes a Village
Like I suggested in my preview, the resurrection of Wild Hearts S on Switch 2 will largely depend on whether or not the players support it. As the game development cycle is completely done, we won’t see endgame content drip-fed like with the Monster Hunter Series, but if players adopt the game and build a helpful community around it, Wild Hearts S could see a well-deserved run on the Switch 2. There’s a lot of fun to be had as both a solo and social hunter, but the game really shines when the team comes together to take down a fierce Kamori. At $75 AUD, there’s a decent amount of content and longevity if the current player base grows. We are already seeing a subculture of respectful hunters working together and leaving the final blow for the hunt instigator, and it’s that sort of community that has helped sustain the Monster Hunter series.
Wild Hearts S is a pleasant surprise, managing to feel somewhat familiar, but also managing to walk its own path. Fights are dynamic and exciting, and the Karakuri build system adds a fresh take on an already exciting genre. In my humble opinion, Wild Hearts S certainly deserves a shot at a comeback, and with the Switch 2, it may have just found the perfect opportunity for that.
So, What’s It Like? Wild Hearts S is Like Monster Hunter, crossed with Fortnite.
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