Wild Hearts: Release Date, Platforms, Gameplay & All We Know

For those of you who love the genre of monster-hunting action role-playing games, Wild Hearts may be right up your alley. Announced in September 2022, Wild Hearts is the latest game from Dynasty Warriors and Toukiden developers, Omega Force, which is a next-generation take on the monster-hunting genre. So, if you want to know everything there is to know about Wild Hearts, including the release date, we've got you covered.

Wild Hearts Release Date

During its initial reveal back in September 2022, it was announced that Wild Hearts would have a February 17, 2023 release date. 

Even better, you can play it early with a lengthy free trial available on EA Play and Xbox Game Pass.

Wild Hearts Trailers

The first trailer for Wild Hearts was the official reveal trailer, which debuted on September 28, 2022. It showed a mix of gameplay and in-engine footage, presenting the general monster-hunting concept of the game and highlighting the unique feudal Japan aesthetic. 

Many of the features that have since been expanded upon in other trailers or by the developers themselves were also shown in the first trailer, such as the crafting mechanic that lets you create traps. 

The next trailer to release came on October 5, which gave players a look at seven minutes of gameplay. The trailer showed off more of the crafting features, such as a makeshift copter that was used to safely descend a cliff, along with combat. 

During the first combat section, we see the player die due to being underprepared. We then get to see them take out some smaller creatures to gather resources before having a second go at the boss fight in a different location, which results in the monster being defeated. 

Since then, there have been a few more deep-dive trailers, with one highlighting a specific monster called the Golden Tempest, and another showing off the Karakuri mechanic. 

The latter refers to the crafting element of the game, allowing you to build traps and other items in the environment which can help against bosses, or for traversal of the world. 

Wild Hearts Gameplay

Wild Hearts is played from a third-person perspective and is an action role-playing game, similar in vain to the Monster Hunter series. 

The core loop of the gameplay revolves around preparing for and fighting huge, magical creatures called Kemono, and as you progress through the game, you will be able to gain more powerful weapons and armour, giving you the chance to take on even stronger Kemono. 

The world you will explore is based on feudal Japan, but instead of a fully open world, there are four major areas, each based on a different season. Each region has its own unique creatures and resources, along with Kemono to take on. 

There are no class mechanics, but there are eight confirmed weapon types that the player can specialise in, such as the wagasa umbrella, or a katana. Another large aspect of the game is the Karakuri mechanic. This refers to a specific form of crafting, for example, allowing you to build crates to push off for extra damage, or climb to reach higher areas. 

These smaller constructions can also be combined to build larger machinery, like the bulwark which is meant to block an enemy's path or a snaring trap which attaches a rope to an enemy and restricts their movement. 

The developers have claimed the main campaign will take roughly 30 hours, and you can also team up with two other players to take on Kemono cooperatively. 

Wild Hearts Platforms

Wild Hearts will be released for the PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC, making it the first fully next-gen monster-hunting game. There is also cross-platform play if you want to join up with friends.

Sadly, it won't be on Steam Deck - at least not at launch.