EA and Koei Tecmo reveal Wild Hearts, a new take on Monster Hunter

The new monster-hunting genre was revealed Wednesday by publishers Electronic Arts and Koei Tecmo as well as Dynasty Warriors series developers Omega Force. Wild Hearts, an action-focused hunting game set in fantasy feudal Japan, where players will battle giant “nature-infused beasts” called Kemono.

Differentiating Wild Hearts from Capcom’s Monster Hunter series is a mechanic called Karakuri, which are described as “sophisticated mechanisms crafted from a lost, ancient technology.” As seen in the debut trailer for Wild HeartsThe Karakuri are a range of weapons that include ballistae (ballistae), and gigantic mallets. These can also be used to damage, disable or stun giant animals. Players will have access to a range of hand-held weapons, such as transforming swords or bows andarrows, muskets and japanese umbrellas. These can be used to take out giant boars, squirrels and other apes.Other mutated creatures.

Yosuke Hayashi, executive vice president of Koei Tecmo, noted that item and weapon crafting is “at the core of the experience” in Wild Hearts, “redefining what can be possible in a beast hunting game.”

The game will allow players to play Wild Hearts solo or with others — up to three players at once — and will support cross-play across all platforms. Wild HeartsOn February 17, 2023, it will arrive on the PlayStation 5, Windows PC, Xbox Series X and Xbox Series X.

Wild Hearts isn’t Omega Force and Koei Tecmo’s first foray into the Monster Hunter-like genre; the companies released a pair of Toukiden games in 2013 and 2017 (Toukiden: Age of Demons Toukiden 2You can download it on both the PlayStation and PC platforms. These games were also set in Fantasy feudal Japan and featured players fighting oni demons, which contained ancient warrior souls.

Koei Tecmo created the Toukiden series as a direct response to Monster Hunter’s popularity on PlayStation in Japan, and after the success of Capcom’s Monster Hunter: World, the bestselling game in Capcom’s history, Koei Tecmo clearly sees an audience with an even bigger appetite for slaying giant beasts.