Summary
Developer – Omega Force
Publisher – Koei Tecmo
Platforms – Nintendo Switch 2 (Reviewed)
Review copy given by Developer
Wild Hearts S from Koei Tecmo is the Nintendo Switch version of the original game, Wild Hearts. The game is a twist on the hunting genre where technology gives you a fighting chance against giant nature-infused beasts.
In this game, you play as a silent hunter traveling through the land of Azuma. You will discover that monsters, known as Kemono, are roaming the region and posing a threat to human life. To rebuild and protect society, you must hunt these wild creatures and use their materials to help humanity survive.
If you are familiar with Capcom’s Monster Hunter series, you’ll get to learn Wild Hearts S fast because the game follows the same path. You get put on missions to hunt different species such as Golden Tempest, Ragetail, Sapscourge, Kingtusk, Lavaback, and much more.
The designs of these different monsters in Wild Hearts might be one of the more impressive parts of the game visually. You can fight monsters solo or find people online for co-op to make the journey more enjoyable.
Combat
The combat in Wild Hearts S leans more toward accessibility than raw difficulty, offering a system that rewards timing and creativity over precision or punishing mechanics. While it may not demand the same razor-sharp reflexes as other hunting games, there’s still a level of strategy involved—especially when incorporating the game’s defining feature: the Karakuri system.
Karakuri Skills let you deploy an array of gadgets and contraptions mid-fight, and they’re more than just gimmicks. Whether it’s placing Crates to launch yourself into the air for a plunging strike or erecting barriers to interrupt a monster’s charge, these tools act as a way to tilt the odds in your favor. When used effectively, they inject the combat with a sense of flow and creativity that can feel empowering. You’re not just hacking away at enemies , you’re engineering the battlefield on the fly, adapting your tactics in real time.
Each monster encounter is broken into multiple phases, with beasts retreating to new zones as the battle progresses. These moments add a layer of exploration to the fights, encouraging you to traverse different biomes mid-hunt and giving the world a feeling of scale and unpredictability. It’s not just about finishing the fight but chasing it down, staying alert for environmental hazards and shortcuts to get the upper hand.
However, while the design of the combat is solid, its execution on Switch 2 doesn’t always keep up. The controls can feel sluggish, particularly when trying to place Karakuri quickly or react to an enemy’s sudden move. Input responsiveness can dip during more intense sequences, where every frame matters. There’s a noticeable choppiness when camera movement gets hectic, and this sometimes undercuts the intensity of a battle. Precision-based mechanics like dodging or placing structures mid-attack can feel inconsistent, making certain moments more frustrating than they should be.
Visually Unimpressive
Visually, the Wild Hearts S port on Nintendo Switch 2 leaves a lot to be desired. From the moment you load into the opening cutscenes, it’s immediately apparent that this version is lagging far behind its counterparts on other platforms. Environments lack depth and texture detail, character models appear flat and less expressive, and there’s an overall haziness that hangs over the world like a low-resolution filter. Even basic elements like lighting and shadows feel stripped down or inconsistently applied, giving many scenes a washed-out or bland look that fails to convey the intended atmosphere.
Exploration doesn’t fare much better. The once-lush, creature-infested biomes that feel dynamic and alive on more powerful consoles instead come off here as sparse and lifeless. Environmental assets like foliage, rock formations, and weather effects seem to have taken a substantial downgrade, and some areas even exhibit texture pop-in or shimmering edges that make it hard to stay immersed. It often looks like you’re playing an early development build rather than a finalized retail release.
When compared directly to the Xbox Series X or even the Series S, the disparity is glaring. On those platforms, Wild Hearts boasts vibrant ecosystems, rich particle effects, and a clear attention to environmental storytelling. On Switch 2, much of that visual storytelling is lost, reduced to a smoothed-over, muddier version that struggles to capture the same sense of scale or awe. Cutscenes that are meant to punctuate emotional moments or major monster encounters lose impact simply because they look so rough. Details that should pop, like fur textures, armor wear, or weapon flourishes, either blur into the background or fail to render sharply at all.
It’s not just a matter of resolution. It’s the cumulative effect of downgrades in lighting, animation quality, texture fidelity, and draw distance. Taken together, it gives the impression that this port was rushed or forced to fit into hardware limitations without the necessary care or optimization. Even with Switch 2’s upgraded specs, Wild Hearts S doesn’t seem to take proper advantage of them.
Performance
As I mentioned earlier, the combat sequences in the game can sometimes appear choppy, which disrupts the overall flow and immersion during key battles. This is especially noticeable when the screen becomes crowded with multiple enemies, particle effects, or large Karakuri constructions. While exploring the vast regions of Azuma, you’ll encounter numerous frame rate drops, particularly during fast-paced action or in visually dense environments. These performance hiccups make it clear that the game does not fully utilize the hardware capabilities of the Switch 2. Considering the increased power of the new handheld console, this feels like a missed opportunity for Omega Force and Koei Tecmo to truly push the boundaries of portable monster hunting. Instead of delivering a smoother, more refined experience, Wild Hearts S ends up feeling like a scaled-down port rather than a version optimized for modern handheld performance.
Verdict
Wild Hearts S offers enjoyable gameplay reminiscent of its 2023 release on Xbox, PlayStation, and PC. The co-op mode during battles significantly enhances the experience. However, Wild Hearts S missed the chance to take advantage of the newly released console, making it feel like a rushed port for the Switch 2.
