Wild Hearts whisks players away on an epic adventure in the land of Azuma, a fantasy landscape inspired by feudal Japan, where they’ll battle against giant nature-infused beasts called Kemono with the help of Karakuri, sophisticated mechanisms crafted from a lost, ancient technology. 

Wild Hearts takes place in Azuma, a fantasy landscape inspired by feudal Japan, that is now rampaged by the once peaceful Kemono - altering their environment at the cost of citizens’ lives. The Kemono range from plant-infused squirrels to the massive Kingtusk wild boar. After a dreadful fight with the winter wolf Deathstalker, players become bearers of a life-sustaining technology and are compelled to restore balance across the region. 

In Wild Hearts, players journey through Azuma as a lone wolf or pack-hunt with up to two friends thanks to the game’s co-op and crossplay features across all platforms. Players can expand their battle plans and go on special missions while pack hunting, join other hunters in the world or take on Kemono on their own.

Wild Hearts is a unique twist on the hunting genre where technology gives you a fighting chance against massive beasts infused with the destructive power of nature. These beasts are called Kemono, and have fused with natural elements over time, modifying their environment to accommodate their needs, much to the despair of the people of Azuma. What caused them to turn their might and desperation on this once peaceful land isn’t known, but they must be stopped and only a hunter of great skill and cunning will stand a chance. You are that hunter.

Causing a real threat to Azuma’s fantasy landscape, Kemono are giant beasts that have fused with their environments, wielding the power of nature to reshape their surroundings to suit their needs and battle for territory. Players will encounter all types of Kemono in Wild Hearts - from plant-infused squirrels to the massive Kingtusk wild boar and many more - as they traverse the world.

When fighting these giant beasts you won’t be limited to wits and weapons – you also possess the power of Karakuri, ancient technology you must master and wield to turn the tide of battle with these foes. Use the Karakuri to discover weak spots or gain a new attack angle. Some will help you set up defenses against the Kemono’s worst attacks, giving you the opportunity to take them down.

It’s important to know that each Kemono has both strengths and weaknesses that wise hunters will take note of well before the hunt begins. In this article, we will be discussing one of the most powerful and beautiful enemies you will face in Wild Hearts. One with radiant plumage, a deafening roar, and an unquenchable anger that rages with the heat of a furnace.

Monster-Slaying Crafting System

While new monster-slaying RPG adventure Wild Hearts gives you an extensive arsenal of weaponry to play with, its most unique system is based around Karakuri, a collectable resource that allows you to craft tools and structures to deploy both in battle and around the world. Here, we’ll dive into how to get started with Karakuri, what it can do, and how you can use the skills to take down monsters in creative ways.

Karakuri is an ancient technology coursing through the land of Azuma, and you have the power to harness it. Karakuri can be used to build structures, coordinate attacks on vicious prey, and unlock more skills and tools that will help you take down the mightiest beasts. It will appear frequently along your journey as a glowing green substance detected with your Hunter’s Vision. You’ll need to stop and collect the resources in order to keep crafting objects that will help you take down the Kemono, the monsters overrunning the land. That ancient power also runs through your AI companion, which can aid you in battle and collect threads of Karakuri from your surroundings.

You’ll not be able to take on the treacherous battles ahead without grasping the fundamentals, so we’ve compiled a guide that will help you get started on the hunt.

Traversing The Wilds with Karakuri

Azuma is a vast, intimidating landscape, and the Kemono lurking within it move great distances. To make your hunts easier, Basic Karakuri can be used to craft items to get around, such as crates that can be used to climb to higher points, and springs that allow you to leap across broken bridges and cavernous chasms.

As you progress, Karakuri will unlock different ways to navigate and explore the world. Karakuri abilities give you the ability to craft Hunting Towers, which reveal Kemono hiding in the immediate area. The Flying Vine is a contraption that creates a zipline, allowing you to soar across great distances on a zipwire, perfect for scaling a cliffside or crossing a river.

Later on, use the Karakuri skill tree to harness even more useful upgrades, like the Wind Vortex to glide high into the sky, the Glider which can be used to gain vantage over an area, or the Launcher, which can fire smaller Karakuri objects (our yourself) into the distance.

Powering Up Your Camp

Karakuri can be used out in the wildness of Azuma to craft camps. When you discover a Dragon Pit, you can awaken it and turn the surrounding area into a camp. These spots serve as permanent resting points in the open world to gear up for a nearby battle, and a handy quick travel point in case you need to return some other time.

Here, Karakuri can used to whip up a few useful resources. A Hunter’s Tent lets you get some much needed rest before or after a figh while a Campfire helps you to plan your next hunt, and wait for fellow adventurers to join you if needed.

If you’re in need of a brand-new weapon or an armor upgrade, you can build the Field Forge, and immediately craft whatever you need for the fight ahead if you have the right materials, whether it’s poison-resistant gauntlets or a giant hammer. The Drying Rack can be used for food, and the Ingredients Chest will allow you to store resources gathered along the way.

Taking Karakuri into Battle

Your Karakuri powers can also be wielded to gain advantage over Azuma’s colossal Kemono. Swiftly place six crates together to form a Bulwark, which can serve as a wall between you and your foe or stun a charging Kemono out of their attack, leaving them open to be damaged.

Use Fusion Karakuri to awaken the Pounder, a powerful hammerhead that can unleash a punishing blow on any Kemono, and destroy any offensive objects it may spawn during an attack. Fusion Karakuri can also unlock the Elemental Lantern, a device that can protect you from the effects of any deadly elemental hits that your foe may strike with.

Your Flying Vine can also be used offensively with the Impaler upgrade; instead of zipping to solid ground, fire the contraption straight into a Kemono to injure them as you move in. All of your basic Karakuri can be crafted in battle too, so be sure to make the most of the mysterious technology in every scenario. Over time, all of your Karakuri resources can be powered up in order to take on bigger, stronger and more rewarding Kemono located all over Azuma.

So you’ve “beaten” Wild Hearts. You have traversed Azuma’s four vast regions to defeat the huge, ferocious Kemono wreaking havoc on the countryside. You have mastered ancient technology to construct countless Karakuri for attack, defense, and traversal. You have crafted and upgraded your finest weapons and armor. You have overcome what you believe to be the greatest danger of Azuma. The land has gained a measure of peace. You may think your work here is done.

But the hunt is not over.

You see, by restoring balance and the flow of Celestial Thread, you’ve saved Azuma from a great disaster—but even the most noble feats can have unintended consequences. It turns out that the Celestial Thread that flows through the land (and powers your Karakuri) has a dark side: When Kemono absorb too much of it, it has a toxic effect. They grow even stronger, even more fierce. In effect, it drives them berzerk. And so, those who choose to continue the hunt will face some of their toughest challenges yet: the Volatile Kemono. 

Volatile Kemono are, in essence, extremely powerful relatives of the beasts you encounter in the main story, and taking down such a creature will prove to be a challenge unlike any you’ve encountered so far in Azuma. But the rewards are similarly increased: Defeating these creatures will earn you rare crafting materials—alongside a new type of item called Keystones. Collecting Keystones will allow you to challenge the most powerful enemies: the Deeply Volatile Kemono. Take one down and you’ll earn one of the rarest and most powerful Talismans in the game, which confer valuable abilities or passive boosts. But know this: Only the most skilled hunters dare take them on alone.

And even this is just the beginning. In the months following the release of WILD HEARTS, even more Kemono will appear. For example, take March’s expected debut: the Hellfire Laharback, a particularly fierce Deeply Volatile Kemono. In a given month, we’ll also bring new quests, new armor and weapon types, new Talismans, and more. Some all-new Kemono will even bring with them new types of Karakuri to build—all at no extra charge. 

As just a taste of what’s to come, here’s what you can expect in March:

• New Kemono: Hellfire Laharback. This Deeply Volatile simian beast comes with a new quest and Talisman.
• New Kemono: Grimstalker. This new wolf-type Kemono—kin to the fearsome Deathstalker—is accompanied by a new quest and new Grimstalker-themed weapon and armor types.
• New Content: This update also brings new high-difficulty quests, a new emote, and a new chat stamp.

There’s even more planned after that, so stay tuned for more details!

Meanwhile, consider yourself warned: Even after the world-spanning main story of Wild Hearts has drawn to a close, there will be more challenges, more rewards, and more opportunities to team up with friends to protect Azuma. 

Because the hunt is not over.

Azuma is a magical place. Inspired by feudal Japan, the setting of Wild Hearts is split into four main regions: Fuyufusagi Fort, Harugasumi Way, Natsukodachi Isle, and Akikure Canyon. And when you visit these different areas, you’ll notice something particularly magical: The seasons are different in each one. Representing winter, spring, summer, and fall respectively, each area plays host to its own ecology, from fantastical flora to the fauna unique to Azuma: the Kemono.

Nature Gone Wild

From small, peaceful insects to giant, fierce beasts, each type of Kemono has evolved in such a way that it has effectively fused with its natural surroundings. Whether it be Fuyufusagi Fort’s ice-armored Deathstalker or the fern- and bark-strewn Sapscourge of Harugasumi Way, these giant Kemono don’t just draw from their own surroundings, they are capable of affecting nature themselves. This vicious cycle means that these four regions are effectively encroaching on each other, wreaking havoc on the native plant and animal life that’s suddenly having to deal with seasons it’s not adapted for—including humans.

It’s a problem.

Strength in Numbers

Now, never fear; you won’t face this challenge alone. In addition to being able to enlist the help of other human-controlled hunters in online co-op, you’ll have the entire town of Minato at your back. While the community has seen better days—it is, after all, being pressured on all sides by the ever-expanding territory of the Kemono—it remains home to a population of brave townsfolk. Here are some of the folks you’ll encounter between your hunts:

• Ujishige Daidouji – Voiced by Yuki Matsuzaki (The Last Samurai, The Man in the High Castle, Samurai Rabbit: The Usagi Chronicles)
  Ujishige is a drifter who washed up in Minato. Formerly a Samurai, these days he spends most of his time drinking—but he can still be a source of many a tall tale and the occasional hunting tip. He’s portrayed by Yuki Matsuzaki, who appeared in films like Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides and shows like The Man in the High Castle.
• Natsume – Voiced by Miracle Vell Magic (singer and YouTuber)
  Natsume is the village blacksmith. She’ll help you upgrade your weapons and armor, and forge new gear from materials you bring back from your hunts. 
• Suzuran – Voiced by Crystal Kay (singer/songwriter)
  Suzuran is a scientist, a scholar, and the Junior Leader of the Farmers’ guild. She's dedicated to uncovering the mystery of the Karakuri and has been studying the Kemono for many years to find a use for their nature-altering abilities. 
• Seren – Voiced by Yurié Collins (HodoBuzz, Inside the Rain, Orange is the New Black)
  Seren is the Master of the Carpenter’s Guild, and will be your contact for all construction projects in Minato.
• Mujina – Voiced by Yuta Koga (King of Fools, Fires on the Plains)
  Mujina is something of a mystery. A traveling musician, he’ll show up when you least expect him—but perhaps when you need him most. He’s played by Yuta Koga, a Japanese actor, photographer, and director of music videos.
• Nobumitsu Tsumori – Voiced by Kane Kosugi (Tekken 2, Street Fighter Alpha)
  Nobumitsu is the leader of the Fishermen’s Guild. He offers side jobs you can take on while you’re out in the world. 
• Yatarō – Voiced by Mai Nakazato (Devastation: Mortal Flames, The First English Lesson in Japanese History)
  Yatarō is the Junior Leader of the Crafts Guild and an accomplished crafter of ornaments. He’ll help you look your best with custom cosmetics. 
• Kōgyoku – Voiced by Marika Dandoy (School of Rock: The Musical, Jersey Boys)
  Kōgyoku is the proprietor of the Crimson Treasury, where you’ll be able to buy and sell important items.
• Tamakazura – Voiced by Takayuki Yanagi (Amanagowa, Kamen Rider Ghost)
  Tamakazura is the proprietor of Minato’s bathhouse. This is where you’ll head for healing baths or helpful boosts. 
• Toga-Hime – Voiced by Asia Grace Sawane
  Toga-Hime may be only 12-years-old, but her royal upbringing gave her the skills and confidence to be Minato’s steward. She oversees the town’s affairs and will be the one awarding your new Hunter ranks as you progress through the story.

So you will have a whole team of characters ready to help you out in your hunts. The rest? That’s up to you.

Key Features:

• Hunt Down Giant Nature-Infused Beasts - Kemono are beasts that have undergone a unique evolution by fusing with their environments, and that wield the power of nature to reshape their environment to suit their needs. You will encounter Kemono of all sizes - from plant infused squirrels to the massive Kingtusk wild boar, or the Deathstalker savage wolf and many more creatures. These enormous creatures use the power of nature itself to defend their new territory.
• Prepare Your Fighting Ground - The ancient Karakuri technology enables you to craft and build new, highly flexible and creative hunting grounds to take down giant Kemono. Stock up on materials to build many kinds of karakuri, depending upon your needs, skills, and which kemono you are fighting. Every new Kemono you defeat unveils new Karakuri and new resources to use.
• Pack Hunter or Lone Wolf - Wild Hearts’s co-op and crossplay features allow you and up to two friends to hunt down Kemono together. Pack hunting enables you to expand your battle plans with more building capabilities and special missions. As a lone wolf, you can seamlessly join in and help other hunters in multiplayer mode through the Torri System, or you can take on the giant beasts on your own.
• Gear Up to Hunt, Hunt to Gear Up - You can become the greatest hunter by gathering materials from each hunt and the environment, and craft unique sets of armor with different variations. With unique weapons to choose from, and tons of variations, there’s a combat style for everyone, each with different gameplay pace and attacks. You can craft gear with the material of defeated Kemono, further customizing it to suit your play style.
• Dive Into Fantasy Feudal Japan - Immerse yourself in beautiful environments littered with structures that
  represent everyday village life, faith, and warfare, now swallowed up by nature. Wild Hearts’s four hunting grounds - each representing the different seasons - are brought to life by the game’s AAA visuals, allowing you to take in the beauty of Hanagasumi Hill’s flowery terrain (Spring) , Starfall Island’s waterfall surrounded by the sea (Summer), Scarlet Canyon’s natural landscape covered in fall leaves (Fall) and the split in half Frozen Moon Castle (Winter) – all accessible from the village of Minato.

Wild Hearts is coming to PS5, Xbox Series X|S and PC (Origin, Steam and Epic Game Store) on February 17, 2023 at $69.99, with voice overs in English, Japanese, French, Italian, German and Spanish.