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Wild Hearts Tries Too Hard to be Like Monster Hunter

Commentary: Sure, it’s fun to smash monsters with ridiculous weapons, but not when it feels like you’ve done it before.

Wild Hearts, developed by Koei Tecmo’s Omega Force and published by EA, tries its best to take the monster-hunting genre crown from Capcom’s long-running franchise, Monster Hunter. The problem is it copies Capcom’s homework a bit too much.

Despite fast action and a stacked variety of enemies, Wild Hearts is a carbon copy so blatant that fans of the Capcom series may find it hard to ignore. Those new to the genre, however, should find battling giant monsters to be a fun, if somewhat shallow, experience.

Hunting down monsters

In Wild Hearts, you play the role of a nameless hunter in Azuma, a world that closely resembles feudal Japan. You’ll seek out giant monsters, known as Kemonos, upgrade equipment and complete quests for characters. At your disposal is a stockpile of weapons with unique moves, such as the outlandish Bladed Wagasa, an umbrella-looking weapon that makes the hunter into a deadly Mary Poppins as they float while slicing away at monsters.

Weapon options are similar to Monster Hunter, but the toolsets feel slightly different. Called Karakuri, players can create different objects that aid in traversal but can also be used in battle. The first Karakuri available to players is a box that can be used to reach higher ledges or as a platform to deal extra damage when doing plunging attacks. Later, players will learn to combine six of these boxes together to create a bulwark, a fortified wall that will stop a charging monster, causing them to fall on their back leaving them open to attacks. The Karakuri is essentially a Swiss Army knife-like tool that unlocks more options as players progress.

Combat in Wild Hearts feels more frantic than in Monster Hunter, but there’s a sluggishness to the controls. Attacks, healing, dodging, using Karakuri and other actions come with a hint of input lag, leading to some frustration while playing.

Enemies range from smaller monsters that are only a few sizes larger than the hunter to giant behemoths that tower over the player. Fights come in phases. When an enemy’s health is taken down enough, the monster will roar and escape to another part of the map. Players will have to find them again and start the second phase, which has the monsters unleashing new and more powerful attacks making them far more dangerous.

This heart is too familiar

I can’t stress this enough: Wild Hearts plays so much like Monster Hunter. It’s almost distracting. And unfortunately, Wild Hearts copies some of the most monotonous parts of Monster Hunter wholesale.

Like in Monster Hunter, enemies have roars that indicate the start and end of a battle, which is a lame mechanic that shouldn’t have been copied. Then there’s the tedious and pointless action of the monster running away after losing a certain amount of health. There’s even the incorporation of a 30-second timer after hunting down quest-related monsters to take you back to camp instead of letting you continue to hunt other monsters or immediately start another quest.

The world of Azuma is split into islands where there is a variety of terrain, but only so many locations are actually intended for fighting. The rest allows you to gather items for crafting or healing, as well as provide a safe space to set up camp. This also feels exactly like Monster Hunter.

Even the tone of the game is similar. Wild Hearts’ feudal Japan setting isn’t that much different from Monster Hunter, although the latter is a bit more playful with its characters and setting.

Wild Hearts isn’t going to take the monster-hunting crown. Fans of the Capcom series won’t find much new to explore in the game, while those new to the genre will see the same notes repeated again and again. Who may enjoy Wild Hearts the most are those new to the genre and never had the experience of beating up on giant beasts with ridiculous weapons.

Wild Hearts launches on the PS5, Xbox Series X|S and PC for $70 on Feb. 17.

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Technologies

Today’s NYT Strands Hints, Answers and Help for Nov. 28 #635

Here are hints and answers for the NYT Strands puzzle for Nov. 28, No. 635.

Looking for the most recent Strands answer? Click here for our daily Strands hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Mini Crossword, Wordle, Connections and Connections: Sports Edition puzzles.

Today’s NYT Strands puzzle is pretty tricky. If you’re not familiar with certain superstitious beliefs, you might not find all the answers. And some of the answers are difficult to unscramble, so if you need hints and answers, read on.

I go into depth about the rules for Strands in this story. 

If you’re looking for today’s Wordle, Connections and Mini Crossword answers, you can visit CNET’s NYT puzzle hints page.

Read more: NYT Connections Turns 1: These Are the 5 Toughest Puzzles So Far

Hint for today’s Strands puzzle

Today’s Strands theme is: If all else fails…

If that doesn’t help you, here’s a clue: Don’t tell, it won’t come true.

Clue words to unlock in-game hints

Your goal is to find hidden words that fit the puzzle’s theme. If you’re stuck, find any words you can. Every time you find three words of four letters or more, Strands will reveal one of the theme words. These are the words I used to get those hints but any words of four or more letters that you find will work:

  • GLUB, RATS, TARN, DALE, FONT, FOUNT, LASH

Answers for today’s Strands puzzle

These are the answers that tie into the theme. The goal of the puzzle is to find them all, including the spangram, a theme word that reaches from one side of the puzzle to the other. When you have all of them (I originally thought there were always eight but learned that the number can vary), every letter on the board will be used. Here are the nonspangram answers:

  • DANDELION, STAR, COIN, FOUNTAIN, LADYBUG, EYELASH

Today’s Strands spangram

Today’s Strands spangram is MAKEAWISH. To find it, start with the M that’s three letters down on the far right, and wind backwards.

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Technologies

Today’s NYT Connections Hints, Answers and Help for Nov. 28, #901

Here are some hints and the answers for the NYT Connections puzzle for Nov. 28, #901.

Looking for the most recent Connections answers? Click here for today’s Connections hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Mini Crossword, Wordle, Connections: Sports Edition and Strands puzzles.

Today’s NYT Connections puzzle is kind of tough. If you need help sorting the answers into groups, you’re in the right place. Read on for clues and today’s Connections answers.

The Times now has a Connections Bot, like the one for Wordle. Go there after you play to receive a numeric score and to have the program analyze your answers. Players who are registered with the Times Games section can now nerd out by following their progress, including the number of puzzles completed, win rate, number of times they nabbed a perfect score and their win streak.

Read more: Hints, Tips and Strategies to Help You Win at NYT Connections Every Time

Hints for today’s Connections groups

Here are four hints for the groupings in today’s Connections puzzle, ranked from the easiest yellow group to the tough (and sometimes bizarre) purple group.

Yellow group hint: Appropriate.

Green group hint: I win!

Blue group hint: Musical instrument.

Purple group hint: Time to talk.

Answers for today’s Connections groups

Yellow group: Fitting.

Green group: Achieve victory over.

Blue group: Parts of an electric guitar.

Purple group: Phonetic elements of speech.

Read more: Wordle Cheat Sheet: Here Are the Most Popular Letters Used in English Words

What are today’s Connections answers?

The yellow words in today’s Connections

The theme is fitting. The four answers are fair, just, proper and right.

The green words in today’s Connections

The theme is achieve victory over. The four answers are beat, best, take and worst.

The blue words in today’s Connections

The theme is parts of an electric guitar. The four answers are fret, peg, pickup and string.

The purple words in today’s Connections

The theme is phonetic elements of speech. The four answers are intonation, loudness, rhythm and stress.

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Technologies

Anker’s New MagSafe Car Mount Keeps Your Phone Cool While Charging, and It’s 30% Off for Black Friday

Get wired-like charging speeds and MagSafe compatibility with Anker’s wireless car charging bundle for $62.99.

Black Friday is the best time of the year to upgrade the little essentials that make your everyday tech life more pleasant. I’ve found the perfect deal to amp up the phone charging setup in your car. This Anker MagSafe wireless car charging bundle is 30% off for the holidays, and it gives your iPhone a fast and steady way to power up while you navigate. It delivers up to 25-watt wireless charging speeds and with onboard active cooling, your phone stays comfortable to the touch.

Get it now for $62.99 verses the list price of $89.99.

What sets this charger apart is that its performance and cooling tech is built into a surprisingly compact package. The stand uses an ultra-strong Qi2 magnetic lock to keep your phone secure through bumps and turns. You can even tilt the mount and switch between portrait and landscape modes for navigation without blocking the view. The bundle has everything you need to get started including a 60-watt dual-USB-C charger, an adequately long USB-C cable, and cable organizers for a clean setup. Anker also includes a two-year warranty for peace of mind.

If you are getting your car prepped up for driving to a holiday vacation or just need a faster charging mount for your daily commute, this deal makes a lot of sense. CNET’s experts are also tracking more Black Friday and Cyber Monday picks across Apple products, headphones, and more, so you can score more savings before the sales season wraps up.

MOBILE DEALS OF THE WEEK

Deals are selected by the CNET Group commerce team, and may be unrelated to this article.

Why this deal matters

A high quality charger is a great addition to any car to speedily top up your phone on the go. You will especially want to look out for options from a top-tier brand like Anker for its fast charging speeds and reliability. This Black Friday deal is an excellent opportunity to save big on a staple car accessory. With holiday shopping heating up and tech accessories being one of the most popular categories, we expect the deal to sell out quick. So don’t wait too long before jumping on it.

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