As part of its quest to take on Capcom's dominant Monster Hunter games, EA's Wild Hearts team will include "over 20 Kemono at launch." As additional monsters are planned to be released once the game is out, the game's executive producer confirms that "all post launch content will be free, including new Kemono and more."
Lewis Harvey, Wild Hearts' executive producer, appeared on Reddit for an AMA discussing the game ahead of its anticipated February 16 release date, the importance of elemental damage and armor, and whether or not Steam Deck support will be provided at launch.
Harvey says, "We haven't revealed all of them yet as we want to keep some as surprises, but we're excited to see everyone's reactions to our whole collection." "We don't intend to include MTX [microtransactions]," he adds in a separate statement.
Harvey states that you'll be able to capture and keep a few of these as pets in this count, but that "that concept doesn't really align with the gameplay."
The Kemono are susceptible to breaking up with one another, though this is a "rare event." Harvey adds that elements will play a "significant role" in combat, with fire, ice, poison, and more being capable of being utilized against the Kemono, as well as being a threat to your characters.
Harvey cautions that these armour sets are unchangeable, regardless of your character's body type; don't expect to see separate male and female styles, although you may certainly mix and match armour pieces and, in some cases, "alter the appearance to be more human or Kemono focused," which will also have an impact on stats.
After the completion of the campaign, you'll want to ensure you're getting the best gear for the endgame. Harvey gives us a sneak peek: "After finishing the campaign players will get a new quest to investigate a new highly dangerous variant of Kemono that is appearing in the world [called] "Volatile Kemono." He adds that this leads to an even more difficult tier, similar to Monster Hunter's high rank and master rank difficulties.
Harvey adds, "We also have the city of Minato and other hidden places." When playing alone, you'll be able to bring one of these small Karakuri beings with you.
Harvey assures that dynamic difficulty scaling will ensure that you're treated to a fun, challenging fight that adapts to players joining or leaving midway through the encounter. Visitors may interact with your Karakuri – Wild Hearts technology used for traps, tools, vehicles, and more – and construct their own in your world, but only the host is permitted to prevent potential toxic behavior in multiplayer.
Harvey says the game would not be supported on Steam Deck at the launch, although he says, "I have one though and want this as much as you!" In the meantime, players with an EA Play or Game Pass Ultimate subscription can receive a 10 hour trial of Wild Hearts starting February 13.
We've got plenty of PC cooperative games to choose from, as well as other fantastic PC RPG games to keep you busy till Wild Hearts arrives. In the meantime, a Monster Hunter Rise Sunbreak update is bringing back Iceborne's terrifying predecessor, so there's plenty of hunting on the way.