Wild Hearts, the monster-hunting action RPG from developer Omega Force and publisher Koei Tecmo, has burst onto the scene after it was released in February 2023. It managed to bring new flair to a genre of games long dominated by the beloved and long-running Monster Hunter series from Capcom. Wild Hearts received critical praise thanks to its fun and engaging gameplay, while also providing a multiplatform experience often relegated to exclusivity on Nintendo platforms.
The game sees players take on giant creatures called Kemono with a variety of weapons at their disposal. There's nothing wrong with using the weapons that Wild Hearts provides at the beginning of the game, but with so many options to choose from on the fly, it would be a disservice to not explore all the weapons and find which one fits best.
8 Hand Cannon
On the surface, the Hand Cannon seems like a difficult weapon that's worth learning, but at some point, the tradeoff isn't worth it. Sure, players can fire long-ranged attacks that do substantial damage to Kemono with it, but at the same time, they have to manage three different aspects of the weapon. Between avoiding the Hand Cannon overheating, making sure it has ammo, and tracking Ki Bases, it's a lot to manage.
In the end, overstimulation paired with a lack of mobility feels like a losing combination. As with all the weapons in Wild Hearts, it's worth checking out the Hand Cannon since one never knows what will click, but it likely has the smallest population of 'true wielders' among those playing the game.
7 Nodachi
The Nodachi is the closest thing to Cloud Strife's Buster Sword from Final Fantasy 7 that Wild Hearts has to offer. However, it isn't as fast or sleek as the iconic giant blade. In Wild Hearts, some players prefer speed, while power-wielders might go for brute strength. The Karakuri Katani and Maul fill those positions, respectively, but what about players who want something in the middle?
That's the point of the Nodachi, which combines slow powerful attacks that culminate in devastating combos. It's the type of weapon whose effectiveness in battle correlates directly with how much time a player puts in to learn its intricacies.
6 Maul
Games like Monster Hunter or Wild Hearts understand that the millions of players out there all have different preferences. The collection of weapons provided is meant to satiate all desires. For those who love a bit of power and impact, the Maul is the best Wild Hearts weapon to fulfill those wishes.
This giant hammer unleashes blunt-type damage on whatever it hits. Swinging it is rather slow, but as momentum builds with successive attacks, so does the damage it outputs. Learning its intricacies requires a bit of nuance and timing, but it's much more than a big hammer that hits hard. It's not for the faint of heart, though, because as they say: "Swing big, miss big."
5 Bladed Wagasa
For a game that sells itself on the idea of hunting down and attacking giant beasts known as Kemono, a defensive-minded weapon feels like the antithesis of that selling point. Similar to an umbrella of sorts, the Bladed Wagasa comes with a parry ability that blocks almost every attack. The trick is that timing the parry takes a lot of practice, but the reward for learning how to consistently pull it off is unmatched.
Using the Bladed Wagasa, the player takes incoming attacks and morphs successful blocks into energy stored in the weapon's gauge. In turn, that stocked energy is used to unleash effective and damaging attacks.
4 Bow
The bow and arrow weapons tend to be for a specific type of player. In Wild Hearts, those interested will need to come with enough skill to wield the Bow effectively. It pierces with each of its arrow types: Otoya detonator arrows and Haya bomb arrows. Haya arrows are quicker to shoot, but lack a lot of damage. For big damaging shots from a distance, players will need to land Otoya arrows.
The skill needed to wield the Bow and take down Kemono can be a little daunting at first, but those willing to learn and be patient will find a fun and different way of engaging large monsters in battle, albeit from a comfortable distance.
3 Karakuri Katana
The Karakuri Katana the jack-of-all-trades, master-of-none weapon in Wild Hearts. It's beautifully balanced and will be the first weapon that Wild Hearts players wield during their adventure. This slashing weapon is great up close, and is easy to handle and understand in terms of the attacks it unleashes.
By applying consistent damage, players will unlock an Unbound combat mode, which essentially results in higher damage output and provides the player with a brand-new set of attacking moves that result in slash damage. It's likely that most Wild Hearts players stick with this weapon, and it's completely understandable considering how easy it is to both wield and master.
2 Claw Blades
Claw Blades sound like the type of weapon one would choose for shock value, but that doesn't mean players who choose this are putting themselves at a disadvantage in Wild Hearts. On the contrary, these slashing gauntlets are perfect for players who love movement.
They can be tough to master, as the weapon focuses on short combat bursts that are followed by evasive maneuvers. At first, players might feel as if they're just flying around the screen, but with a little time and practice the Claw Blades will provide the best video game adaptation of what it feels like to play as Attack On Titan's Levi Ackerman in the heat of battle.
1 Karakuri Staff
Very rarely in games does the coolest-looking weapon happen to be the most effective, but that's where Wild Hearts breaks the mold. The Karakuri Staff is much more than a simple stick used for walking assistance and balance. This melee weapon can morph into various forms that all come equipped with their own attack patterns, and should be utilized differently depending on the combat scenario.
The Karakuri Staff deals slashing damage. It is most effective when the forms are used collectively to create a combo flourish of moves that help aid in the fullness of the Staff's weapon gauge meter. When players manage to fill it up, they're rewarded with a finisher move that lands with an astonishingly high amount of damage.
Wild Hearts is available on PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC.