I set out to tame majestic creatures in Wild Hearts, but somewhere between petting a snarling Kimono and harvesting its parts, I realized the real predator wasn’t them-it was me.
It is, in the style of the Monster Hunter series, a monster-hunting game, not a monster-hugging game (though someone should really get on making one of those). As you play Wild Hearts, you hunt down giant monsters called kemono – a Japanese word that translates (roughly) to “beast,” by the way – using swords and hammers and magical mechanisms called karakuri. You hunt these deadly beasts terrorizing the land to carve up their carcasses for parts.
Sure, some of them are kind of cute in their own ways, but Wild Hearts co-director Kotaro Hirata told The Verge, “We didn’t want the players to feel bad when they defeated a monster.”
“We wanted you to want to fight them,” co-director Takuto Edagawa added.
So that’s what I did.
Broadly speaking, that’s what you’re supposed to do in Wild Hearts. You’re not supposed to (be able to) pet the monsters in a monster-hunting game. And besides, the kemono you hunt are nature-animal hybrid monsters who are bigger than buildings and full of homicidal rage – certainly not the sort of creatures who seem deserving of, or particularly receptive to, pets.
The game does differentiate between “giant” and “small” kemono. The giant ones are main-event hunts with all the best parts to cut off. The myriad kinds of small ones are roughly horse-sized and just generally populate the world of Azuma as you explore. Some of the small ones are vaguely indifferent to you as you pass, but others attack on sight. Call me petty, but that does not put me in the mindset to pet them (the attacking part, not the indifferent part; I have two cats, so I’m quite fond of small, indifferent creatures).
And, frankly, some of the small ones are just begging for a stabbin’. Like the Grassghoul Decapod here – just look at its picture and description:
Nothing about that says, “Let’s cuddle.”
Now, someone more observant than I am might have noticed that “number petted” stat in the screenshot above. That should have been my first clue that I was missing something. But it wasn’t. What finally made me notice was a rabbit.
Well, 16 rabbits, actually.
Nothing about the Gladefruit Hare says, “Fight me, bro,” but I happily hacked through 16 of them. Because that’s what you do in a monster-hunting game and the directors said they didn’t want me to feel bad about it.
But somewhere between the 16th and the 17th meat-filled bunny, the guilt crept in. I messaged my colleague Ari to say, “Hey, isn’t it weird how you have to kill all the cute animals too?”
He was not sympathetic.
Because, you see, Wild Hearts had tried to teach me that I could pet the small kemono instead of murdering them. Twenty. Hours. Earlier. The prompt, which popped up during the tutorial, was just hard to notice right there in the center of the screen like that. In my apparent bloodlust, I ignored it and instead chose violence every time.
I still maintain this wasn’t my fault. After I barreled past that particular teachable moment in the first few minutes of the game, it didn’t really come up again. You have to crouch and remain unnoticed for the “pet” prompt to even show up. But there’s not a lot of opportunity for hiding in bushes or stealthy gameplay in Wild Hearts.
And so, I had spent 20 hours obliviously slashing my way through so, so many animals I could have been petting all along – 136 of them across a dozen species.
How do you unlock new Karakuri gadgets in Wild Hearts
Unlocking new Karakuri gadgets in Wild Hearts primarily involves earning Kemono Orbs from defeating Giant Kemono and progressing through specific hunts or story beats. Fusion Karakuri, which combine basic ones into advanced tools, require observing “Flashes of Inspiration” during hunts with the right prerequisites equipped.
Basic Unlocks
Access the Karakuri menu tab to spend Kemono Orbs on new gadgets like crates, springs, or torches-many start available early but cost orbs to equip permanently. Some, like the Hunter’s Tent or Campfire, unlock automatically via main story progression.
Fusion Gadgets
Equip required basic Karakuri (e.g., Torch + Glider), hunt a specific Kemono, and trigger a Flash of Inspiration when it performs a key move-time slows with on-screen prompts to build the fusion. Examples include Flying Vine (from Sapscourge hunt) or Launcher (from Gritdog).
Upgrade Skills
Enhance gadgets via skills in the menu, often needing prior fusions or Kemono awakenings; Dragon Karakuri like Tsukumo shrines tie to story or specific victories. Track progress in your cyclopedia for hunt-linked requirements.
How do you farm Kemono Orbs efficiently
Kemono Orbs in Wild Hearts are earned mainly by defeating Giant Kemono, with yields scaling by difficulty, part breaks, and avoiding deaths. Efficient farming focuses on repeatable hunts you can clear quickly while maximizing breaks and multiplayer bonuses.
Top Strategies
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Hunt in Multiplayer: Join Hunter’s Gates for co-op quests-faster clears mean more orbs per hour, potentially joining hunts near completion for quick rewards. Up to 8 orbs per run possible with good teams.
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Break Parts Aggressively: Target weak points to sever limbs/heads; each break drops 30-100 extra orbs. Use Destruction Arts and high-damage Karakuri setups.
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Repeat Fast-Kill Targets: Early-game: Earthbreaker (easy, low-effort). Mid-game: Mighty King Tusk quests (optimal orb-per-minute ratio, especially “weak Kemono” variants). Prioritize speed over endgame bosses unless sub-2-minute kills.
Boosters and Tips
Stack camp foods like dried Spiral Ferns (+9% part drop chance, aiding breaks/orbs) and pet rewards from caged small Kemono. Avoid deaths (reduces payout) and solo if geared-restart quests instantly for loops. Track via cyclopedia for high-reward Kemono.
