Cubed3 had the opportunity to catch up with Koei Tecmo’s producer of the new, highly rated Nintendo Switch 2 adventure, Wild Hearts S. With expectations high, given the lack of other monster-hunting style titles on Switch 2 at the moment, Adam Riley sat down to ask producer Takuto Edagawa all about this exciting updated version of what is hoped to be the first of many Wild Hearts releases.
Adam Riley, Director at Cubed3: Where did you get inspiration for your creature-design philosophy, and where did you choose to diverge in Wild Hearts S from other similar genre games?
Takuto Edagawa, WILD HEARTS S Producer: In our creature design, as a hunting game we focused on ‘a sense of threat’ and ‘wanting to hunt.’ By blending the universally recognisable traits of animals and nature, we thought we could create creatures that feel both uniquely distinctive and convincingly appealing. As for the key difference from similar genres, it is the ‘Karakuri’ system. It allows players to instantly create objects in the field, enabling dynamic, real-time changes to the battlefield and develops synergy during co-op play. Additionally, as players continue their hunts, they can enhance travel routes and upgrade bases, adding enjoyment as players can gradually build more advantageous hunting grounds.
Adam Riley: What made you decide to make the main character a player-created one, rather than developing a central protagonist with a distinctive personality and character that could potentially be transferred into other future adventures? Does the decision to make customisable characters come from previous research about ‘standardised characters’ vs ‘customisable characters’?
Takuto Edagawa: Since the game is multiplayer focused, we felt it was important to allow each player to reflect their own character. In story-driven games, it’s common to customise appearances while maintaining fixed characteristics and personality. However, that’s not the case for this title. Our focus is on delivering a gameplay experience of gathering various hunters together during multiplayer.
Adam Riley: More and more games are incorporating expansive worlds that can be fully explored and interacted with. Is this something you have tried to incorporate into Wild Hearts S to make the adventure more immersive, and what are some of the challenges faced with this approach to world creation?
Takuto Edagawa: Building your own hunting ground is an important aspect of this game, and to make this possible, we believed that ‘being able to explore all possible locations on the field’ was an essential element. As the difficulty in level design and asset creation was high, our team repeatedly requested revisions during development. However, once the feature was completed, those team members made comments like, ‘After playing it, I realised this was a necessary part of the experience.’
Adam Riley: Monster Hunter monsters behave like apex predators—how did you craft your wildlife and guardian-beast AI for emergent behaviours that surprise even veteran hunters?
Takuto Edagawa: This title was created with the mind that, just as humans are desperate to live, animals also fight desperately for their lives. That’s why we incorporated lifelike movements even outside of combat. Additionally, the ‘Finish’ at the end of each battle is meant to express respect for the opponent’s life.
Adam Riley: Combining melee, magic, stealth, and adaptive-trigger feedback, how did you tune combat so each beast form offers a fresh tactile experience on Switch 2?
Takuto Edagawa: The system has been adjusted so that using the ‘Karakuri’ becomes a key to defeating beasts. However, each weapon has unique actions, allowing players to defeat the beast without relying on the Karakuri. By practicing you can develop your skills and hunt in a style that suits you best.
Adam Riley: Hunt–craft–upgrade loops can be addictive—how does Wild Hearts S’ loop of exploration, resource gathering, and ability unlocks build similarly compelling progression?
Takuto Edagawa: As previously mentioned, the key feature of this game is to hunt the beasts while learning new ‘Karakuri’ and arranging these on the field to build more advantageous hunting grounds. Also, the weapon upgrade system is unique, allowing the players to choose the order to upgrade, enabling each player their own distinctive build within the same weapons.
Adam Riley: Environmental puzzles ask you to leverage your shapeshifting—what was your process for prototyping puzzles that feel organic to Wild Hearts S’ world rather than an “after thought”?
Takuto Edagawa: In addition to enhance gathering items across the stage, we have adjusted the Karakuri to ensure they are effective. This includes using ‘flying vine’ to reach difficult terrain, obtaining fire-generating Karakuri to burn plants and reveal hidden items, and collapsing rocks to create new routes, etc.
Adam Riley: On Nintendo Switch 2, how did you balance ambitious visual fidelity and dynamic weather cycles with consistent frame rates and load times across handheld and docked modes?
Takuto Edagawa: As this is a new platform, we dedicated significant time to understanding its unique characteristics and carefully determining where to focus our efforts and where to take alternative approaches. Additionally, since this title increased the number of co-op players from three to four, we faced some challenges with optimisation.
Adam Riley: Your narrative weaves tribal lore, NPC allegiances, and ecological balance—how do story choices in Wild Hearts S tangibly alter the archipelago’s state and player abilities?
Takuto Edagawa: In terms of the story, the choices made do not affect gameplay directly. However, we wanted players to have the ability to make their own decisions about why they hunt within the story, and each choice influences their character’s behaviour, such as emotes and gestures, creating a sense that they are playing as their own avatar.
Adam Riley: Monster Hunter excels at seasonal hunts and co-op camaraderie—what live-service plans, multiplayer modes, or community-driven events are you crafting to keep Wild Hearts S hunting together long after launch?
Takuto Edagawa: The Karakuri system brings a strong sense of multiplayer synergy, allowing players to enjoy entirely different hunting experiences depending on who they play with. Additionally, as building hunting grounds using Karakuri varies depending on players, visiting other players’ hunting grounds provides opportunities for learning and experiencing hunting in a fresh, exciting way.
Adam Riley: Sales of the original release didn’t seem to reach the heights many expected. Were you slightly disappointed by the initial reception, and do you have high hopes for this Switch 2 version and the future of the series?
Takuto Edagawa: Based on player feedback, we were pleased to hear that many have shared positive impressions of the gameplay and a genuine love for the game. As a new IP, we packed the game with ambitious gameplay elements, but we also recognise and reflect on the early issues at launch, including bugs and a lack of sufficient endgame content. The development team put a lot of love into creating this title, and we hope even more players will enjoy ‘WILD HEARTS S’ so we can explore the possibility of future sequels.
