The Nintendo Switch 2 version of hunting game WILD HEARTS – titled WILD HEARTS S – now has a demo available through the eShop. The demo includes the opening parts of WILD HEARTS S, and also allows players to try out some multiplayer hunts with up to three other players in online and local multiplayer.
It is worth noting that the local multiplayer mode requires each player to have their own Switch 2, making use of the system’s capability to link up with other Switch 2 consoles in the area to create a local network for multiplayer gaming.
As part of the demo, players can experience the prologue of WILD HEARTS S all the way up to Minato. Along the way, they will get to take on the title’s various monsters – referred to in-game as kemono – including the Ragetail, the Sapscourge, and the Kingtusk. As they make their way through these hunts, players will also get to play around with the building system that makes use of unique structures called Katakuri.
Through Katakuri, players can change up their approach to hunts. For example, they can block a massive attack by a kemono by quickly building up a defensive wall against them. Katakuri can also get more complex, with players eventually learning how to make tools like bombs, traps, and even intricate transportation systems through ziplines.
Finishing the demo will also allow players to carry over their save data into the full game when it comes out on the Switch 2 on July 25.
Back in May, WILD HEARTS S got a trailer showcasing some 4-player co-op gameplay. The trailer, weighing in at 14 minutes with Japanese commentary by the development team, showed off quite a few of the hunts, weapons and zones that players can visit in their time with WILD HEARTS S.
WILD HEARTS was originally launched on PC, PS5 and Xbox Series X/S back in 2023. While the game was praised at the time for its innovative additions to the formula established by Capcom’s Monster Hunter series, there was a fair bit of criticism for it owing to its performance issues across all platforms. WILD HEARTS S is essentially a way for developer Omega Force and publisher Koei Tecmo to breathe new life into the game by bringing it to the Switch 2.
For more details about WILD HEARTS, check out our review of its original release, where we gave it a score of 9 out of 10. In our review, we praised its weapons, story and Katakuri system, while still criticising its performance issues.
