It’s like next-gen Monster Hunter, except EA does it

EA and Koei Tecmo are teaming up to create a monster hunter-styling experience with wild hearts, they revealed today. A two-and-a-half-minute first trailer shows off lush environments, intimidating encounters, and cool weapons. The game also appears to be inspired by Koei Tecmo’s monster hunt. Toukiden series, originally released on older generation Vita and PlayStation consoles. The new game is expected to launch in February.

The wild hearts The reveal trailer teases an untamed world of vicious monsters, with player characters donning a variety of armor, swords, and weird magical tech stuff that has a distinctly ancient Japanese flair. It shows players sneaking up on beasts in tall grass, flying above them with cool technology, and generally laying waste to beasts many times their own size. monster hunter fans will be at home.

Check out the trailer here:

Exclusively interview with IGNdirector Kotaro Hirata acknowledged the similarity to the company’s previous monster-hunting series, Toukiden. The experience of building these games laid the foundation for wild heartsbut Hirata pointed out that “the hunt, combat system, world setting, and visual presentation” are unique to wild hearts.

If you are unfamiliar with Toukiden, you are probably not alone. Created by Omega Force in 2013, the series premiered on the woefully neglected PSP and PlayStation Vita in Japan before Tecmo Koei brought it to the United States a year later. Its sequel shifted to an open-world format, releasing for PS3, PS4, Vita, and Windows in the mid-2010s. reach a wider audience this time around.

Contrary to Toukidenthe following, wild hearts will use an “area-based system,” instead of a fully open world. The game will also feature three-player co-op instead of four, ostensibly for balance and ease of not needing to find an extra player.

Crafting is an essential part of the experience. Called “Karakuri”, the makers describe its in-world features as “an ancient technology that allows for the creation of extremely flexible and creative hunting grounds”. Talk with IGNthey were clear that this is a smaller scale than what you would see, say, Fortnitewhen it comes to craftsmanship.

The game has been in development for four years, but as long as everything goes according to plan, you’ll be able to start hunting monsters in this wild world as early as February 17. But on which platforms? That’s currently unknown, though PS5, Xbox Series X, and PC seem like the most likely destinations.