

The animation style and soundtrack work with the story's setting to create this feeling of nostalgia, for the full glory of the game's Greenshield society and for a forest free from the horror of the Never, but also for safe spaces and the naivete and innocence of youth. Where The Wild at Heart truly excels, however, is its vibe. RELATED: Become the Master of Gravity In Sky Beneath's Portal-Inspired Puzzle Platforming

It's a type of recipe-discovery that will immediately appeal to fans of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and offers yet another way to interact with the game's world and characters. The Wild at Heart also incorporates crafting, taking crystals and scrap parts and food and the presumably bloody hearts of the beasts the Spritelings have slain and combining them to make potions, tools and meals to aid in gameplay. The distances that seem to define Wake as he literally runs away from his troubles and his home are recapitulated in the distance he maintains from this magical world. But by adding in this method of interaction from a distance, The Wild at Heart has emphasized some of its key story themes in the actual mechanics. There's a kick button and scrap can be collected by walking over it. Players can, of course, get up close and personal. One curious yet fitting result of these two key mechanics is that players are often interacting with the game from a distance, throwing Spritelings at enemies or sucking goods towards them. The Gustbuster can also pull items closer to the player and even collect some items. The woods are littered with windmills that, when activated by the Gustbuster, will open doors to new areas or spew scrap parts necessary for crafting.
THE WILD AT HEART REVIEW IGN HOW TO
RELATED: Dungeons & Dragons: How to Create Memorable PuzzlesĪs cute and important as the Spritelings are, they aren't the only thing that makes The Wild at Heart fun. The Gustbuster vacuum backpack that Wake wears throughout the game serves as the main way that the character interacts with the environment. While Spritelings can be re-hatched, the small animation that plays on their death really drives the moment home and emphasizes the attachment players have established with them. While they don't offer a lot of personality or individuality, they'll express confusion if players send them to unspecified tasks, fly into the air if they meet with a vacuum blast and, if set against a foe too strong, even die. Players also collect the components to hatch more Spritelings for a larger army.īut players also connect with these Spritelings on their adventures.

The swarm can collect and carry objects for players, move barricades out of the way and build bridges to open up new areas. They're tiny elemental creatures with big heads and eyes that are just cute enough to be immediately loveable without distracting from play. The Spritelings become a critical component of The Wild at Heart, and not just as a tool that players can use to battle the creatures that inhabit the woods. Spritelings look a bit like the Kodama forest spirits in Princess Mononoke.
