This doesn’t stop it from having an emotional narrative, with both of the protagonists coming from broken homes, the former being haunted by nightmares of his father throughout the adventure. Whilst the tale told has a surprising amount of backstory explained by various NPCs, the characters -excluding Wake and Kirby- don’t feel fleshed out enough to give The Wild at Heart a truly memorable cast. You soon learn the true reason Wake and Kirby are in this new world the forces of darkness, The Never, are slowly growing in strength and it’s up to our two heroes to restore order within the woods. From here he must escape the depths of the woods to find sanctuary in The Greenshields’ home -The Grove- whilst also searching for Kirby. Accompanying him is a “Spriteling”, a kind of fairy-like forest creature which Wake can command to perform a variety of helpful tasks to further his progress. Armed with his make-shift vacuum backpack the “Gustbuster” (which handles similar to the Poltergust 3000 from Luigi’s Mansion), he stumbles across a mysterious old man named Grey Coat, leader of a group of magical beings known as “The Greenshields”. It isn’t long before the tone shifts, and Wake finds himself lost in another world. Accompanied by some very sad (yet beautiful) backing music, it immediately makes you care for our young hero as he leaves home to seek a happier life in the woods with his friend Kirby (unfortunately, not that Kirby). it's clear that he comes from an unhappy home.

A father that drinks too much and doesn’t take care of his son, the litter strewn all over the floor, and the empty kennel in the back garden where Wake talks about how much he misses his dog. The opening moments of The Wild at Heart really make you feel for the protagonist Wake It’s clear that he comes from an unhappy home. Although it’s a visual and audio treat, is this charming-looking game all style and no substance? The Wild at Heart is an action-adventure that blends the mechanics of Metroidvania-style games and Pikmin, coming to us from developers Moonlight Kids.

Reviews // 30th Nov 2021 - 2 years ago // By Mike Crewe The Wild At Heart Review

The wild heart game