The Wild at Heart takes players on an immersive, whimsical adventure of childhood fantasy. The beautiful artwork and detail of each level enhance the deep, story-rich world. Beyond the graphics, players of all ages can enjoy engaging puzzles and a robust crafting system that help them interact with the environment and access new areas to explore. The Pikmin-like mechanic with spritelings is innovative for this particular genre, and it works well for the story and characters. Fans of indie adventure and puzzle games should consider crossing into the Deep Woods to join Wake and Kirby on this memorable journey.
With soothing music, calming visuals, addictive gameplay, and a unique tale that unfolds slowly, The Wild At Heart is incredibly easy to recommend. In fact, the only thing you will need to find real enjoyment with this gem is a controller and a good 20 hours to sink into it. There is so much charm and energy in this little puzzler, and I was so engaged in figuring out the whimsical world of the Deep Woods that I hardly noticed the time just whizzing by.
Absolutely charming game, both from a storytelling perspective and visually. The hand-drawn characters and environments perfectly portray this tale of childhood innocence and discovery. Occasionally touches on some heavy material, but nothing that should put you off playing with a child. The Spritelings are adorable and if you've ever played Pikmin, you'll instantly understand the mechanics
A decent PC substitute for the Pikmin series. Its magical land filled with adorable creatures is a joy to explore, rich content will keep you occupied for as long as 20 hours, and a drop of survival mechanics spices up the adventure without making it stressful. The somewhat hazy story is okay at best and even though the game showers you with crafting materials, the crafting itself is pretty much needless, but the game’s biggest problem is the repetitiveness that made me slightly weary. [8/2021, p.74]
The Wild at Heart has a satisfying gameplay loop of resource management and exploration. The puzzles aren’t challenging, but they serve as an acceptable means to an end of pointing players where to go. The colors and tones of Fall present a cute, yet somber accent to the bittersweet plot of running away to a hopefully better place. Wake is provided with actions that are unique to him, such as his vacuum ability, but it doesn’t quite elevate the game to surpassing genre conventions. Potential buyers should focus on whether the mysterious environments and curious characters entice them, rather than the simply adequate puzzle elements.
The Wild at Heart was a surprisingly good puzzle game. The game has you use Spritelings to attack enemies and help solve puzzles. I played it through Game Pass but it's absolutely worth buying. The soundtrack was amazing as well.
SummaryA mysterious hidden realm. Two precocious kids fleeing hardship. Magical creatures and an oddball order of guardians who have lost their way. A stygian evil imprisoned. Welcome to the Deep Woods.