It's been a while since we were teased with the announcement trailer for Moonlight Kids's The Wild at Heart, but the team behind its production and release have recently announced a launch date. Showcased at a recent ID@Xbox event, The Wild At Heart oozes with whimsy and wonder and has the potential to be one of the year's biggest surprise hits.
With its release just around the corner, fans won't have to wait too much longer to jump into the mysterious and magical town of Willowvale and experience the crafting-survival puzzle game. Fortunately, in addition to a recent trailer, a demo has also been released.
The trailer teased players with visuals and audio that really set the tone for the game; a richly illustrated game world with a distinctive art style and character design that captures childhood whimsy and a sense of adventure. Perfectly complementing this is an ethereal yet folksy sound set evoking an air of mystery and intrigue. In it we see the protagonist waking up and presented with a need to explore the woods - his trusty vacuum and a squad of spritelings in tow. Wake - the game's main character - seems to be able to issue orders towards his spritelings much like Olimar with his Pikmin.
The game centers around the quaint, charming town of Willowvale, whose labyrinthine forests and precarious seaside cliffs make for the perfect setting for adventure and exploration. Following the exploits of resident curious kid Wake, players take control of the introverted 12-year old as he takes to the woods with his best friend Kirby. After the two decide to run away, they find themselves in a world of magic and conflict. They uncover a collective of magical forest-dwelling creatures devoted to the protection of the forest who are on the brink of societal collapse and it's up to the duo to restore the discombobulated order of the Greenshields before the all-consuming Never takes hold on the world they once tried to leave behind.
With a focus on exploration, The Wild at Heart really brings the rich hand-drawn environs of the game to the limelight. Players can set up base camps in different parts of the game's world, find and utilize resources of various rarity, earn the trust of fantastical and strange creatures, and find treasures and artifacts from ancient shrines. Collecting materials plays a crucial part, as the player needs to scavenge to craft the tools they need to progress. Items, upgrades, and structures can be cobbled together from things you can find in the game's world.
The player is also aided by adorable spritelings who can help fight other creatures, or open up new areas previously unexplored. The cute and quirky creatures are reminiscent of Pikmin, or even the Kodama from Princess Mononoke. As players gain more spritelings with different abilities, they may want to revisit previously explored areas to see what their new buddies can uncover for them. Wake also has a trusty vacuum pack that can blow out or suck in objects, which will be indispensable for the adventure ahead.
A demo version of the game was also made available at the 2019 Game Developers Conference, where The Wild at Heart captured the hearts of attendees with its charm and enchanting visuals. The demo, while in the earlier stages of the game's development, was fleshed out enough and was not much different than what was released in the recent release date trailer.
Pre-orders for the game are currently available on the Humble Games website. The Wild at Heart releases on May 20, 2021 and will be available on PC and Xbox One.
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