Into The Deep Woods: A Review of The Wild At Heart

When The Wild At Heart dropped for the switch I thought it looked fun. I love a good indie game, especially when the art is as adorable as this. I played Pikmin when I was a kid and this immediately gave me the same vibes when I saw a little bit of gameplay. So when I found out I could get it for free on the Humble App, I had to download it!  

The story starts with two kids who are, for lack of a better way to describe it, neglected by their parents. You follow a boy named Wake as he leaves his home in search of his friend Kirby so that they can run away together. Wake quickly gets lost and ends up in a magical part of the forest called “The Deep Woods,” where he meets a menagerie of interesting characters, including the spritelings that help him navigate the forest and find Kirby.

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One of my favorite things about this game is that you can play it in adventure mode if you want the fights to be a little more challenging. Or, if you’re like me, you can play on wanderer mode and simply explore the world and the story. You collect your team of spritelings—five different types in all with different abilities and weaknesses—and gather resources to help you build helpful items that keep your spritelings safe and alive. But don’t forget, “The dark is bad!” Be wary of the nighttime, and make sure you keep your spritelings out of danger once the sun sets.  

While gameplay time for the main story is only about 11 hours, you can stretch it out to well over 20 if you complete the collections before you face the final boss. The story itself is very cute and heartfelt, the music is serene and the overall aesthetic of the game is delightfully soothing. If you’re looking for a quick, relaxing play, I recommend giving The Wild At Heart a try.  You can play it for free right now if you are a Humble Choice Member, it is also available on steam and the Nintendo e-shop!

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