The monster-hunting action RPG Wild Hearts has been getting gamers excited about what new monsters — known as Kemono — we’ll be grappling with in this new title. Obviously, the monster fights are the core of the experience, so here’s all you need to know about the Kemono / monsters bestiary in Wild Hearts. You can also check out the game’s weapon list.
The Kemono Bestiary Explained: All the Wild Hearts Monsters to Battle
Golden Tempest
The Aragane, or Golden Tempest, embodies the unpredictable nature of the winds. It’s a mid-sized quadrupedal beast that resembles a saber-toothed tiger, with a long tail and twisting appendages that help it kick up wind attacks. In this gameplay trailer, the Golden Tempest is shown to be an agile fighter that can start hurricanes and keep you on your toes with unrelenting tail and fang attacks.
Ragetail
The Hanayadoshi, or Ragetail, is a smaller and faster monster resembling a large rodent, described as having an insatiable appetite. It also has creepy and mysterious plant growths on its face and at the end of its body, forming a clubbed tree-like tail, which may be encouraging the Ragetail to consume as much as possible. Don’t underestimate this Kemono just because of its relatively short stature.
Sapscourge
The Kohakunushi, or Sapscourge, also uses vegetation for offensive purposes by shedding pollen that can knock hunters out, as well as releasing sap that can trap you in your place while it follows up with a strike. While it has stout legs and doesn’t seem too agile, it will hit unsuspecting hunters with a sudden roll attack that can send them flying. This is another great creature design of a mysterious quadruped with a face obscured by green leaves and twisting antlers made of bark. One image even shows birds resting in the beast’s antlers.
Kingtusk
A towering boar-like creature with tusks the size of two school buses, the Yama’ugachi, or Kingtusk, is one of the largest monsters you’ll meet early on in your playthrough. You’ll need to watch out for its slow but powerful attacks and can even cling to it to try to reach some of its weak spots. Your Karakuri tools will also come in handy here, with one example being that you can erect a sturdy wall to block the Kingtusk when it charges.
Lavaback
The Jigokuzaru, or Lavaback, will provide an elevated challenge to Wild Hearts players among all the monsters, as a heavy-hitting but agile primate monster that can attack you with molten magma and sharp rocks coming from its own body. Bringing something that ups fire resistance will surely be to your benefit in this encounter.
Deathstalker
Another elemental being, the Rasetsu, or Deathstalker, is an ice-conjuring wolf beast adorned with some glowing branch-like growths. This monster will gain a burst of speed when angered, and it is recommended you target its icy shields it creates around its body to shatter them and stun it.
Amaterasu
Amaterasu is known in real Japanese mythology as the goddess of the sun, and this regal-looking bird creature with scarlet plumage was reportedly once worshiped by several towns that, according to the bestiary, were destroyed through history. You will see the Amaterasu charging attacks from solar energy or “celestial thread.” The monster is especially vulnerable in that time, but the fury it unleashes if charged up will be devastating. You will also be able to find a “harpoon” Karakuri that can make it falter while flying.
Goldshard
The Koganebari, or Goldshard, is a hilarious twist on a porcupine that is extremely aggressive instead of timid and shoots its spines at foes with surprising speed and deadly precision. The optimal fight strategy is to dodge or block the spines until the Goldshard loses them all and has to regrow them in a panic. This will be yet another tricky fight among all the monsters you’ll face in Wild Hearts.
Spineglider
The Tsunobashiri, or Spineglider, is a smaller creature that can still pack a wallop of a hit with its engorged tail and the ability to create stone pillars from its body. This monster is extremely quick and agile, and you should smash the columns it creates to try to knock it off balance.
Earthbreaker
The Kunin’arashi, or Earthbreakers, are ancient Kemono that are the largest known creatures in Wild Hearts. According to legend, they were early life forms in this world that carved mountains and valleys into a flat landscape and have never been felled by a human hunter that we know of.
These are all the Kemono monsters that have been revealed in Wild Hearts. The game is available on PS5, Xbox Series X | S, and PC as of February 16, 2023.
Related: Best Weapons in Wild Hearts Ranked on Attack of the Fanboy
