In a way, it’s the classic metroidvania formula of picking up new skills that allow you to access and explore new places. You can discover more types of them as you progress, each with their own immunity, skills and specific obstacles that they can destroy. These little critters can be flung at enemies to attack them, can smash known barriers, carry objects both big and small, and more. Luckily, the Spritelings are more than willing to help them. So Wake and Kirby eventually head out in search of three mystical artifacts in order to help the Greenshields. Soon, they find themselves in a world known as the Deep Woods, home to the Greenshields, offbeat citizens such as a quirky collector of junk with a tea kettle on his head, a crazy cat lady, a man who only communicates with paper planes, and several adorable little creatures known as the Spritelings…oh, and a dark malevolent force known as the Never that threatens to erase the memories of everyone in the Deep Woods and eventually free itself even further, consuming everything. The Wild at Heart follows a pair of kids known as Wake and Kirby, who are preparing to run away from home and head out into the woods, channeling that classic fantasy many of us have had as youngsters. It’s an intriguing adventure with a colorful coating and a darker core with its own unique world, but is it also one for the ages or just a flop? Today’s example of such modern tales is The Wild at Heart, a Pikmin-esque fantasy action-adventure game from developers Moonlight Kids. Regardless, generations grew up on these films and so we now have a ton of tales that evoke such adventures. Maybe we love to bring them up because their darkness makes them more interesting and deep, that they were mature and weren’t afraid to pull punches with their stories, contrasting with the more light-hearted action they showcase. We do like to talk about how classic childhood adventures are dark and traumatic, don’t we? Labyrinth, The Neverending Story, The Witches, Cloak and Dagger (if you want an example of one such adventure that was deliberately dark)…the list goes on.

Review wild at heart