Beast of Reincarnation is a tough game. It combines the heavy-hitting enemies that Soulslikes are known for with enough of its own mechanics to make it a fresh experience for those who are both seasoned veterans and genre newcomers. Finding your own rhythm can be satisfying, but the game starts out challenging and doesn’t let up, so if you want some early tips to help you get some momentum going, here are some things to keep in mind as Emma and Koo face the beasts in Game Freak’s post-apocalyptic world.
There is, in fact, English VO
One thing I did not realize until the game’s credits started rolling is that there is actually an option to turn on English voice acting in Beast of Reincarnation; the game just does nothing to direct you to that fact. This isn’t to say that the English track is better or anything, but as someone who doesn’t speak Japanese, there were points at which I missed dialogue in the middle of fights because all I had were the tiny subtitles. To access the English voices, you’ll need to change them in the main menu, rather than in the pause menu while playing.
Koo can hold his own
Koo, Emma’s canine companion, can sometimes go off on his own to attack enemies that you’re not focusing on. You might feel tempted to run after him and help him out, but I found that he was more than capable of taking out enemies by himself, so don’t feel like you have to baby him. My boy’s got bark and bite.
Emma can’t swim
This was a fun realization to make early on. Emma never learned how to swim, I guess, and if you start running through a body of water in an effort to escape a tough fight, you’ll get plopped right back on the shore where your enemies will be waiting for you.
The dodge window is shorter than you think, so prioritize the dodge roll upgrade
At the start of the game, Emma has a side-step dodge ability that requires incredibly precise timing and also typically won’t move her far enough away to not be lunged at by an enemy. If you look down the Tracking Shot path on Emma’s skill tree, you’ll see a full-blown dodge roll just waiting to be unlocked. Prioritize that as you upgrade because it’ll help you a great deal in terms of getting the hell out of the way.
Before you fight a boss, scout the area for a campsite
Most boss fights in Beast of Reincarnation have a campsite nearby where you can rest, save, and apply upgrades, but a few of these aren’t in the most obvious locations. If you see a giant beastie waiting for you in a clearing, do not approach it until you have found a place to sit down first, or you won’t have a checkpoint when it inevitably whoops your ass.
No, actually don’t look up at the sky
Early on, a character will tell you that in the world of Beast of Reincarnation, there’s a superstition that people who look up at the everpresent crescent moon will die. This is true. Don’t do it. Ask me how I know.
Rest at the walker for more scenes and resources
While it may be tempting to keep pushing through an area and stopping only at campsites, it’ss worth it to head back to your base of operations from time to time. Not only can you restock supplies, check in on crops you have growing, and have Koo and your young companion Kagura fill out research for more items, but you’ll get some character moments as well. When you take a seat at any campsite, the bottom-right corner of the menu will note whether your companions have something new to talk about, so make time to go see them.
Watch wild fights play out
Every now and then, you’ll come across enemies fighting against each other in the wild. Don’t immediately jump into the scrap, as eventually one side of this tussle is going to win out. Then you’ll only have one group to deal with rather than all of them at once.
Use Emma’s hair to get around enemies giving you trouble
One of the best tools you’ll have at your disposal in Beast of Reincarnation is Emma’s blight-stricken braid. This allows her to extend her hair like roots from a tree, raising her from the ground or creating bridges she can cross to get to other platforms and high ground. This is extremely useful for either positioning yourself for a preemptive strike, or just straight up avoiding fights you’re not prepared for. Beast of Reincarnation isn’t an open-world game, but its environmental design is pretty good about giving you places to climb or escape to if you need to put some distance between you and a group of foes. Even if you don’t immediately have high ground to stand on, elevating yourself with Emma’s hair is a great way to set up a nice slo-mo descent as you rain down arrows upon your enemies.
Story difficulty is much, much easier, but…
If Beast of Reincarnation is giving you too much trouble, it does have an easy setting in Story difficulty. Emma will take significantly less damage, but you still need some game sense to get through tough fights. You’ll still need to know how to parry, dodge, and command Koo to take advantage of enemy weaknesses. Don’t expect Beast of Reincarnation to suddenly become an effortless hack-and-slash if you choose this difficulty, though it will drastically lower the number of times you’ll die against hard bosses.