Long-running Pokémon developer Game Freak has stepped outside the monster-catching series before, like with smaller projects like Little Town Hero and Giga Wrecker, but it’s never done anything quite like Beast of Reincarnation. This much should be obvious upon first glance, but after playing about two hours of the game in an exclusive hands-on session, I can confidently say that Game Freak’s ambitions go much deeper than surface-level.
Beast of Reincarnation takes place millennia in the future, after humanity was crushed under the foot of an environmental curse called the Blight. To survive, most humans transferred their consciousnesses into robotic shells called Golems—very NieR, very Stellar Blade indeed. But some humans, including protagonist Emma, can absorb the Blight rather than succumb to it, and they live in exile from the rest of what’s left of humanity, ironically shamed by the Golems for being “less human.”
Emma is also joined by Koo, a mysterious dog who, although affected by the Blight, has not turned aggressive like other afflicted animals have. On a journey to defeat the Beast of Reincarnation, Koo and Emma must work together to slay formidable enemies and grow more powerful, a process that is conveyed via a delectable combat system.
Beast of Reincarnation’s Combat Steals the Show
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Image via Game Freak -
Image via Game Freak
Beast of Reincarnation’s structure isn’t exactly what I expected it to be. It’s certainly not open-world, but it’s far less linear than many of its soulslike inspirations, featuring vast spaces with secrets to discover, loot to collect, and hidden paths to explore. Moving through these spaces is a smooth and multifaceted experience thanks to Emma’s traversal abilities, which include the power to grow horizontal or vertical vine structures for repositioning. But I fear that there’s much I missed in the exploration department, as I was absolutely addicted to Beast of Reincarnation’s combat loop.
Beast of Reincarnation has been compared to Sekiro, which isn’t totally off-base. Its parry and posture system is nearly a 1:1 recreation of Sekiro’s, and its quasi-soulslike combat, sans staples like stamina and build-crafting, further deepens its likeness to FromSoft’s 2019 masterpiece. You won’t hear me complaining about any attempt to recreate Sekiro’s combat model, but even so, Beast of Reincarnation takes additional steps to differentiate itself, to the point where comparing it to any single game becomes unhelpful.
A lot of Beast‘s mechanical complexity can be attributed to Koo, Emma’s aforementioned canine companion. By performing parries, Koo will accumulate ability points, which can be spent on special powers via an in-battle tactical menu. For instance, I favored a Koo ability that would summon monstrous plants from the ground, launching enemies and letting me wail on them midair DMC-style. For more agile foes, I would use an ability that bound them to the ground, allowing me to unleash devastating attacks more easily.
What’s more is that these Koo abilities (called Blooming Arts in-game) can be paired with various mods that give them additional effects, like a healing boost or a temporary damage buff against status-afflicted enemies. This deepens the dynamic between Emma’s real-time slashing (and shooting—she has ranged weapons as well) and Koo’s quasi-turn-based attacks, injecting them with a layer of strategy that rewards a more thoughtful, intentional play style. Through Koo alone, Beast of Reincarnation gracefully leaps away from soulslike convention, becoming altogether more refreshing and expressive.
I only had access to three Blooming Arts during my hands-on, but Emma can equip as many as six at once, and there’s an implication that several alternative Arts will become unlocked throughout the game.
Also worth noting is Beast of Reincarnation’s stealth mechanics. By using Emma’s previously mentioned traversal abilities, you can create your own perches and vantage points, which allow you to assess combat arenas and even get stealth kills on certain foes, although this will often draw aggro in surrounding enemies. Emma can also command Koo to pounce on targets from afar, although this isn’t always successful. Much like Sekiro or Ghost of Tsushima, the strength of Beast of Reincarnation’s combat sandbox winds up doing its stealth a disservice, as it’s generally more fun to engage enemies head-on. However, I’m still looking forward to seeing how the game’s stealth mechanics evolve over a complete playthrough—stealth could wind up being just as enjoyable as combat, but it’s hard to say at this stage.
Beast of Reincarnation’s World and Story Show Promise, but It’s Too Early to Heap Praise
I’m more or less sold on Beast of Reincarnation’s combat, which I predict will be its most universally beloved element at launch. Its world-building and narrative paint a different picture, though. It’s not so much that Beast of Reincarnation seems to have a bad story, but based on what I’ve seen, it does come across a bit cliché and bland. Even the main drive of the story, the Blight, feels like it could have been ripped from any number of other action-adventure titles, where it’s perhaps called “corruption” or something similar. Again, this doesn’t guarantee that Beast will be derivative or predictable, but further complicating factors will need to enter the narrative for it to really stand out, especially within its genre space.
Through Koo alone, Beast of Reincarnation gracefully leaps away from soulslike convention, becoming altogether more refreshing and expressive.
Thankfully, I got glimpses of some potential complicating factors during my playthrough. Most notable is the dynamic between Emma, the Golems, and the broader “human” civilization of Beast of Reincarnation. It’s clear that Emma is an outcast due to her exceptional powers, but a flashback cutscene after beating the first boss reveals just how prejudiced greater society is towards Emma’s ilk: a Golem relentlessly bullies and denigrates her as less than human, simply as a matter of course. These bizarre social dynamics could certainly lead to something special, if they’re fleshed out in an interesting way.
There’s also the nature of the Blight itself, and how it affects plant and animal life. Visually, this is actually quite beautiful, and reminds me of horror media like Silent Hill f and Annihilation. This kind of aesthetic subversion can be great fodder for thematic exploration, so I hope that the full Beast of Reincarnation narrative takes up the challenge.
If Beast of Reincarnation’s story flounders, it will be disappointing, but it probably won’t be a dealbreaker. The combat and build-crafting that I experienced during my preview show immense promise, and the two hours I spent with the game felt like two minutes. As someone who considers action-RPG his favorite genre, who counts the likes of Sekiro, Bloodborne, Bayonetta, and Devil May Cry 5 among his most-played games, I don’t make such statements lightly.
- Released
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August 4, 2026
- Publisher(s)
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Fictions
- Number of Players
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Single-player
Beast of Reincarnation launches on August 4, 2026 for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC. GameRant was provided with travel and lodging arrangements for this preview event.
