It took me an age to realize that Game Freak was behind Beast of Reincarnation, an all-new post-apocalyptic action title with some serious ambition. Game Freak has spent many years piecing together the Pokémon games that many millions of players know and love, but Beast of Reincarnation represents a firm step outside their comfort zone.
While it doesn’t hit the mark in every respect, Beast of Reincarnation is a brilliant game with some capable chops. I’ve spent many an hour saying it’s Stellar Blade meets Horizon, which is a perfect comparison considering the game’s base nature, post-apocalyptic setting, and combat mechanics.
In this full Beast of Reincarnation review, I’ll track through exactly why I think this game is a solid enough title to warrant an investment of your time, but it’s far from perfect for several critical reasons.
Beast of Reincarnation Looks Great, But Could Work Better
The first thing you’ll notice about Beast of Reincarnation is how great the semi-open post-apocalyptic world looks. It’s set in a ruined, overgrown rendition of Japan some two thousand years in the future, when the human race has been all but extinguished by the Blight, a ruinous affliction of the Earth that has given rise to monstrous creatures called Nushi.
Much of the world is inhabited by Golems, autonomous mechanical creatures that were once built to assist humans, but ultimately became their overlords. Many Golems have become corrupted and twisted by time and the Blight, presenting a threat to the ongoing existence of humans and representing a serious combat element for Emma, our game’s hero.
As you explore this ruined world, you’ll see the remnants of Golems that came before, from out-of-the-way rusted wrecks to towering constructs left to rot in the ruins of old Japan.
On the surface, Beast of Reincarnation does look pretty great. I rued the fact that there isn’t a photomode in this game, which kind of takes a point away from it, because I feel that’s almost a stock-standard inclusion for games like this these days. I can imagine it’ll be added in some post-launch update, but Game Freak has missed an artistic trick by not having it there out of the gate.
You’ll find that this game is super digestible and not at all overwhelming. It’s not a fully open-world title, but it’s presented to you in a series of easy-to-consume ‘chapters’, each of which is set in a different part of the world. There’s not a hell of a lot of content to grind through, and you can push through the game to the core components, such as the Nushi battles, relatively quickly.
It’s refreshing. It might be a Soulslike game on the surface, but it’s not super challenging, especially if you opt to play in ‘story mode’. This, combined with the more restricted world model, means that you’re getting a very beatable game in Beast of Reincarnation.
That said, not everything is perfect. I’ve got a few key concerns about the game that do hamper the score here. Let me explain:
- Emma is emotionless, but this makes sense. Emma, the game’s protagonist, has zero emotion, and her voice actors are deliberately quite flat, regardless of whether you choose Japanese or English. It’s explained, but it doesn’t make for amazing viewing.
- Boss fights are tricky for several reasons. When you fight the monstrous Nushi characters, you’ll find yourself swallowed up by their character model, clipping awkwardly through them and becoming a victim of a tricky camera that makes fights near-impossible to track at times. Also, every boss character has a very predictable and basic attack pattern that can be countered with ease.
- No photomode. As explained above. Every game I could compare this with (Stellar Blade, Horizon, The Last of Us, etc.) has a photomode, and it seems weird that this doesn’t, especially when it looks great on the surface.
- Clunky movement mechanics. It often feels tricky to simply control Emma, especially when you’re working through an area that requires some finesse, such as climbing along cliff edges or rusted ruins. It’s way too easy to fall or misstep, and that’s probably why the game has a forgiving checkpoint system and zero fall damage.
- Overcomplicated story elements. The game tries very hard to build a universe and explain what’s happening in the earlier portions of the story, but it’s ultimately very complex and deliberately vague, and many characters are introduced with almost no context, and they remain that way for hours. I was 20 hours into the game before I started understanding the roles of some core characters.
- The soundtrack is kind of weird. There are soft Japanese ballads that play in the background, and when a fight starts, there’s usually a harsh cut into some punchier track, which then cuts back to the softer music once the action has ended. It’s discordant and doesn’t make for good listening.
Now we’ll get into some of the positives, because this Beast of Reincarnation review isn’t all about the pitfalls of the game, right?
I Quickly Became Addicted to Beast of Reincarnation
For all the negative elements of this game, I became obsessed with Beast of Reincarnation very early on. That’s coming from someone who typically detests Soulslike games. I have to give huge props to Game Freak for including story mode difficulty, because while it’s still challenging, it makes it truly accessible for a gamer like me with less time on my hands to grind.
The rapid operating model of the game, the fast-paced combat and high-octane traversal mechanics, and the way the story progresses all contribute very nicely to this game being satisfying and rewarding in quick succession. There are very few puzzles to solve, and you’re almost linearly directed around the world, so it’s very simple to even speedrun this game.
This meant that I was enjoying Beast of Reincarnation very early on. I became attached to the game’s characters, especially Koo, and the story, however confusing, pulled me in with a few twists and turns. I love a post-apocalyptic game, and the world truly won me over as soon as I laid my eyes on it, and it only got better from there when recognizable Japanese locations popped up.
The enemy designs are great to look at, if a little repetitive, and the way you work through skills and unlock new abilities feels engaging enough and diverse enough to stay interesting. It took me a minute to get to grips with all the mechanics thrown at you, but once you’ve got it down, you’ll be flying around like some beautiful goddess of combat, slashing through Golems and Malefacts with reckless abandon.
I wanted to dig through the various corners of each map, unlock the best weapons, the most powerful soul stones, and to get my Cleanse Walker, the game’s ‘home on the go’, leveled up fast. It’s rapid gratification, and that’s brilliant in a sea of lengthy, gargantuan games that take an age to get through.
Realistically, you can finish the Beast of Reincarnation story in about 20 – 25 hours, provided you skip all the side content and just rush through the entire thing. If you take it slower and try to chase everything down, I can comfortably extend that to 35 – 40 hours.
And if you want to go trophy hunting, you’ll push beyond 50 – 60 hours, or more. That’s because the game uses that trophy and achievement trope that I hate of having many dedicated to just maximizing everything.
- Get this relationship level to the max
- Unlock everything of this type
- Find every item of this nature
- Beat everything in this way
And then there’s also new game plus, which invites you for a second (or third, or fourth…) go around of the game, complete with the weapons, skills, and attributes you’ve already unlocked during your first playthrough.
I can see there being a few post-launch patches to address some of the key concerns I’ve outlined above, but ultimately, Beast of Reincarnation represents a solid entry to the Soulslike space that’s both accommodating and energetic, if imperfect at best.
Beast of Reincarnation Review Verdict
I’d advocate for giving Beast of Reincarnation a try, but I can’t say that it’s not without some major flaws. The world is gorgeous, the story is intriguing (but overly complex), and the combat mechanics are genuinely exciting and satisfying to explore. There’s enough content without being suffocating, and the potential for a follow-up title is there, which is promising.
But there are a fair few imperfections that prevent me from giving this game a super high score. It’s a tricky situation to be in, because I really have enjoyed Beast of Reincarnation, and have found myself being pulled back to it time and again, even when I have other things to play, but I can fully appreciate that it’s not as good as it could be.
Game Freak has tried exceedingly hard to produce something emotional, memorable, and exciting in Beast of Reincarnation, and with a couple of post-launch tweaks, I could see my rating for this game bumped up a point or so.
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Beast of Reincarnation
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Beast of Reincarnation
Grant has been gaming for 30+ years and in the industry for 10+. You'll probably find him playing a post-apocalyptic game or an extraction shooter somewhere.
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