Beast of Reincarnation Review - Game Freak Stretches Its Legs Beyond Pokemon

Game Freak is one of the most fascinating studios in video game history. Although they're primarily known as the stewards of the Pokémon franchise, they've also developed a ton of other games that have nothing to do with the series, like Beast of Reincarnation.

In recent years, the continuation of the Pocket Card Jockey series has been at the forefront of their non-Pokémon projects, but they came out of nowhere with the reveal of Beast of Reincarnation. After hours of wondering if this was indeed a gorgeous action-RPG from the makers of Pokémon, it really settled in. While it has its flaws, Beast of Reincarnation is a wonderful homage to an old-school genre.

The Beast of Reincarnation World Is Familiar

Taking place in the far future of 4026 in Japan, Beast of Reincarnation follows a timeline where a blight took over a world, and it's up to a young woman named Emma (along with her dog companion Koo) to set things right.

Part NieR, part Kojima Productions, part James Cameron's Avatar​​​​​​, the narrative is never overstated, and slowly reveals itself over the course of many cutscenes and flashbacks. While it's an unfortunate situation for Emma and Koo, they're both impacted by the evolutionary elements of the blight, which provide powers for them to battle the various organic and inorganic enemies they'll find across the vast broken battlefield.

"Project Bloom" was a perfect codename for Beast of Reincarnation, since it's fully built around plant-life as a motif. Emma utilizes plant-based superpowers as part of her kit, and Koo is also part plant. It's a unique dual-purpose setting: while there's dilapidation and automatons roaming around, it's also extremely full of natural life. You can see all of it at will, too, thanks to the extremely generous movement system.

Built around verticality, Emma can use vines through her feet to extend her movement, almost like a super-powered hero. I was astounded at how easy it was to control Emma when running around, and you can pretty much high-jump and grapple from minute one, once you get full control of her.

While I'm gushing about the world as a whole, there are limitations. Some sections, especially those that don't take place in the game's various open sandboxes, can feel confined. Select areas of individual sandbox maps are also barren, so you'll want to go into this game having a penchant for exploration.

The best part about Beast of Reincarnation is that it doesn't waste your time. While some areas aren't as packed as others, there are myriad movement options and full fast travel support. As you uncover each shrine (which functions as a bonfire), you'll unlock a new fast travel point.

This is part of why the 30-plus-hour length never really feels like a chore. You can theoretically do whatever you want whenever you want, whether it's continuing on with the main story or going on a diversion off the beaten path.

Combat Works, And Koo Helps

Combat isn't super flashy, but it plays out like a classic action RPG. Emma can utilize skills and combos, as well as swerve around the battlefield with her plant powers. Koo can be directly commanded while fighting with a variety of abilities, and acts on its own.

Parrying is a huge aspect of Beast of Reincarnation, as it can open up enemies and even cue instant-kill attacks in some instances. In my experience, the parry system is very clean and responsive, and Emma has more than enough tools at her disposal even if you aren't regularly parrying.

One of the lower points of combat is select boss fights. There are some janky boss animations and detection issues that reduce the tension in a few confrontations. Stiff animations can rear up occasionally, but they are really on display when taking on bigger enemies. That said, these battles rarely overstay their welcome, so you're generally off to the races exploring again after a short period of time.

There's more to the game than combat, as character advancement isn't solely combat-based, either. You have the opportunity to raise wildlife, bond with the few humans left alive on your base of operations, and grow plants. They're nice diversions if you get tired of roaming around the countryside or battling the same enemy types in rapid succession.

One thing Beast is a bit slow on, pacing-wise, is drops. Loot is a part of the game, and so is item/weapon enhancement, but it takes a while for that all to ramp up to the point where you have more choices. It would be great to see a slight rework of drops and variety in the first few hours of the game, but it really opens up throughout the lengthy adventure.

Beast Is A Conditional Recommendation

If you're the type of person who absolutely eats up action RPGs like NieR or Sekiro, you'll find a lot to like in Beast of Reincarnation. There are some hang-ups that you'll need to get used to, but the endearing story and Emma and Koo do a lot of heavy lifting.

If you're in the mood for a new action RPG, check out Beast of Reincarnation. With enhancements that shore up its shortcomings, a sequel could really blow the lid off its potential.