Beast of Reincarnation: Forgettable visuals and poor action

The titans of Japanese game development, Game Freak and their team, are synonymous with the Pokémon franchise, crafting worlds that have amassed millions of sales across numerous eras. Yet, despite this monumental success, long-time trainers have frequently voiced a common complaint: the graphics often feel stuck in the past, lagging behind current visual standards by at least two generations.

While the studio has been given ample opportunity to step up their game, the next big venture, Beast Of Reincarnation—their first console title outside of Pokémon—did not quite deliver the spectacle fans hoped for. Despite starting in a post-apocalyptic setting, where players are expected an epic adventure, the experience quickly reveals that questionable visuals are only the beginning of other serious design missteps.

Set a thousand years in the future, Beast Of Reincarnation plunges players into a ravaged version of Japan, consumed by a mysterious affliction known as The Blight. This parasitic disease is caused by a monstrous entity, and while humanity has struggled for a millennium against it, the surviving humans have largely given up hope. Enter Emma, a stoic samurai destined to be the key to victory.

Emma is thrust into a perilous journey, afflicted with The Blight herself, which transforms friendly woodland creatures into rampaging killers. Paradoxically, this infection grants her immense strength and allows her to grow vine-like hair that serves as both a weapon and a means of transport. She must absorb the power of mutated bosses known as Nushi to halt the corruption, all while navigating overgrown forests and ruined villages.

The world’s backstory is intentionally dense, layered with flashbacks within flashbacks that add complexity to the narrative—a sign that the developers prioritize lore over immediate engagement. Along for the ride are her surrogate sister Kagura and gruff mentor Brad, accompanied by a spectral guide named Violet and a magical dire wolf named Koo. While they offer companionship, the cast often feels strikingly emotionless, contributing to a motley crew that drags interminably across the 35-hour storyline.

Gameplay itself reflects this thematic hollowness. Exploration mostly involves traversing overgrown landscapes, battling repetitive woodland dwellers, and engaging in combat with little genuine evolution of abilities. The intricate skill tree exists more as an academic exercise than a meaningful progression system. To emphasize the game’s repetitive nature, a single looping song scores each mission, which quickly becomes dull after the first ten hours.

While Game Freak draws inspiration from titans like The Legend Of Zelda, The Last Of Us, and Monster Hunter, the final result feels awkward and uninspired. It falls short of the truly masterful experiences being released today, such as the emotional depth found in Memories In Orbit or the thrilling action of Resident Evil: Requiem.

Ultimately, while adorable companions like Koo offer a touch of charm and the twisted backstory promises mysteries to unravel, Beast Of Reincarnation struggles to connect emotionally. The narrative is needlessly complicated, the characters are flat, and the combat remains repetitive. It transforms the quest to save the world into a chore, leaving players wishing for a more dynamic, truly engaging adventure.

Verdict

Beast Of Reincarnation is a weak action role-playing game from the Game Freak team. Janky graphics and flat character writing make its twisting tale about community and perseverance hard to engage with, while repetitive combat and uninspired sound design turn saving the world into an obligation.