Beast of Reincarnation: which difficulty should you choose? Our advice

Three difficulty modes await you as soon as you launch Beast of Reincarnation, and the choice is not trivial in an action-RPG that leans towards the soulslike genre. Good news: nothing is set in stone, you can change your mind along the way without any penalty on rewards. Here's how to make the right choice and adjust it if needed.

The three modes available

• Story Mode: parrying is more forgiving, enemies hit less hard. Ideal if you're here for the story and Game Freak's touch rather than to tear your hair out over tight timing.
• Normal Mode: the experience as designed by the developers. Balanced challenge, classic parry timing. This is the mode that really pushes you to learn enemy patterns, rely on Koo and his abilities, and tinker with your build to find the combination that works.
• Hard Mode: reserved for genre veterans. The parry window is ridiculously narrow, and the slightest mistake costs you dearly. Best left to those who already master the combat system and want to see the game in all its brutality.

Director Kota Furushima has been clear on one point: the game's difficulty isn't just about the mode you choose. By modifying Emma and Koo's skill trees, playing around with the Spirit Stones that influence battles, and testing different builds, you can make the experience noticeably easier or harder, regardless of the mode selected at the start.

Two details not to overlook in combat

When you select one of Koo's Blooming Arts, time slows down. This is intentional: it gives you time to think about your approach rather than button-mashing and hoping it works out.

Also take the time to read the skill trees in detail. There are several button combinations for different attacks, and if you ignore them, you won't be using Emma or Koo to their full potential. This is often where the difference lies between a laborious run and a smooth one, no matter the difficulty chosen.

How to change difficulty mid-game

You can change the difficulty after starting your game, directly from the menu. And this choice does not affect the rewards obtained as you progress: so you can adjust it without fear of missing out on loot reserved for harder modes.

Note

One thing to keep in mind, though: the option is only accessible if a session is active. So it's impossible to change the difficulty from the main menu before loading your save - you need to be in-game to access this setting.

If, despite adjusting the difficulty, you're still struggling with a specific section, head over to our starter guide dedicated to tips for Beast of Reincarnation.