Beast of Reincarnation Review: Stylish, but Glaringly Unfinished - Gamespot's Verdict
6.0
Credit: Game Freak

Beast of Reincarnation Review: Stylish, but Glaringly Unfinished - Gamespot's Verdict

Alexandre Alexandre Jollier
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In brief

Beast of Reincarnation showcases an engaging combat system and a memorable art direction, but falls apart elsewhere: a flimsy story, flat dialogue, robotic animations and uneven technical polish. Game Freak attempts a solo action-RPG with real potential, but the game misses its cinematic ambitions and Gamespot penalizes it with a 6/10.

Buy Beast of Reincarnation if you're looking for an action RPG with a strong visual identity and you're willing to overlook a soft storyline and uneven technical polish. Avoid it if you're here for the story or if you demand the surgical precision of a Sekiro.

Game Freak steps away from Pokémon to try its hand at a solo action RPG, and the gamble deserves credit on paper. The story unfolds in 4026, in a Japan ravaged by the Blight, a plant-based infection that has pushed humanity to transfer its souls into golems. You play as Emma, a stoic warrior accompanied by her dog Koo, on a hunt for the Beast of Reincarnation across semi-open zones punctuated by bosses called Nushi.

A combat system with real bite

The real selling point according to the Gamespot journalist is the combat. Parrying is central, in a Sekiro-like fashion: read the patterns well, deflect at the right moment, fill the stagger gauge to land a finisher. Emma's hits carry real weight, the parry sound is satisfying, and the unlockable blade arts make giant petals bloom on screen when they connect. It's a spectacle that earns its keep.

Koo really changes the equation. By freezing time to give him orders using points earned from parrying, you juggle between Emma's aggression and the dog's to open up damage windows. Both characters' skill trees are broad enough to encourage several playstyles, without ever forcing you to unlock everything.

The art direction also holds up well: futuristic technology and Japanese ruins overrun by vegetation create memorable settings, and Emma's design - a flowering braid that grows longer as she progresses - is a nice touch.

The polish cracks fast

The problem is everything surrounding this core gameplay. According to Gamespot, the dialogue is strikingly flat, carried by robotic animations and lifeless voice performances. Emma has almost no personality, her interactions with Koo never develop into real camaraderie, and the semi-open zones all start to look the same after the third hour.

Worse still: half of the game's bosses are recycled in the second half with the same patterns, which seems to kill all tension. Add to that a finicky camera against the bigger Nushi, inconsistent dodge timing, and micro-stutters observed on PC (RTX 4080) as well as on Xbox Series X - an issue Game Freak claimed it wanted to fix before launch.

Beast of Reincarnation remains a 25-hour experience that never drags on the pure gameplay side. But if you're looking for the equivalent of a Sekiro or a Lies of P with genuine storytelling on top, you won't find it here. Gamespot gave it a 6/10: this is a game with good ideas poorly executed, wrapped around a combat system that, on its own, works.

Strengths

  • Parry-focused combat, demanding and rewarding to master
  • Koo, the canine command mechanic, adds a genuine strategic layer
  • Art direction that blends biopunk, cyberpunk and solarpunk cohesively
  • Skill trees rich enough for several playstyles

Weaknesses

  • Flat dialogue and voice performances, characters lacking depth
  • Recycled bosses in the second half of the game, tension nearly nonexistent
  • Finicky camera and inconsistent dodge timing against larger enemies
  • Micro-stutters on PC and severe framerate issues on Xbox Series X

Verdict

A combat system full of good ideas, weighed down by a flat storyline and a glaring lack of polish.

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Does Beast of Reincarnation appeal to you despite its narrative flaws?

Frequently asked questions

Does the combat really feel like Sekiro?
Yes, parrying is central and requires carefully reading enemy patterns to deflect at the right moment and fill the stagger gauge. But Beast of Reincarnation adds its own twist with Koo: you can freeze time to give the dog orders and juggle between both characters' aggression to create damage windows.
How long is the game?
Around 25 hours according to Gamespot, which is a solid length that never drags in terms of pure gameplay, even though the narrative content and semi-open areas become repetitive after a few hours.
Why did Gamespot give it a 6/10 despite the good ideas?
Because the game has good ideas that are poorly executed around a combat system that does work. Flat dialogue, robotic animations, recycled bosses, a finicky camera, and micro-stutters on both console and PC undermine the overall experience, especially if you're expecting a truly cinematic narrative.
Does Emma have an interesting personality?
Unfortunately not. Emma has almost no personality, and her interactions with Koo never develop any real chemistry despite the concept's potential.
Is the game design of the semi-open areas any good?
The problem is that after the third hour, all the areas start to look alike. Each follows the same structure: arrival, combat, light exploration, boss fight. Worse still, half of the bosses are recycled in the second half with the same patterns.

Key takeaways

  • The combat truly works: a Sekiro-style parry system at its core, weighty hits, and the Emma-Koo duo creates genuine tactical depth.
  • The art direction merges futuristic tech with Japanese ruins overrun by vegetation, creating memorable settings despite areas that eventually start to blend together.
  • The dialogue is strikingly flat, with robotic animations that kill any narrative immersion and strip Emma of any personality.
  • Bosses are recycled in the second half of the game with the same patterns, undermining tension and interest across the 25-hour runtime.
  • A finicky camera against large bosses and micro-stutters observed on both PC and Xbox Series X persist despite promises of fixes.

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