Many gamers may know Game Freak as the developer of many of the famous Pokémon games on Nintendo consoles. While Pokémon games remain popular, there have been criticisms of their outdated graphics in recent times.
Even though Game Freak is usually tied to making Pokémon games, the developer still found time to release its own new IP this year, called Beast of Reincarnation. Unlike the Pokémon games, this game is only available for PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S.
Beast of Reincarnation is way different from the Pokémon games because it is an action RPG with realistic-looking graphics. Not to mention, the game isn't turn-based because it has fast and swift action, much like Stellar Blade does.
Speaking of Stellar Blade, Beast of Reincarnation also takes place in the far future in the year 4026. You assume the role of a synthetic human named Emma, and she is joined by a cute dog called Koo.
In this version of Earth, the world is overrun by a devastating blight that has affected both humans and animals. The blight turns animals into beings called 'malefacts' or 'Nushi', and it changes their appearance, as well as gives them supernatural plant-like abilities.
In order to end the blight, Emma and Koo have to kill what is known as the Beast of Reincarnation. When the Beast of Reincarnation is dead, only then can Earth and its inhabitants start recovering after suffering blight for over 2000 years.
In terms of graphics, Beast of Reincarnation is arguably the best-looking game that Game Freak has ever worked on. The post-apocalyptic Earth looks haunting and scary, plus the game usually hits 60fps on all consoles.
If you prefer graphical fidelity, you can choose to play the game in Quality Mode, which renders the game at 4K, but this drops the game to 30fps. However, I think this game is better played at 60fps because the gameplay is fast and swift.
One thing that makes Beast of Reincarnation different from many other recently released action RPGs is that it doesn't mimic souls-like video games. For one thing, the game has many different difficulty settings to cater to gamers of all skill levels.
The difficulty modes are Story, Normal, Hard, and even Reincarnation +. The harder the difficulty, the more damage you take. Parry windows are also less forgiving when you play on the harder modes, too.
Another thing that separates this game from souls-likes is that the level design is linear. The game is separated into different chapters, and the levels are small and not expansive like an open-world design. The game also generously includes a waypoint for most objectives, so you don't have to worry about going the wrong way all of the time!
Speaking of exploration, Emma has a special ability where her hair can extend, and this makes traversing the levels really fun. For example, if there is a huge gap, she can make herself a bridge to get to the other side. A cliff can also be climbed easily thanks to her hair extensions.
While Beast of Reincarnation has decent graphics, the best part of the game, in my opinion, is its excellent combat system. The combat is similar to that of FromSoftware's Sekiro because Beast of Reincarnation also relies heavily on parrying, as well as staggering your opponent.
It felt great pressing the L1 button and parrying every enemy that came my way. Staggering enemies also stuns them, and this also works when you are up against big bosses, too. Pressing R1 causes Emma to attack with her sword, and the fights are fast and very satisfying.
For long-range combat, Emma can also equip herself with a bow and arrow as well as a crossbow. These weapons are really helpful against annoying flying enemies such as birds. You can also use special ammo such as explosive arrows, poisonous arrows, and more.
The combat also gets even better because you're not alone in your journey to erase the blight. Your dog companion named Koo is always at Emma's side, and he can jump into every battle in the game as well. By parrying perfectly, you can call Koo, and he can use his special moves on enemies. You can equip Koo with six different special moves at one time, and Emma's health is replenished slightly each time he attacks.
Emma also has her own special skills in the game called Blade Arts, finishers, and Nushi skills. These can be executed during a combo by pressing the Square button, and they do a lot more damage than just attacking normally.
Another cool part of combat is that Koo can launch enemies in the air, allowing Emma to juggle enemies with her attacks like she's in a fighting game. Beast of Reincarnation also has some stealth elements where Emma can kill enemies from behind.
I enjoyed playing Beast of Reincarnation a lot, but the one thing that can make this game tiresome to play is that Emma and Koo face the same type of enemies over and over again. It can get repetitive going through all the levels and not seeing any new foes to kill.
The game's repetitiveness also ties into the boss fights because they're all pretty similar, too. Some people may also hate that most boss fights have a second phase, so you will have to save a few health stimpacks during these battles before you waste them all in the first phase.
Aside from some repetitive battles and enemies, I really had a great time playing Beast of Reincarnation. The main reason the game got me hooked is that I enjoyed its snappy combat and satisfying gameplay. If you are looking for an action RPG that isn't a souls-like, then this game is for you.