The fact that Game Freak developed this game turned my head and made me want to review it. Game Freak is more known for Pokemon, one of the most successful (albeit sometimes controversial) franchises of all time. That raises the question: what happens when you stray from your bread and butter? Many developers have done this with varying levels of success. Will Beast of Reincarnation prove that game developers can be versatile, or should it just stick to what it does best (in this case, Pokemon)?
Beast of Reincarnation takes place in the year 4026, in a post-apocalyptic Japan that was taken over by a parasitic plant called the Blight. While post-apocalyptic is always popular, there are levels to popularity, and this one shows a bit of promise. You play as Emma, a Sealer, a rare person who can absorb the Blight and use it as a weapon. Emma is tasked with taking out elite Malefacts, the Nushi, absorbing their power, and then killing the Beast of Reincarnation. Emma befriends a Malefact, a wolf named Koo, and develops a deep bond as the game progresses.
The story clearly draws inspiration from other JRPGs and various anime such as Princess Mononoke, showing a lot of variety. You do this while sifting through ruined buildings, fighting enemies, and finding out more about the nature of the Blight. The game looks great, but that only covers up a rather average combat experience. You’ll be fighting the same enemies for quite a bit of the game, which will make the game a lot easier than expected. While this isn’t always a bad thing, hardcore fans of action RPGs may find it boring. For instance, you fight the same boss multiple times in the first chapter. While fighting the same boss is a staple of RPGs of all flavors, this seems to be more of an annoyance than anything else.
Players can customize Koo to their liking, and thankfully, you can also control him directly to get through some of the harder parts of the game. You can have him kill enemies on your behalf, which makes the slog of slaying random goons easier. Koo also makes bosses easier; with the right build, you can thrash bosses as well. However, the depth of options makes this game feel easier (once again, not a bad thing, but a disappointment to hardcore fans of soulslike games).
The story isn’t necessarily too deep either, and I say this as someone who has played hundreds of RPGs. The attempt at depth stops at some point, and some story events can be predicted hours in advance if you know your typical RPG tropes. Some games, like the Trails series, have insane depth beyond the main characters. Even what players may consider insignificant NPCs also appear in multiple games with their own story arcs. Beast of Reincarnation does the opposite, with shallow NPCs and weak worldbuilding.
The execution of a rather promising setting was rather poor, and this is why Game Freak shouldn’t really stray from its bread and butter. There are some strong points in the game, namely Koo, who puts the game (35 hours, by the way) on his back from the beginning. While I expected to be slaying enemies and being challenged, that just wasn’t the case here. Hopefully Game Freak can use Beast of Reincarnation as a lesson to create a better game in the future, but this one is just a weekend play at best.
Developer(s): Game Freak
Publisher(s): Fictions
Platforms(s): PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S
Words by Jose Alvarez
Also published in GADGETS MAGAZINE Volume 27 Issue No. 2