Beast of Reincarnation Gets First Reviews—Critics Reactions Are Mixed

Beast of Reincarnation, the new game from Game Freak—the studio behind the Pokémon series—launches August 4 on PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X/S. Ahead of release, the first reviews from gaming press have started to appear, and overall, the reception's been quite cold, though the game's still earned praise in a few aspects.

Most critics agree on one thing: Beast of Reincarnation’s best part is the combat system, blending action and turn-based elements in a way many called spectacular and superbly designed. The press has also highlighted the post-apocalyptic atmosphere and the connection between protagonist Emma and her dog, Koo. Although critics claim the story fails to fully captivate, the game also suffers from some noticeable technical issues. As a result, Beast of Reincarnation now has 73 on Metacritic (based on 50 critic reviews) and holds a Top Critic Average of 76 on OpenCritic, with only 64% of critics recommending it. You can check out some brief reviews below:

GamesRadar+ - 90/100:

Beast of Reincarnation is a great ARPG, with firm but fair combat and wide scope for crafting a build to your tastes. Surprisingly, perhaps, it also has a deep and thoughtful story that it trusts you to dig into yourself. Let Game Freak henceforth be known as the Beast of Reincarnation studio.

CGMagazine – 85/100:

Featuring a rich world ripe for exploration and deep, impactful combat, Beast of Reincarnation is a fantastic action RPG worthy of all adventurers this summer.

PSX Brazil – 85/100:

Beast of Reincarnation is a great game and shines in its gameplay with its various combat options. The story isn't bad, but its unfolding is slow to the point of being boring. Some technical issues with the frame rate (which will probably be fixed with updates) are also apparent. Finally, the bosses are amazing, but there's a bit of unnecessary repetition of them throughout the journey.

DualShockers – 80/100:

Beast of Reincarnation is a fantastic ARPG that helps push Game Freak out of Pokémon’s shadow. Its expressive and deep combat system offers players a plethora of abilities that allow for long-running combos, intense encounters, and just overall a fun time.

Gamereactor UK – 70/100:

Emma's journey in Beast of Reincarnation is an interesting metaphor on the value of feelings, unfortunately it is supported by a gameplay that is not very deep or layered, generic and uninspired maps and enemies that always reappear without a minimum of variation (bosses included).

Insider Gaming – 70/100:

Beast of Reincarnation represents a solid and sumptuous post-apocalyptic romp, but it has too many imperfections that need to be addressed with post-launch updates for it to reach the level it could (or should).

Push Square – 70/100:

Beast of Reincarnation is an interesting action RPG that ties together various elements to present something quite unique. While the narrative isn't particularly enthralling and it suffers from some visual and technical issues, the combat is a highlight, focusing on parries and a mix of melee and pseudo-turn-based commands that feels fun to balance. It wears its influences on its sleeve, but there are just enough fresh ideas that mean it stands apart.

• PSU – 8.5/10
• PSLS – 8/10
• DayOne – 8/10
• RPG Site – 8/10
• Metro – 7/10
• Giant Bomb – 7/10
• IGN – 6/10
• VGC – 6/10
• Guardian – 6/10
• GameSpot – 6/10
• Eurogamer – 6/10
• Game Informer – 6/10
• Game Rant – 5/10

It will be interesting to see what regular players think once the game is available for all, since there have been cases where gaming media rated a title lower than it maybe deserved, only for players to end up praising it and calling it underrated.

Beast of Reincarnation is an action RPG set in Japan in the year 4026. The main character is a young woman named Emma, who, along with her dog named Koo, finds herself cast out of society due to an unusual illness. Together, they must survive in a post-apocalyptic world inhabited by sinister monsters and dangerous robots.

The game will release on August 4 for PC, Xbox Series X/S, and PlayStation 5.