For nearly three decades, Game Freak has been almost synonymous with Pokémon, making Beast of Reincarnation one of the studio’s boldest creative departures to date. Rather than another turn-based monster-collecting adventure, the developer’s latest project is a full-fledged AAA action RPG set in a haunting post-apocalyptic Japan, complete with challenging melee combat, cinematic boss encounters, and a mysterious sci-fi fantasy narrative.
We got the chance to check out the game a bit early thanks to the publisher sending us a PS5 code last week and now reviews are starting to come in. Currently, it’s sitting at a 73 Metacritic average as of the time of this writing, along with a “Mixed” rating via Steam user reviews after the first 1,400 submissions.
I only played the first couple of hours, but my feelings seem echoed across most of the review sentiments I’ve seen. Generally, Beast of Reincarnation’s responsive combat, melancholic atmosphere, premise, and memorable creature designs are all quite good. It’s the kind of game world that feels discting. But once you dig below the surface, it starts to feel derivative.