Beast of Reincarnation review – Game Freak riffs on Sekiro and Monster Hunter with mixed results
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Eurogamer has reviewed Beast of Reincarnation, the latest project from Pokémon developer Game Freak, describing it as a chaotic blend of borrowed ideas that nonetheless proves engaging thanks to strong combat and traversal. The action RPG draws heavily on other major titles, mixing Sekiro-style parrying and respawn checkpoints, Monster Hunter and Shadow of the Colossus-style boss hunts, and visual echoes of Horizon's post-apocalyptic aesthetic, resulting in a game that initially struggles to establish its own identity. This matters as it marks a notable departure for Game Freak, better known for the Pokémon series, into a more mature, combat-focused action genre.
The game is set in a post-apocalyptic Japan in the year 4026, where humanity has abandoned emotion and, in some cases, physical bodies, transferring souls into robotic golems, while a mysterious blight turns creatures into hostile "Malefacts". Players control Emma, a soulless hunter tasked with tracking down towering beast-like bosses called Nushi across a series of semi-open regions, following a structurally simple but narratively muddled and erratically paced campaign. The review notes the game's opening hours overwhelm players with lore and systems introduced too quickly and without adequate explanation, though it suggests the experience improves once the mechanics click into place.
- Game Freak's Beast of Reincarnation mixes Sekiro, Monster Hunter and Souls-like influences.
- Set in 4026 Japan, players hunt giant beasts called Nushi.
- Review calls it messy and confusing but praises its combat and traversal.
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Video games hold souls, robots, and monster hunts — the terms of Game Freak's setup are as much for context as the review verdict.
Game Freak is best known as the studio behind Pokémon, one of the biggest video game franchises in the world. Beast of Reincarnation is a new project from the same developer, but it moves into a very different area: a mature, combat-heavy action role-playing game rather than the family-friendly monster-collecting formula it usually makes. The game has just been reviewed by the gaming website Eurogamer, whose verdict is what the story reports on.
The game borrows heavily from other well-known titles. It takes its combat style from Sekiro, its boss-hunting structure from Monster Hunter and Shadow of the Colossus, and some of its visual style from Horizon's ruined-world settings. It is set in a version of Japan far in the future, where people have given up emotion and, in some cases, their human bodies, moving their minds into robotic frames, while monstrous creatures called Nushi roam the land.
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