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Beast of Reincarnation Has a Difficulty Problem
Polygon's review of Beast of Reincarnation, the new action RPG from Game Freak, argues the game's easiest difficulty setting undermines what makes the title distinctive. On Normal mode, the game is built around punishing, high-stakes combat in which a single mistimed hit can end a run, forcing players to master its equipment, skill trees and combat systems to survive. The reviewer found this challenge core to the experience, but discovered that switching to the "Story" difficulty removes that tension almost entirely, leaving enemies that once posed a genuine threat trivially easy to defeat.
The reviewer describes struggling repeatedly against an early boss creature on Normal mode before switching to Story mode out of curiosity, only to find the same enemy could barely land a meaningful hit and fell quickly to basic attacks. While games offering flexible difficulty options, such as The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, are generally welcomed, the review argues Beast of Reincarnation's gap between its two settings is too extreme, leaving Story mode feeling like an afterthought rather than a genuinely balanced alternative experience.
In short
- Beast of Reincarnation's Normal mode is punishingly difficult and skill-dependent.
- Its "Story" easy mode strips away nearly all challenge and tension.
- Reviewer says the two difficulty settings need better balancing.
Steelman: both sides, in good faith
The strongest fair case each way — we don't pick a winner.
The case for
The fundamental issue is that Story mode appears so divorced from Normal mode that it ceases to be a genuine alternative experience of the same game. When a setting removes essentially all challenge and strategic depth, it suggests the mode was designed as an afterthought rather than a thoughtfully balanced option. Players seeking an accessible way to experience Beast of Reincarnation's narrative deserve a difficulty that preserves meaningful engagement with the game's core mechanics, even if simplified. A well-designed easy mode lets all players enjoy what makes the game distinctive, just at lower intensity.
The case against
Different difficulty modes can legitimately serve fundamentally different audiences with different needs. Story mode exists for players who wish to experience the narrative and world-building without the punishing combat challenge that defines Normal mode. There is nothing problematic about offering a mode where combat is trivial if it enables players with different tolerances for difficulty to engage with the experience at all. Not every difficulty setting needs to preserve full mechanical complexity; some players benefit from having challenge removed entirely so they can focus on story and exploration.
Explained simply
Game Freak, the studio best known for the Pokémon series, has released Beast of Reincarnation, a new action role-playing game. Reviewers, including gaming site Polygon, have been assessing how the game handles difficulty, since combat and challenge are central to its design.
The game offers at least two difficulty settings: a standard "Normal" mode and an easier "Story" mode intended for players who want to focus on narrative over tough combat. Difficulty options like this are common in action games, letting people tailor how challenging a game feels, with titles such as The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild often cited as examples that balance this well.
The discussion matters because it touches on a recurring debate in game design: how to make games accessible to different skill levels without losing what makes them engaging in the first place. Reviews of Beast of Reincarnation are examining whether its own attempt at this balance succeeds.