# Game Freak’s Beast of Reincarnation splits critics despite thin story consensus

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/beast-of-reincarnation-review-roundup-pokemon-teams-soulslike-cant-escape-its-inspirations/
- Published: 2026-08-04T04:32:19+00:00
- Updated: 2026-08-04T10:47:57+00:00
- Original publisher: Polygon
- Original article: https://www.polygon.com/beast-reincarnation-review-roundup/
- Topics: Gaming

## Key points

- Game Freak's Soulslike Beast of Reincarnation gets mixed, mostly average reviews.
- Metacritic score sits at 74 from 27 reviews after 4 August launch.
- GamesRadar praised its depth; most others called the story thin.

## Summary

Reviews of Game Freak's Beast of Reincarnation have converged on a broadly middling verdict, with critics agreeing the Souls-inspired action game leans too heavily on its inspirations while offering little of its own beyond serviceable combat. The Pokémon studio's departure from familiar territory drew comparisons to Sekiro, Nier: Automata, Stellar Blade and Final Fantasy 7 Remake across multiple outlets, with most reviewers finding the game competent but derivative rather than a genuine creative reinvention.

The title launched on 4 August for PlayStation 5, Windows PC and Xbox Series X, and sits at 74 on Metacritic based on 27 reviews. IGN's Travis Northup and Game Informer's Wesley LeBlanc both scored it 6/10, criticising repetitive enemies and forgiving combat, while Eurogamer's Matt Wales awarded three stars, citing a chaotic, poorly explained introduction to its systems. Giant Bomb and Polygon likewise judged the story and characters "underwhelming," though a notable outlier came from GamesRadar's Luke Kemp, who gave the game 4.5 stars for what he described as unexpected philosophical depth beneath its familiar apocalyptic-Japan setting.

## Coverage

- [Polygon: Game Freak’s Beast of Reincarnation splits critics despite thin story consensus](https://www.polygon.com/beast-reincarnation-review-roundup/)
- [GameSpot: Beast of Reincarnation Review](https://www.gamespot.com/videos/beast-of-reincarnation-review/)
- [IGN: Beast of Reincarnation Review](https://www.ign.com/articles/beast-of-reincarnation-review)

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Summarised by TalkFuse (https://talkfuse.com/). Quote the original publisher for the reporting and link this page for the summary and discussion.