A Post-Apocalyptic Adventure Powered By A Companion
Companions in games come in many forms. There are the NPC ones that just tag along for a bit on your adventure before getting killed or moving on. Then there are the ones you must help not to die or get in the way, like Ashley in Resident Evil 4 or Lydia in Skyrim. But the best ones are the animals. Who can forget the lovely dog in Fable 2 that you would protect with your life? Or your horse in Red Dead Redemption 2, who still makes me well up when I think of him.
Well, there is a new companion to fall in love with in Beast of Reincarnation, and it’s a helper, not a taker.
An Original World Filled With Blight, Robots And Mystery
Beast of Reincarnation is a new ARPG by Pokémon developers Game Freak. Set in the year 4026, in a post-apocalyptic Japan where the world is covered in a sort of blight, civilisation has crumbled apart from a few corners of the world, and robots rule now. There are also corrupted robots all around the world, as well as Malefacts, which are blighted animals turned into something else. Some of them are monsters, and some are gigantic.
You play Emma, who is an 18-year-old outcast, shunned to the outskirts of the city because she is infected with a version of the blight. She works for food, killing infected robots and hunting Malefacts. One such Malefact is a white wolf called Koo, whom, while hunting, she forms a connection with and who soon becomes her partner in crime. Then there is the Beast of Reincarnation that Emma now has to find and kill, all with the help of a few friends…
I really liked how the story unfolds in this game. It doesn’t tell you everything from the start, and it switches between time zones in the past and the present quite a bit to good effect. It’s a story where silences between words are almost as important as the dialogue itself. It’s a world of melancholy and despair, but within that, with Emma’s ultimate journey, it’s also a story about hope. However, the world itself can, at times, feel a bit empty, and there is a feeling after a while that you are going from one battle to another without anything in between.
I did like the moments of quiet though, and you spend time in your base, which is like one of the huge Imperial Walkers from Star Wars. Here you can chat to your companions, do some cooking, grow food, and cultivate eggs. I enjoyed the world because, even with blight being another cause of misery for a fantasy world, it feels new and original.
Challenging Soulslike Combat Is Elevated By Koo’s Unique Abilities
Gameplay is influenced heavily by the Souls games. Here you have challenging combat, as well as campfires to rest at as you move around the world, which you can later fast-travel to. Exploration is both lateral and vertical. Emma’s special ability, thanks to her infection with the blight, is the ability to grow her hair at will. This can boost you high into the air from a jump, propel you forward, or build a pathway across a ravine with it extending outward. It’s a nice mechanic, and exploring the world in different ways is rewarding throughout.
Combat is something you are going to have to get good at to be successful in the game. Unlike in other Souls games, stamina management isn’t a thing, so you don’t have to worry about it. The key to the combat system is parrying and learning quickly how to do it. Not only does parrying give you a window to attack your enemy while defending against a blow, but it also gains FP so you can use Koo.
Koo, your white wolf buddy, will always be at your side attacking. But at moments when you gain FP (Florence Points), you can go into a different system to perform a special attack with Koo that will take the enemy down in a number of ways. With both Emma and Koo, you can upgrade your stats as you level up. You get attributes to put towards strength or dexterity for both characters, as well as spending points to unlock a range of different skill moves.
Emma uses a sword that can be upgraded, as well as finding new, more powerful ones. You can also use ranged weapons like bows and crossbows. All the combat works well and is indeed challenging; if you battle more than two enemies at once, it normally means doom. Boss battles are fun, more than a pain, but patience is key here, learning enemy attack patterns and adapting to them.
Strong Presentation Helps Bring This Bleak Future To Life
Visually, Beast of Reincarnation impresses with its nicely put-together cut scenes, as well as its environmental design and living creatures. Some of the bosses are spectacular, while the robots do get a bit generic at times. Koo looks amazing and is one you will want to pet constantly. Audio-wise, it has some nice effects, but the developers have made the odd decision to play the same track on loop throughout your adventure. It’s a nice track, but after the hundredth time of hearing it, I never want to hear it again.
Worth Experiencing For Koo Alone
It is always good to experience a new world and a new story – that is true here with Beast of Reincarnation. I liked how the game didn’t translate the voice acting into English, instead keeping the original Japanese performances. And I also liked the story and the main characters, especially loving Koo, the white wolf. I think the world can, at times, feel a bit bland, a bit samey once you get used to it, and whilst it has a bit of an open-world feel to it, the path later on is quite linear. Even the combat is enjoyable, even for someone like myself who is not an accomplished sword fighter; it was challenging but always felt doable.
Mostly, this should be seen as an enjoyable jaunt into a possible future with Koo and the Beast of Reincarnation.
Important Links
Beast of Reincarnation Roars Onto Game Pass, Xbox, PlayStation, PC – Game Freak’s Ambitious Action RPG Has Arrived – https://www.thexboxhub.com/beast-of-reincarnation-roars-onto-game-pass-xbox-playstation-pc/
Game Pass’ Beast Of Reincarnation Reveals Stunning New Gameplay And Behind-The-Scenes Look | Release Date Confirmed! – https://www.thexboxhub.com/game-pass-beast-of-reincarnation-reveals-stunning-new-gameplay-and-behind-the-scenes-look/
Pokémon Creator Game Freak Unveils Beast of Reincarnation, Coming Day One to Xbox Game Pass – https://www.thexboxhub.com/pokemon-creator-game-freak-unveils-beast-of-reincarnation-coming-day-one-to-xbox-game-pass/
Download through the Xbox Store, via Game Pass if you like – https://www.xbox.com/en-GB/games/store/beast-of-reincarnation/9NXWSWBM4H6T/0010
There’s a Deluxe Edition too – https://www.xbox.com/en-GB/games/store/beast-of-reincarnation-digital-deluxe-edition/9NRVXP44X7C2/0010
