Game Freak's big action RPG Beast of Reincarnation is finally here, alongside its first critic and player reviews, but folks' thoughts on the Pokemon developer's latest outing are all over the place.
There's been a lot of interest in Beast of Reincarnation purely because this is a totally new offering from the Pokemon devs. It's not the studio's first non-Pokemon game, as it's done plenty, from Little Town Hero to Pocket Card Jockey, but the more realistic visuals, post-apocalyptic setting, and intense action combat have certainly turned heads, especially as folks draw comparisons to the titles Game Freak is best known for. However, so far, reviews have been incredibly mixed.
On Metacritic, Beast of Reincarnation's average critic score varies slightly depending on the platform it was played on. There aren't enough reviews logged on Xbox to calculate an average, but on PC it's at 72, while its PS5 score is slightly higher at 73.
Making up these averages are some wildly differing scores. At the top end of the scale, Vice gives the game 9.5/10, writing that its "combat isn't just innovative, it's incredibly fun," and that the mix of real-time and turn-based action is "a perfect blend." GamesRadar+'s own Beast of Reincarnation review similarly gives it 9/10 – we called it "a great ARPG, with firm but fair combat and wide scope for crafting a build to your tastes. Surprisingly, perhaps, it also has a deep and thoughtful story that it trusts you to dig into yourself."
Not everyone is a fan, though. VGC and Eurogamer both give Beast of Reincarnation 6/10, with the former criticizing the "unoriginal setting and story" and lack of enemy variety, while the latter says it "riffs on Sekiro and Monster Hunter with mixed results."
While it might be a bit early to get a proper gauge of player thoughts, early Steam reviews tell a similar story to the Metacritic ratings. Its rating is currently Mixed – at the time of writing, 52% of the 700+ English reviews are positive, so it'd be hard to get any more divisive. One writes: "So far so good – feels like a blend of Sekiro, NieR Automata and Princess Mononoke. Combat feels slick and the 'hair' movement extending vertically and horizontally is a really nice touch that opens up the game."
Others aren't so generous. Another says it "looks far more ambitious than it actually plays," and that "combat feels flat and repetitive," while a similar review states that "combat feels unrewarding and uninspired, guarding and parrying are very inconsistent and sword impacts feel like a dry pool noodle."
It can't be the start that Game Freak was hoping for, but it's interesting to see how much opinion varies – I'm left wondering what the consensus will be once folks have more time with it.
