Beast of Reincarnation review: "The Pokemon dev knocks it out the park with a stunningly confident sci-fi action RPG"

With a name like Beast of Reincarnation you might expect this to be a game full of aggressive enemies and intense combat. And it is. Yet it's not long before you start to discover that there are layers to this world, and the people who live in it. Layers that make this a strong and deep experience rather than a fun but shallow action game.

Don't get me wrong; there is a lot of fighting. That's almost exclusively what you'll be doing, and in fact, I found it greatly amusing that I came across a grand total of one puzzle in my playthrough. You take the role of Emma, a young woman who is tasked with killing the titular Beast, the source of post-apocalyptic Japan's Blight that mutates animals, spreads pretty but corrupted foliage, and kills people. Before she can do so however, she'll need to kill many of the giant creatures known as Nushi in order to absorb their power, and cleanse the surrounding areas as she buffs up. There's no shortage of lesser enemies standing between her and each Nushi, either.

Emma let you finish

Please don't mistake Beast of Reincarnation, with its high-fidelity sci-fi, and sword-wielding, reserved heroine for being much like Stellar Blade. Unlike that game's star Eve, who is uncomfortably thrust into danger in form-fitting bodysuits that leave nothing to the imagination, Emma is dressed like an actual fighter who takes her job seriously. She also behaves like an actual, real character – unlike many similar heroes, her aloofness has a specific reason behind it which is slowly revealed. She even experiences character growth.

It's a good thing Emma's well armored too. Beast of Reincarnation has combat that is challenging from a very early stage. I was tempted to knock the difficulty down within the first hour or so, in fact – and if that works best for you, it's a perfectly good way to enjoy this or any other game – but, in my case, I'm glad that I didn't. There's a real sense of satisfaction to be had emerging from a tough fight battered, low on resources, close to death – but alive.

The combat system is deceptively simple. Emma carries a sword and (soon) two bows, and that's it for weapons. There is only one attack button for the sword, the depth coming from the mechanics around it. I'll make this clear now: parrying is an integral part of the game. I'm rather tired of the industry's obsession with parry mechanics, and I'm glad that it finally seems to be petering out, but here it works really well. I'm far from perfect at it, though. Many is the time I've hit the button too soon or too late, and been punished with a large chunk of health disappearing as a result. But when it works, it produces a beautiful flow, particularly in boss fights. Like Sekiro (with a touch of Nier), it's akin to a rhythm game, where you learn to parry to the tune of each enemy's unique attack pattern. Tap-tap-taptaptap—tap—tap and then you can unleash vengeance.

It's time to address the elephant – or, rather, the giant mutated dog – in the room. Koo (for that is his name) is another crucial slice of the combat pie. While you can order him to go on ahead to attack an enemy alone if you haven't been spotted, he otherwise acts and attacks independently. You're in charge of leveling up his attributes alongside your own though, and you decide which abilities and stat-altering charm to equip. It's in this way that you direct his presence in battle – particularly when it comes to Bloom Arts.

Koo will use items and abilities independently, but the more powerful Bloom Arts are dependent on points earned during battle, activated only when you command. Much like in Final Fantasy 7 Remake, communicating with Koo slows time to a crawl (even if no Arts are ready yet – useful for getting a breather) and you can choose from your currently equipped list.

A successfully executed Bloom Art will restore a little of Emma's HP, and also deal damage – but rarely very much. They're more useful for triggering effects, especially when you start unlocking modifications for them. While building up status, you can bloom a plant for Emma to close the distance, instantly triggering a sword's special effect that usually requires a parry; all these benefits and more are on the menu with Koo.

Blooming heck

Attacking and parrying will build up a gauge Emma can draw on for her own abilities, including (something I didn't upgrade and properly exploit until embarrassingly late in the game) the ability to briefly pause time so you can go absolutely wild with your attacks without interruption. As with the Bloom Art time-slow however, there's no grace period when you come out of it. If you try to use this in the middle of an enemy's attack, you'll feel very silly and very bruised.

Emma and Koo have a base of operations in the form of a mech, a space they share with a few others. It's a wonderful oasis of calm in the relentlessly hostile world, and I delight in soaking in the optional conversations. At the end of each chapter, I have a ritual. I chat with little Kagura, and then turn to Koo. I shower away the blood and grime we've accumulated (yes, he shakes himself off afterwards like a real doggy), I talk to him, and then I stroke him. Yes, you can indeed pet the dog.

The broad strokes of Beast of Reincarnation give the impression of something leaning all its weight on tired tropes. A post-apocalyptic world; a threat known as The Blight; a single hero (you of course) who is the only one that can put things right. Do not be fooled. The game surfs on waves of philosophy and existential questions that are thought-provoking but never, ever waved in your face.

I'll also add that this has the best ending I've seen in a game for a long time. Obviously I can't go into detail regarding why, but I think it's a beautiful ending to Emma's story that has just the right amount of trust in the audience with a generous sprinkle of 'open to interpretation'.

I love Beast of Reincarnation. I think you should buy it, if you can afford to; but there are just a few little things that held me back from calling it perfect. For one thing, on rare occasions the way forward isn't at all clear. Despite having the usual waypoint, it's a little too far off, More than once I end up stumped as between point 'A' and point 'B' is a seemingly impassable platforming section – one of these I got through by hopping around the edge of a mountain and making liberal use of Emma's ability to lift herself into the air, which I'm (pretty) sure isn't how the developers intended me to progress.

Beast in show

Also rare, but equally annoying, are combat situations that I'm happy to stick my neck out and say are just plain unfair. When a game has punishing combat that employs parry and dodge mechanics, if you find yourself surrounded by enemies at close quarters, this will be because you've done something wrong. I'm happy to accept that. But when that happens, you should be able to get out of the situation by relying more on skill than luck.

The issue is that the camera and the auto-targeting system (which I tried disabling in such situations to no avail) gang up on you like a pair of bullies whenever you have two or more enemies close by, so that it's often impossible to keep them both in view. This was no fun during the fights where two bosses occasionally rush you at the same time, let me tell you. Even on my best parrying days, I find it a little tricky to parry an attack I literally can not see coming.

Moments like those had me use some very interesting language that I'd get told off for trying to repeat here. Thankfully, such moments are rare and (usually) fairly brief, and so easy to forgive within the context of the wider game. On top of everything else, Emma's traversal abilities make wonderful use of space, and offer multiple options for enemy engagement while unseen. She can use her hair (don't ask, I don't know) as a grapple, a portable water spout to let her rise into the air, and a temporary bridge to walk onto from pretty much anywhere.

Beast of Reincarnation is a very linear game (areas are large and open, but it's not strictly open world), but the sense of agency afforded you by such traversal – as well as a wide range of Arts and swords with unique effects to unlock – help make the journey your own. New Game Plus offers one final sword and a couple of cool new, powerful abilities, which just might be enough to encourage me to do it all over again.

If you're looking for more combat, check out our best ARPGs ranking for plenty of action with a bit of RPG'ing sprinkled on top.