Even from its first full reveal in 2025, Beast of Reincarnation was making all the right noises. Roaring through the crowd of impressive action role-playing games, Game Freak’s trek into a post-apocalyptic Japan blends the mythological with the mechanized into something fresh – helped by a “one woman and her dog saving the world”’ narrative.
But that’s not everything Beast of Reincarnation brings to the PlayStation 5 wilds. After spending a lot of time with the full game ahead of its August 4 release, I experienced a touching story, in-depth game mechanics, intense Souls-like combat, and quite possibly the most adorably blighted giant dog companion anyone could wish for.
A world of mutated mystery
4026 Japan is not a place we would recognize. Plants, birds, beasts, and even humans have been overwhelmingly corrupted by a strange cataclysm called the Blight. Entire Blight forests have spread their poison far and wide, pushing the remnants of humanity into scattered settlements. And chief of all the mutates are the Nushi, powerful and often colossal beings who spread fear and destruction wherever they roam. The cause of all this is said to be the fabled Beast of Reincarnation, which resurrects every 100 years. And so one person is tasked to end this cycle of doom…
Humanity’s last hope
Blighted from birth, Emma is an outcast with no memory of her origins. She’s initially stoic and near emotionless, punished by her colony for her affliction. But her condition also makes her valuable, able to absorb the powers of each defeated Nushi to herself, with the aim of using that power to kill the Beast. Of course, as the game progresses you discover it’s not that simple, but for us as players it makes Emma the perfect character to explore beautiful but sinister forests, the crumbling ruins of civilization, water logged underground bases, and mysterious habitats.
Parry or die
Emma is an incredibly versatile protagonist, feeling light and agile on the DualSense controller. She’s equipped with swift sword swipes via R1 that can be chained into a combo, projectile weapons including bolts and arrows that can offer a tinge of resistance when pulled on an adaptive trigger, a nimble dodge with a tap of the Circle button, and a block and parry using L1. And this is where Souls fans will rejoice – because that parry is the key to survival.
Fighting against early beasts and basic corrupted golems – humans who escaped the Blight by trapping their souls inside a machine – was fun and easy enough but hacking away on R1 won’t get you very far against the smarter, tougher, or larger foes. My first encounter with Chapter One’s tricky boss, a colossal deer-like Nishi, was just a hint of what was to come, its vicious and repeated antler attacks requiring parries to open up a counterattack. Later in the game, mini-bosses and enemies with more complex unblockable assaults required pin-point parries and counters to win. Timing is everything.
Wielding the power of corrupted nature
Thankfully, that’s not everything to Beast of Reincarnation’s layered combat system. Antagonists can be staggered by reducing their relevant meter with multiple attacks and leaving them open to a finisher using R1. I was also able to perform instant kills on grunts by sneaking up on them or taking satisfying headshots with a projectile. While the Square button unleashes Emma’s devastatingly effective Nushi Skills and Blade Arts combos.
But mastering Emma’s Blight abilities is the real game changer. Tapping R2 when a jump point is highlighted in the environment fires out root-like tendrils of her hair to yank Emma to higher areas. Similarly, holding down R2 creates a temporary hair platform that Emma can walk across, and the Cross button raises Emma high into the air with her locks. Using her verticality as a distancing technique was not only valuable in combat, but it meant I could utilize a ‘death from above’ assassination with R1. This levelled the field against multiple enemies who have a cone of vision I could exploit and led to a rewarding victory in a particular fight against a tough pike-wielding golem and his small army.
And then there’s Emma’s best boy by her side…
Genuinely, Koo is the bestest of boys
The large wolf-like Koo is the perfect battle companion, able to be directed to attack enemies, or utilising his powerful Bloom Arts, a turn-based menu style special attack which you select using Triangle. If I was able to time my following button press correctly during the short corresponding mini-game, Koo’s Bloom Arts skills were invaluable, especially as the Fluorescence Points used to unleash them are earned via successful parries. When combined with Emma’s time slowing Entanglement Overdrive after pressing L3 and R3 together, the duo quickly became a formidable force in my hands.
Koo also guides you to objectives with a visual pheromone indicator, barks when he finds something of interest, and even brings back items to Emma. While Koo has his own life bar, he’s hardy and capable, and you can expand his skill slots by increasing Emma’s rapport with him via petting him (creating a pleasing tremble of the DualSense controller haptics), giving him treats, and keeping him clean via a shower available in the Cleanse Walker, Emma’s mobile base.
Food, systems, and skill trees
There’s a lot of hidden depth in Beast of Reincarnation, too. Multiple weapons can be found and enhanced, skill trees for both Emma and Koo meant I was unlocking more abilities as I progressed, different enemy types fought each other on sight making combat even more entertaining, and the presence of the mysterious Violet – who only Emma can see and hear – offered intriguing questions to the narrative.
And that’s not even mentioning the importance of food. Emma and Koo will only naturally heal from their wounds if their hunger gauge isn’t empty. But food also offers bonuses to stats like HP, Attack, and Defense, so they’re not just another resource check. And better yet, Emma’s surrogate little sister Kagura can cook meals from ingredients you find on the field, her culinary skills increasing the more you engage with her, and her meals becoming more expansive and beneficial based on the recipes you bring back. I was even able to raise a chicken for eggs and grow crops on the Cleanse Walker to give Kagura more food options, with different seedlings having various harvest times.
A beastly battle
Emma and Koo’s adventure is a lengthy one, full of intrigue and tender narrative beats to accompany its rousing and challenging combat. So if you’re game for the hunt, you better sharpen your sword skills ahead of Beast of Reincarnation’s PS5 release on August 4.
