Reviewed on PS5
After years of Soulslike games attempting to recreate the magic of FromSoftware’s formula, Beast of Reincarnation takes a different approach. While it borrows familiar mechanics like campfire checkpoints, punishing enemies and parry-focused combat, it refuses to be just another imitation.
Instead, it blends fast-paced action with tactical companion abilities and rewarding exploration into an experience that feels fresh. Even if it doesn’t quite reach greatness in every department.
Beast of Reincarnation features stylish combat and a unique partnership between its two protagonists. This shows that inspiration doesn’t have to come at the cost of originality.
A Journey Through a Dying Japan
Set thousands of years after civilization collapsed. Beast of Reincarnation takes players across a hauntingly beautiful Japan where nature has reclaimed the world.
Humanity is on the brink of extinction, while monstrous plant-animal hybrids known as Malefacts roam the landscape. You play as Emma, a warrior cursed by a mysterious blight that has stripped away her emotions while granting extraordinary powers.
Alongside her loyal wolf companion Koo, Emma embarks on a mission to defeat the powerful Nushi that rule each region and ultimately stop the Beast of Reincarnation itself.
Although the world is intriguing and its lore offers plenty of mystery, the story never fully lives up to its premise. Character moments mainly unfold aboard the Cleanse Walker, a massive mobile base that acts as your headquarters between missions.
While these quieter moments help flesh out the supporting cast, Emma’s journey struggles to create the emotional connection needed to make the narrative truly memorable.
Exploration That Rewards Curiosity
Rather than throwing players into one enormous open world, Beast of Reincarnation divides its adventure into several expansive regions.
Each area encourages exploration with optional mini-bosses, hidden treasures, upgrade materials, and powerful new equipment scattered away from the main objective.
Some environments stand out more than others, from overgrown villages swallowed by vegetation to abandoned underground settlements that hint at humanity’s forgotten past.
Emma also gains traversal abilities that allow her to create plant roots, launching herself onto cliffs or creating bridges across otherwise inaccessible terrain.
While some locations can feel a little empty outside of combat encounters, exploring always feels worthwhile thanks to the steady stream of optional rewards.
Combat Is the Star of the Show
If there’s one area where Beast of Reincarnation excels, it’s combat.
Unlike traditional Soulslikes, there’s no stamina meter limiting how aggressively you can attack. Instead, players are encouraged to stay on the offensive, building enemy stagger meters that eventually leave opponents vulnerable to devastating finishing attacks.
Emma handles melee combat with fluid swordplay, but Koo transforms battles into something much more strategic.
At any moment, players can slow time to issue commands to the wolf companion, selecting special attacks that exploit enemy weaknesses, launch foes into the air, pull groups together, or even create temporary traversal points during battle.
The system creates an enjoyable rhythm between real-time action and tactical planning.
Parrying Feels Powerful Without Being Frustrating
Parrying plays a central role throughout the adventure, but thankfully it’s much more forgiving than many games in the genre.
Landing a successful parry not only fills enemy stagger gauges faster but also restores Emma’s resources for special abilities while generating FP for Koo’s commands.
Because these mechanics feed directly into each other, mastering defensive timing becomes just as rewarding as attacking.
It’s easy to see comparisons to Sekiro, but Beast of Reincarnation makes the mechanic far more approachable for newcomers without sacrificing the satisfaction of perfectly timed counters.
Customization Adds Variety
As Emma and Koo grow stronger, they unlock new abilities that allow players to tailor their combat style.
Enemies are vulnerable to different elemental effects, encouraging players to equip Koo with a variety of attacks to maximize damage.
His skills also provide useful battlefield utility beyond raw offense, offering crowd control and mobility options that become increasingly valuable during tougher encounters.
Emma also gains numerous special attacks throughout the journey. While they’re effective, many of them feel similar in execution and don’t differentiate themselves as strongly as Koo’s growing arsenal.
Difficulty Finds a Comfortable Balance
Although Beast of Reincarnation clearly draws inspiration from Soulslike games, it’s noticeably more forgiving.
Enemies can still hit incredibly hard, and careless mistakes are often punished with quick deaths. However, dying never feels overly frustrating because players don’t lose experience or valuable resources.
Instead, they’re simply returned to the last checkpoint, allowing them to jump straight back into the action.
The result is a challenging experience that remains accessible without sacrificing tension.
Visuals and Performance
Artistically, the game delivers plenty of memorable environments, mixing ruined civilizations with lush forests reclaimed by nature.
Technically, however, it’s less consistent.
On the standard PS5, some textures appear noticeably low resolution, and Performance Mode occasionally struggles to maintain its 60 FPS target—particularly during larger boss battles.
While these issues rarely ruin the experience, they do prevent the game from reaching the level of polish seen in other modern action RPGs.
Final Verdict
Beast of Reincarnation succeeds because it understands when to borrow ideas and when to innovate. Rather than simply copying the Souls formula.
The story may not leave a lasting emotional impact, and its technical shortcomings are hard to ignore, but these flaws are outweighed by some of the most enjoyable combat the genre has seen in recent years.
For players looking for an action RPG that feels familiar while offering enough fresh ideas to stand on its own, Beast of Reincarnation is well worth adding to your collection.
Pros
- Excellent combat with satisfying parry mechanics.
- Strategic companion abilities add real depth.
- Rewarding exploration filled with optional content.
- Accessible difficulty compared to traditional Soulslikes.
- Creative blend of action and tactical gameplay.
Cons
- Story struggles to create emotional investment.
- Some environments feel lifeless between encounters.
- Occasional frame rate drops and inconsistent visuals.
- Emma’s special attacks lack variety compared to Koo’s abilities.
