Game Freak can't sit still. The studio that churns out Pokémon games with the regularity of a Swiss watch keeps poking its head out for something weird. Militarized elephants. Horse-racing card games. And now, Beast of Reincarnation — a title that wants to be everything at once and winds up being nothing in particular.
You've got to hand it to them for guts. While the rest of the industry plays it safe with sequels and remakes, Game Freak keeps throwing darts at a board blindfolded. Sometimes they hit — Pocket Card Jockey was a genuine delight. But Beast of Reincarnation? This time the dart lands in the wall, and they're trying to pass it off as a bullseye.
A Story That Can't Pick a Lane
The premise reeks of potential. You play as a soul reincarnated into a beast in a world where death is just another door. The setup could fuel a dark, philosophical exploration of identity and consequence. Instead, the narrative lurches from somber meditation to slapstick comedy like a drunk driver on a mountain road.
One moment you're contemplating the weight of your past life's sins. The next, you're delivering a crate of fish to a village elder who won't stop talking about his gout. The tonal whiplash would be hilarious if it didn't feel so lazy. It's like the writers threw every idea they had at the wall and didn't bother to check what stuck.
The dialogue doesn't help. Characters speak in platitudes that sound profound but mean nothing. "The beast within is the beast without," one NPC intones, and you're left wondering if that's supposed to be wisdom or a glitch in the translation. The voice acting — when it exists — swings between over-the-top and comatose, with no middle ground.
"It's a game that can't decide if it's a tragedy, a comedy, or a tech demo."
Gameplay: A Wobbly Tripod
Three pillars prop up Beast of Reincarnation: combat, transformation, and choice. Each one wobbles.
Combat is a turn-based affair with a twist — you can switch between your human and beast forms mid-battle. Sounds cool. In practice, it's a mess. The beast form hits hard but can't take a punch. The human form is balanced but boring. There's no clever synergy, just a binary switch that feels more like a gimmick than a strategy.
Transformation outside battle is where things get weird. You can shift into different animals to solve puzzles and explore. A fox to slip through tight spaces. A hawk to fly over gaps. A bear to smash obstacles. It's The Legend of Zelda's transformation mechanics, but with the polish of an indie prototype.
Then there's the choice system. Every major decision claims to "shape your journey." Do you save the bandit or let him hang? Do you reveal your true identity or keep it secret? The game promises consequences, but most of them amount to a different line of dialogue and a pat on the back. The few that do matter are buried so deep you'd need a walkthrough to find them.
A Visual Identity Crisis
Graphically, Beast of Reincarnation is a snapshot of Game Freak's uncertainty. Some environments are genuinely gorgeous — sweeping vistas with painterly skies and dynamic lighting. Others look like they were pulled from a PS2 era that no one asked to revisit. The character models range from expressive to dead-eyed, and the lip-syncing is so off it feels like a dubbed kung-fu movie.
Performance doesn't help. The game chugs on Switch, with frame rates dropping to slideshow levels during the most visually busy moments. It's a technical mess that a day-one patch might fix, but "might" isn't "will."
Highlights, Buried Under Rubble
It's not all bad. The soundtrack deserves praise — a haunting mix of drums and strings that carries the emotional weight the story fumbles. And when the game lets you loose in its open zones, there's a sense of discovery that feels genuinely fresh. The bestiary is creative, with creatures that look like they crawled out of a Guillermo del Toro fever dream.
There's a moment around the 15-hour mark where everything clicks. You've got the right form for the right challenge, the combat flows, and the story hits a beat that actually lands. For a brief shining second, Beast of Reincarnation becomes the game it should have been. Then it crumbles again, and you're left holding the pieces.
"Game Freak has proven they can make weird, wonderful games. This one needed more time in the oven."
The Verdict: A Curio, Not a Classic
Game Freak deserves credit for stepping outside the Pokémon shadow. Beast of Reincarnation is a bold attempt at something different, and there's real talent buried in its code. But ambition without execution is just a pile of good intentions.
If you're a completionist who loves dissecting flawed gems, you'll find something to chew on. If you're a casual player looking for a polished adventure, look elsewhere. This is a game for the curious, the patient, and the forgiving.
I wanted to love Beast of Reincarnation. I wanted to write a review that said, "Game Freak has done it again." Instead, I'm writing a warning: This is what happens when a studio tries to find its voice and ends up shouting in three directions at once.
Here's hoping the next experiment lands with more grace. Because the potential is there. It's just buried under a pile of half-formed ideas and technical hiccups. And that's the most frustrating part of all.
