Beast of Reincarnation's Cinematic Focus Fails Its Flashy Action - Review

[00:01] Freak's Beast of Reincarnation, a prompt asks you if you'd like to [music] play in cinematic mode. This locks cutscene frame rates to 24 frames per second, but understandably leaves [music] the gameplay as is. When I first saw this

[00:14] during my 90minute preview session last month, it felt like a bold statement from Game Freak. Pokémon Game Freak's multigenerational smash hit can be described as many things, but cinematic, [music] it certainly is not.

[00:27] Unfortunately, aside from its flashy combat and a few cutscenes, Beast [music] of Reincarnation isn't really cinematic either. I >> I've decided to keep a diary. >> Flat performances and robotic animations

[00:39] undermine its fascinating story. Bland environment sour its beautiful art [music] direction, and an overall lack of polish hampers its intense combat. Beast of Reincarnation that I adored, for each of them, there's always [music]

[00:53] for each of them, there's always [music] something that holds it back. exactly 2,000 years in the future in 4026. [music] After civilization was

[01:09] nearly wiped out by a phenomenon called the blight, an infection that causes humans and animals alike to sprout vegetation, humanity transferred their quell the [music] spread. This inadvertently conquered death. But the

[01:22] relocated souls eventually deteriorated, leaving corrupted golems in their wake. The wildlife didn't fare much better. Infected [music] beasts called Malifax wondered the ruins of Japan, attacking everything and everyone in their path.

[01:35] [music] There's a captivating history here that weaves together multiple science fiction subg genres to create an intriguing world. The creatures that wander the wasteland feel biopunk inspired. the affforementioned Golem

[01:47] genre and the landscapes and architecture would feel at home in solar punk fiction. Despite many of its inspirations, Beast of Reincarnation's world feels [music] distinct. This is in part due to the art direction. The

[02:01] futuristic technology juxtaposed alongside the overgrown ruins of [music] Japan creates some memorable vistas that reflect the world's alluring history. Emma, beast of reincarnation stoic protagonist, represents that fusion of

[02:14] technology and nature succinctly with her design. Her angular monochrome outfit is punctuated by a braid adorned with flowers that [music] grows larger as she becomes stronger. It's a nice touch that reflects your progress in her

[02:27] character design. The plot centers around Emma and her dog Coup as they travel across Japan to reach the capital and hunt down the titular beast [music] of reincarnation. Emma and Coup's journey is frequently halted as they're

[02:39] tasked with taking down a nushi in each area. Powerful malifects that spread [music] the blight. Each of these semi-open areas share a similar your way through the area, explore a little, and fight the boss. There are

[02:53] optional enemies to [music] dispatch and loot to find, but these locations start to blend together after a while. Most of them consist of open fields with tall green grass. [music] As you get closer to the capital, those fields will be

[03:05] replaced with dry deserts. There are some interesting nooks hidden around each map, but a lot of it feels like wasted space. [music] Emma. She's a vessel, meaning she can absorb the power from enemies

[03:20] personality. [music] She's been told to fight, and that's exactly what she does. There are lore reasons for her languid disposition, but it doesn't change the fact that nearly every interaction she has falls flat.

[03:33] [music] In one scene, she robotically asks one of her traveling companions what love is. Her companion dryly explains that love is what happens when you [music] miss people. This is made worse by the dead pan voice work, static

[03:45] animations, and awkward editing that often [music] leaves seconds of dead air performances are a little easier to stomach in Japanese, but the characters writing. >> There's a tightness in my chest.

[04:01] >> There's a tightness in my chest. I feel uneasy. And you must love whoever you just imagined losing.

[04:19] >> I see. Then I must love you, Violet. >> This isn't relegated to a few scenes either. The entire script lacks subtext

[04:33] [music] and nuance. Frequently, you return to your mobile base of operations your teammates. [music] A young girl named Kagura, who Emma saves early in the story, tends to your base by cooking meals and managing resources. She

[04:47] happens to be just as dull as Emma, making their shared conversations painful to witness as the two emotionlessly talk about food [music] or journals. There's no energy behind their performances. The camera work lacks any

[05:00] confined to the gray walls of the cleanse [music] walker. Ironically, the best character in the game doesn't talk. Coup, Emma's canine companion, is fierce In one moment, he's lovingly looking up at Emma as they explore the world. And

[05:15] in the next, he's ripping out the titanium throat of a golem. He whimpers, titanium throat of a golem. He whimpers, barks, and even collects items for Emma.

[05:28] charming animations, but Emma and Ku's relationship never really develops backstory here and there, but I never felt like they were forging a bond. Emma just doesn't seem all that interested in Coup for most the game. In one scene, a

[05:42] character suggests that Emma do something nice for Coup, and after some consideration, she suggests petting him. Once again, there are lore reasons for her listlessness, which I won't spoil, but it doesn't change the fact that

[05:54] but it doesn't change the fact that these scenes are so dull.

[06:07] Reincarnation that can be described as cinematic, it's the combat. The parryheavy skirmishes are fantastic. Enemies are deadly and aggressive and it isn't nearly as hard as something like From Software's Seurro Shadows Die

[06:22] Twice or Neoiz's Lies of Pee, Beast of Reincarnation can be tough, especially if you aren't using the full range of Emma and Coup's abilities. But the fundamentals are there. Emma slashes feel weighty. The clang of parrying an

[06:35] attack is gratifying [music] and her lethal blows are vicious. Like Seiro Shadows die twice. Enemies have a health bar and a stagger bar. Deflecting attacks and pressuring enemies will fill up the stagger bar. Once it's full, Emma

[06:48] can unleash a powerful attack that instantly kills a basic enemy. mastering the parry window is far more rewarding. Alongside Emma's basic

[07:03] attacks, she has unlockable skills that can be deployed mid-combo for dazzling effect. These skills are themed around different blossoms, and successfully pulling off one of these moves results in massive flowers blooming on the

[07:16] battlefield. Generally, these combos do significantly more damage than basic attacks, but they require some windup and leave Emma vulnerable. [music] This means you need to study an enemy's patterns to find an opening. Combat,

[07:28] especially later in the game, is [music] a spectacle. Flowers and trees spring up around Emma as she cuts down foes with style.

[07:48] combat from similar action games is coup. By pressing Y or triangle, time stops and Emma can issue commands. These commands cost FP, which is accumulated by successfully pairing attacks. In order to efficiently take down tougher

[08:01] enemies, you need to be aggressive with Emma while juggling Ku's FP and commands. [music] Some of these moves may also synergize with Emma's skills. For example, Ku has a command that can bind or stun enemies for a brief period

[08:14] of time, giving Emma just enough time to follow up with one of her powerful combos. The near constant stream of combos, abilities, commands, and weapons kept the combat fresh throughout my entire [music] playthrough. It's almost

[08:27] a little overwhelming as Emma and Coup's individual skill trees grow larger and larger throughout the story, but I never felt compelled to unlock everything. Each branch and route within Emma and Coup's skill tree support a [music]

[08:39] fun is mixing and matching these different abilities to fit your play style. While the parry first combat is at the center of every approach, there are dozens of ancillary strategies that you can lean into. For example, I

[08:52] heavily invested skill points into Emma's Sakura Blade arc, which happens to be one of the longest combos in [music] the game. Given its windup, I prioritized coup's commands that would bind enemies. [music] Max Blumenthal, a

[09:04] video producer on staff, focused more on Emma's Kiku Blade art, which has a much shorter windup and more range. He also invested more heavily in Coup's commands, finding ways to chain his attacks to great effect. This all comes

[09:16] together during boss fights. These special malifacts known as Nushi tower over Emma and Coup. They are based on realworld animals that have been infected by the blight. Root tendrils hang off of them and giant flowers

[09:28] sprout from their body. They are beautiful and terrifying. Most of these bosses have two phases and push me to conserve resources and tap into Emma and Coup's many abilities. There's an engaging back and forth of reacting to a

[09:41] boss's attacks and applying pressure whenever you find an opening. Sprinkling in commands from Coup can extend those openings or exploit a weakness. Some bosses are tricky, but none felt insurmountable thanks to Emma and Coup's

[09:54] insurmountable thanks to Emma and Coup's wide array of skills and commands. are reused in the second half [music] of the game. They are higher level, but

[10:08] their attack patterns are nearly identical. This makes most of the highstakes counters in later areas a cakewalk. I don't necessarily mind refighting bosses in games, but it robs these fights of any tension and

[10:20] opportunity for further experimentation. I know which attacks to counter and when to use Emma's skill arts before the introductory cutscene has finished.

[10:35] polish of its inspirations. The camera can be unruly. Timing perfect dodges feels inconsistent, and Emma's traversal maneuvers can lead to some awkward situations. Where the camera struggles the most is against large bosses.

[10:47] In order to pressure Anushi, you need to get in close. But when you're stuck when they are swinging and if they will even hit you. Occasionally, they'll fire off attacks that can only be dodged. And if you time your dodge right, time will

[11:00] slow down, allowing you to [music] counterattack. didn't always behave consistently. Sometimes I would dodge well before an slowdown, and other times I would time it right before an attack and I'd still

[11:16] it right before an attack and I'd still get hit. Emma's hair. By holding the jump button or right trigger, you can extend Emma's root-like hair to reach heights and cross gaps. These abilities can be used

[11:30] to close the distance between an enemy, get out of harm's way, or kick off aerial combos and attacks. It's fun to weave these traversal skills into her intended. [music] At times, her hair wouldn't extend all

[11:43] able to grapple onto the end point to pull her forward. These are minor issues, but they add up and leave the combat feeling messy at times. Part of that messiness stems from Beast of Reincarnation's inconsistent performance

[11:56] and visual bugs. [music] I played a majority of the game on PC equipped with an RTX 4080, [music] and I noticed some micro stutters and hitches at 1080p and 1440p. I can't say how well it fares at higher resolutions because it wouldn't

[12:11] unless I set it to full [music] screen, a setting that doesn't seem to exist for me in the current build. Based on our testing, the PlayStation 5 and PlayStation 5 Pro [music] seems to be the best option. While the Xbox Series X

[12:25] has severe frame rate issues that Game Freak is aware of and intends to address before release, Beast of Reincarnation is an ambitious game that often overextends [music] itself. The lack of polish taints its versatile combat. The

[12:38] mundane performances and weariesome dialogue suffocate its tantalizing story. And uninteresting areas drag down strong art direction. This isn't to say Beast of Reincarnation is a total miss. Though the combat, despite my nitpicks,

[12:52] feels and looks great when you're chaining together combos and deflecting [music] ferocious attacks. And aside from the cutscenes, my 25-hour adventure didn't feel like a slog. I was eager to improve Emma and Coup's skills and take

[13:05] down tougher [music] enemies, but everything surrounding that core loop falls flat. Despite Beast of Reincarnation's enticing [music] mix of highquality inspirations, it fails to reach the same heights as those

[13:17] reach the same heights as those experiences.