Beast of Reincarnation Review: Is Getting It Worth It?

Game Freak is stepping far outside its comfort zone with Beast of Reincarnation. Trading colorful pocket monsters for a gritty, Unreal Engine 5 post-apocalyptic Japan, this "one-person, one-dog" action RPG drops players into a roughly 30-hour campaign blending real-time swordplay with tactical companion commands.

With the Standard Edition hitting shelves at $59.99 / €54.99 and a Day One slot on Xbox Game Pass, the big question is: Is getting it actually worth your time and money?Torn on which version to buy? Take a look at Beast of Reincarnation Edition Comparison: Standard vs. Deluxe！

 

Release date

The standard and deluxe editions are available for pre-order ahead of the game's launch on August 4th (00:00 UTC in all regions).You can also check out Beast of Reincarnation: Release Date & Everything We Know for a more detailed breakdown.

 

Why It’s Worth Getting

• Innovative Combat Loop: Controlling Emma's real-time sword attacks while strategically triggering Koo’s skills via parry points feels genuinely fresh.
• Stunning Art Direction: Game Freak and Fictions delivered a striking visual blend of sci-fi tech and nature-overgrown Japanese folklore.
• Zero Risk for Game Pass Subscribers: If you subscribe to Xbox Game Pass or PC Game Pass, downloading it on Day One is a total no-brainer.

 

Minor Grips & Reality Check

• Visual/HUD Clutter: Some early previews note that the screen can get a bit chaotic during high-intensity fights with too many interface elements tracking your combo gauges.
• Routine Exploration: While traversal using Emma's vine-hair mechanics is fun, parts of the 10-stage journey occasionally suffer from predictable environmental layout pacing.

 

Is Beast of Reincarnation a Soulslike Game?

Before we talk value, let's clear up the elephant in the room. Because of its moody post-apocalyptic aesthetic and heavy emphasis on timing-based parries (just guards) to whittle down enemy down-gauges, many internet circles have slapped a "Soulslike" label on it.

However, director Kota Furushima has explicitly pushed back on that classification, noting that Beast of Reincarnation is fundamentally not a Soulslike.

Why it's not

Instead of punishing stamina meters, corpse-runs, and slow methodical crawling, the game leans into rapid-fire action mixed with tactical command-based mechanics reminiscent of modern hybrid RPGs.

The Verdict

If you are expecting a brutal, controller-smashing masocore game in the vein of Dark Souls, you might be disappointed. It plays much faster, focusing on fluid hair-traversal, sword combos, and unleashing your wolf companion Koo.

 

Should You Buy It?

If you have Xbox Game Pass, stop reading and download it immediately—it's entirely risk-free.

If you are buying outright on LDshop, yes, it is worth getting, provided you love stylistic action RPGs with deep companion mechanics. It isn't a flawless masterpiece, and the $59.99 price tag is a standard investment, but it's a bold, rewarding adventure that proves Game Freak can do a lot more than just Pokémon.

 

Conclusion

Skip paying full retail price by checking out competitive pre-order and digital key discounts over at LDShop to secure your copy and pre-order Shiba skin bonuses for less!