{"rewrite":{"id":"r_32b96d922480d2c23331511f","clusterId":"c_30e30529ebe7f1bd6a691de8","slug":"beast-of-reincarnation-review-a-memorable-journey-despite-its-shortcomings","model":"deepseek-v4-flash:free","headline":"Beast of Reincarnation Review: A Memorable Journey Despite Its Shortcomings","summary":"Game Freak released its new action RPG Beast of Reincarnation on August 4 for PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X|S. The game follows Emma, a protagonist who has lost her memories and emotions, and her canine companion Kuu, as they travel through a post-civilization Japan in the year 4026. The story begins in Ogouchi in the Okutama region and moves westward through locations like Shibuya, Sagami, Matsukawa in Nagano, Mount Fuji, and Inugami River in Shiga. Director Kouta Furushima has described the narrative as a road movie where the journey unfolds with the seasons. The review highlights the game's unique battle system, which combines Emma's real-time swordplay with command-based support from Kuu, including healing and debuffs. The reviewer praised the game's atmosphere, design, and the bond between Emma and Kuu, but criticized the cutscene presentation, lack of a minimap, camera issues during boss fights, and limited enemy variety. The review notes that the game took about 20 hours to reach the ending on normal difficulty, and that a patch addressing some of these issues was promised within a week of release.","whyItMatters":"The review arrives alongside a patch that Game Freak released on August 10, addressing camera adjustments, text size, and parry timing, showing the studio's rapid response to the mixed Steam reception, which stood at 54% positive from about 2,850 reviews as of August 10.","webCardHtml":"\u003cp\u003eThe review was written from the PS5 version in graphics mode, with the outlet receiving a review code. The reviewer noted the game\u0026#39;s full voice cast, including Yui Ishikawa as Emma, Akio Otsuka as Brad, and Yu Kobayashi as Kunai, and praised the casting as fitting each character well.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBeyond the main pair, the story centers on several supporting characters: Violet, a mysterious girl only Emma can see; Brad, the engineer who pilots the purification ship; and Kagura, a shy girl. The reviewer also named Kunai, a fellow defiled person who also travels with a corrupted being, Mikoto, who seeks amber containing hidden knowledge, and Shido, a purification soldier who monitors Emma\u0026#39;s movements.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe review noted the game has 13 chapters and 10 bosses including the final one, but said the same bosses reappear within chapters or return several chapters later with only slightly altered behavior, prompting the \u0026#34;this again\u0026#34; reaction in the headline. The reviewer also flagged that most cutscenes cannot be fast-forwarded or skipped, which is especially painful given the New Game+ mode, and that a photo mode is not implemented. The difficulty options are Story, Normal, Hard, and REINCARNATION+, which unlocks after clearing the game.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe patch released August 10 also changed the default cutscene setting from cinematic to performance mode, so they no longer play at 24fps by default, and fixed an issue where the sixth golem in the No. 1 Underground Residential Area was hard to find. Future patches are planned to add DLSS 4/4.5 and FSR4 support.\u003c/p\u003e","blueskyPost":"Beast of Reincarnation's review praises the Emma-Kuu bond and the seasonal road-trip structure, but the promised patch within a week signals Game Freak knew the camera and cutscene issues would draw criticism.","twitterPost":"Beast of Reincarnation's review notes a patch promised within a week, suggesting Game Freak anticipated the camera and cutscene critiques.","threadsPost":"Beast of Reincarnation's review highlights the Emma-Kuu bond and seasonal road-trip pacing, but the promised week-one patch shows Game Freak expected the camera and cutscene complaints. The game's real draw might be its atmosphere, not its polish.","newsletterBlurb":"Game Freak's new ARPG Beast of Reincarnation gets a review that praises its unique battle system and atmosphere but criticizes cutscene stiffness and camera issues. A patch addressing these concerns is already live.","attributionJson":"[{\"source\":\"Game Spark\",\"url\":\"http://www.gamespark.jp/article/2026/08/08/170421.html\",\"title\":\"Game*Sparkレビュー：ゲームフリーク新作『Beast of Reincarnation』-「またこいつか」となりながらも心に残る一人と一匹の旅\"},{\"source\":\"Game Spark\",\"url\":\"http://www.gamespark.jp/article/2026/08/10/170452.html\",\"title\":\"'Beast of Reincarnation' Patch with Mixed Reception Now Available - Camera and Text Size Improvements, Parry Timing and Boss/Enemy Adjustments Included\"}]","lintFlagsJson":null,"lintHits":0,"costUsd":0,"inputTokens":24705,"outputTokens":1413,"status":"published","repairAttempts":0,"nextRepairAt":null,"factsAttemptedAt":1786322275,"createdAt":"2026-08-10T00:30:07.000Z","publishedAt":"2026-08-10T00:31:44.000Z","updatedAt":"2026-08-10T00:30:07.000Z"},"cluster":{"id":"c_30e30529ebe7f1bd6a691de8","canonicalTitle":"Game*Sparkレビュー：ゲームフリーク新作『Beast of Reincarnation』―「またこいつか」となりながらも心に残る一人と一匹の旅","representativeArticleId":"a_df3c4bd2a43a15cc411beee7","sourceCount":2,"writtenSourceCount":1,"writeAttempts":0,"isSolo":false,"entitiesJson":"{\"anime_titles\":[],\"manga_titles\":[],\"work_titles\":[\"Beast of Reincarnation\"],\"studios\":[\"Game Freak\"],\"people\":[],\"type\":\"review\",\"domain\":\"games\",\"is_roundup\":false}","contentType":"news","status":"published","firstSeenAt":"2026-08-08T13:00:03.000Z","lastSeenAt":"2026-08-10T01:08:07.000Z","updatedAt":"2026-08-10T01:14:37.000Z"},"attribution":[{"source":"Automaton","url":"https://automaton-media.com/articles/newsjp/20260810-459441/","title":"“賛否両論”ゲームフリーク新作『Beast of Reincarnation』さっそく改善アプデ到来、「カメラ距離」や「字幕サイズ」にテコ入れ。“序盤のゴーレム”も見つけやすく"},{"source":"Game Spark","url":"http://www.gamespark.jp/article/2026/08/10/170452.html","title":"“賛否両論”『Beast of Reincarnation』パッチが早速配信―カメラや文字サイズ改善、受け流しの受け付けタイミングとボスや雑魚敵の調整も入る"}],"entities":{"anime_titles":[],"manga_titles":[],"work_titles":["Beast of Reincarnation"],"studios":["Game Freak"],"people":[],"type":"review","domain":"games","is_roundup":false},"keyFacts":["Beast of Reincarnation was released on August 4, 2026, for PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X|S.","The game is set in the year 4026 in a post-civilization Japan, following Emma and her dog Kuu.","The review reported about 20 hours of playtime to reach the ending on Normal difficulty.","A patch v1.0.7 was released on August 10, 2026, addressing camera, text size, parry timing, and boss balance.","Steam reviews were 'Mixed' with 54% positive from approximately 2,850 reviews as of August 10, 2026."]}