Beast of Reincarnation
Game Freak's single-player action RPG sends a young swordswoman and her dog across a Japan swallowed by a spreading corruption. Combat runs in real time, and the scenery alternates between ruined infrastructure and forests that spring up out of barren wasteland.
Top 3 Reasons to Play
- A successful parry restores Florescence Points, the resource that Koo's Bloom Arts consume. Opening the Bloom Arts menu slows the action, and the player can hold that pause as long as needed before choosing a move; a quick-time event after the choice decides how well it lands. Director Kota Furushima has said the aim was for Koo not to become just another weapon in the player's kit, and not to need constant supervision either.
- Emma and Koo work through separate skill trees, gear has Spirit Stone slots, and elemental properties on weapons and enemies reward switching tools. The official description names ranged, stealthy and aggressive approaches as supported styles.
- Tiers run from Story up past Hard and can be changed during a run. Furushima's advice for anyone unsure is to begin lower: the game was built to be enjoyable even for players who are not strong at action games.
Story and Lore
The year is 4026, and humanity's numbers have fallen sharply. The Blight, a corruption that infects plants and animals alike, has overgrown much of Japan. Creatures twisted by it are called Malefacts, and the biggest of them, the Nushi, are the ones responsible for blighted forests.
Emma was born with the Blight. It gives her power over plants, and it left her with neither memories nor emotions. As a Sealer, she hunts Malefacts and absorbs their Blight into her own body. Her destination lies in the far west, where the Beast of Reincarnation, the source of all Blight, has to be confronted; the Beast returns roughly once a century, and each return spreads the corruption further.
On the way she meets Koo, an abandoned dog marked by the same affliction. The official description frames their meeting as fated, even though it should not have been possible.
The route crosses five regions in order: Kanto, the Mountainous Region, the Drowned Region, the Wasteland and the Capital. Named zones such as the Great Wall Terraces, Fuji Frontier Zone, Giant Tree Zone and Starfall Tower mark the way.
Gameplay and Mechanics
Enemies carry two bars: health, and a second gauge that fills with hits and parries. Once it is full, the target is open to a much heavier punish.
Emma's plant powers double as traversal tools. She can grapple, lay vine bridges across gaps and grow vines that lift her into the air, and a bridge placed above a patrol gives her a position for stealth takedowns.
- Rest sites restore health and let the player spend skill points. Resting does not respawn enemies.
- Dying brings no real penalty, and doors or shortcuts that were opened stay open.
- The bond between Emma and Koo deepens over the journey and opens additional ability slots for him.
Between expeditions, the party returns to the Cleanse Walker, a walking vehicle that works as a base. Equipment benches, a kitchen, a plot for growing seedlings and a shower for Koo are on board, and materials collected in the field improve these facilities.
Boss fights are against Nushi, enormous corrupted animals. Defeating major enemies rewards new Bloom Arts.
Characters and Factions
Emma is the 18-year-old Sealer at the center of the story, voiced in Japanese by Yui Ishikawa.
Koo is a dog who shares the same Blight and, in the official description, counts as a Malefact. Furushima has described him as a companion who would naturally be Emma's enemy. In the field he barks to flag nearby enemies and items.
Brad is a gruff, enigmatic guide who pilots the Cleanse Walker. Kagura prepares the meals that grant stat bonuses, working from vegetables the party grows.
Two groups stand out in the early picture of the world:
- Survivors live in isolated mountain colonies among the ruins and treat anyone touched by the Blight with suspicion, Emma included.
- Golems are robotic beings that turn up both among the survivors and as enemies.
Editions
Two editions are sold: Standard and Deluxe.
- Standard Edition: the base game.
- Deluxe Edition: the base game plus the Big Dipper sword and Oni's Hat for Emma, Brown and Black Shiba skins for Koo, 100,000 Amber and a set of vegetable seedlings.
Amber is the main in-game currency, used for upgrading weapons and gear and for buying items from traders.