When Beast of Reincarnation was first announced in 2025, I was a little skeptical that Game Freak could handle a game of this scope. After all, the Japanese studio has spent the last three decades making smaller-scale Pokémon titles. However, after spending over 50 hours completing Beast of Reincarnation, it stands as the best action RPG I’ve played since NieR: Automata. With its emotional story, fluid combat, and surprisingly inventive exploration, Game Freak has created a masterpiece that feels like NieR meets Studio Ghibli’s Princess Mononoke.A Haunting Blend of NieR and Princess MononokeScreenshot: Brent KoeppSomething you might see many reviewers echo is that Beast of Reincarnation feels similar to games such as Stellar Blade and NieR. But it’s not just superficial, surface-level elements that draw comparisons. Beast of Reincarnation truly captures the feeling of NieR: Automata in a way that no other game has managed to do for me.It’s the hauntingly beautiful and ethereal soundtrack that plays throughout each region. It’s the somber tone of the narrative. Even the characters and dialogue feel very NieR-coded. The story also goes to some pretty dark places. As a lifelong Yoko Taro fan, I say this as the highest compliment: Beast of Reincarnation is basically NieR meets Princess Mononoke.If you also love Japan Studio-era games such as Shadow of the Colossus and Ico, Game Freak’s new title very much slots right in alongside those greats. That said, Beast of Reincarnation also stands on its own two feet and brings many unique gameplay innovations to the genre.Combat Fuses Sekiro action With turn-based abilitiesScreenshot: Game FreakOne of my favorite aspects of Beast of Reincarnation is its combat, which blends real-time action with turn-based abilities. At its core, you can approach every enemy encounter like Sekiro, with Emma using her katana to parry while also unleashing devastating combos. You are also able to pause battles with a button press to control your companion Koo.The large wolf has his own magical abilities that can stun, slow down, or deal AOE damage to enemies. Koo can even heal Emma. The dual combat system flows together really well, as Koo’s abilities cost points to use, and Emma can earn that energy with every parry of her sword. This creates a perfect synergy where you are encouraged to aggressively attack enemies and not just rely on Koo’s powers.Beast of Reincarnation’s combat surprisingly has a lot of depth as well, allowing you to create some pretty insane meta builds. For example, you can equip Koo with a skill that has him apply oil to enemies. You can then use a flame katana to light them on fire and cause explosions. Sword Parry’s also enable your Katana’s elemental powers.Screenshot: Brent KoeppSimilarly, Emma can eventually unlock a sword that applies a “wet” status to foes. You can then equip an item on Koo that turns all of his attacks into lightning strikes – and well, you can guess what happens next. Boom. However, what really surprised me was the traversal freedom Game Freak gives you on the battlefield. At any moment, Emma can use her hair to float high up in the air and escape intense combat encounters. This then allows you to dive back down with a heavy sword slash on top of foes. Similarly, there are Koo abilities that summon massive flowers, which then let you grapple to the top of them for a strategic ariel attack.Emma’s Hair Makes Exploration Incredibly FunScreenshot: Game FreakSpeaking of traversal mechanics, Emma’s hair is one of the standout features in Beast of Reincarnation. From the very beginning of the game, you can hold down a button after jumping, which causes Emma’s hair to grow underneath her. This essentially allows you to float or reach high-up places. Even outside of combat, this makes traversal so much fun.Emma’s hair can also turn into a grappling hook, which lets you jump to buildings, rooftops, towers, and various other locations. When paired with Emma’s hair-floating ability, you are able to quickly zip around the map at record speed. Incredibly, Game Freak also gives you another mechanic where you can use her hair to create bridges or even ladders that grow up the sides of buildings.Because of this, I found myself spending hours exploring every inch of every map. Sure, there were items, chests, and special enemy encounters I wanted to find. But I enjoyed traversal so much that I naturally found myself wanting to see all the weird locations I could reach with Emma’s hair abilities.Sprawling Regions Reward ExplorationScreenshot: Brent KoeppAlthough Beast of Reincarnation isn’t fully open-world, the game is divided into sprawling regions that you unlock as you progress through the story. Each area is fully explorable. In fact, I would often ignore the main story and instead spend hours unlocking everything each region had to offer before circling back to the main objective.Despite what previews initially reported, you can absolutely return to previous regions through fast travel. This is perfect for collectors or trophy hunters who might have missed something. It also allows players to grind XP if they feel that the current region is too difficult for them. I was also surprised by just how many regions are in the game, as there are 12 in total.Each region offers quite a bit of diversity as well. One moment, you’ll be exploring a lush, overgrown forest, and the next, you’ll be escaping enemies chasing you through a barren desert wasteland full of craters. One of my favorite levels is a post-apocalyptic city that is completely vertical, so you spend the entire map traveling upward.Screenshot: Game FreakMy only complaint is that I wish that the hidden chests throughout the maps had more impactful items inside of them. In the first half of the game, for example, most of the rewards are helpful for crafting and inventory. But by the back-half of the campaign I had most of these items maxed out, so some of the map cleanup felt a little unrewarding. For me, it wasn’t an issue because of how much I love the traversal mechanics. But I could see it bothering some players. Flexible Difficulty Welcomes Every Kind of PlayerScreenshot: Game FreakGame Freak should also be applauded for the difficulty balance it has managed to achieve in Beast of Reincarnation. The action RPG has intense combat encounters that rival games such as Stellar Blade, while at the same time being much more forgiving. For example, I really struggled with parrying in Sekiro. Beast of Reincarnation has a much more forgiving timing window while also not being as punishing.That isn’t to say Beast is too easy, either. Game Freak offers players a lot of options here. If you want the game to be as brutally difficult as Sekiro, you can make it that way. Beast of Reincarnation also has a post-game “Reincarnation” mode that you unlock after beating the main story. It essentially makes enemies more difficult each time you defeat them and across subsequent playthroughs.But what’s beautiful about Beast of Reincarnation is that casual players can absolutely enjoy it without the experience feeling too easy. At the same time, hardcore action RPG fans have plenty of options to make its combat brutally challenging. It’s an impressive balance that makes the game accessible without sacrificing its depth.A Beautiful Story That Isn’t Afraid to Tackle Heavier ThemesScreenshot: Game FreakWhen director Kota Furushima said in previous interviews that his inspiration for Beast of Reincarnation was the classic 1982 sci-fi film Blade Runner, I was a bit confused at first. On the surface, Beast feels much closer to something like Studio Ghibli’s Princess Mononoke. This isn’t just because of its level design, but also its story about nature being corrupted by humans.However, as you progress through Beast of Reincarnation, you start to understand where the Blade Runner inspiration came from. Particularly its plot about replicants. There is so much I want to discuss here, but I also don’t want to spoil the game’s story. Suffice it to say, Beast of Reincarnation has a surprisingly deep story that asks a lot of questions about what it means to be human in 2026 and how much we are giving up our connection to nature and each other.To circle back to NieR, Furushima isn’t afraid to tackle some pretty heavy subject matter, and Beast of Reincarnation goes to some very dark places narratively. But I was really impressed with how Game Freak was able to tell the story in a cohesive manner that also didn’t feel too abstract or confusing.Beast of Reincarnation Review VerdictBeast of Reincarnation is one of the best action RPGs I’ve played in years, as it perfectly captures the kinetic combat of Sekiro while also delivering the haunting storytelling of NieR: Automata. Its inventive dual combat system, satisfying traversal mechanics, and deeply emotional narrative come together to create an experience that is both rewarding and fun.But Game Freak has also carved its own path with this masterpiece, creating a beautiful adventure that is a cult classic in the making. If you love NieR, Sekiro, or Princess Mononoke, then Beast of Reincarnation is absolutely the game you’ve been waiting for.Verdict: Best In Its Class (9.5/10)Screenshot: Game FreakProsBeast of Reincarnation’s combat isn’t just innovative, it’s incredibly fun. It’s mix of real-time combat and turn-based action is a perfect blend.Game Freak has found the perfect balance with the game’s difficulty. Casual players can still enjoy the experience, while seasoned veterans will be challenged by punishing enemy encounters.Traversal is a major standout. Zipping around the map using Emma’s hair abilities is pure joy, while also making nearly every inch of the game’s sprawling regions explorable.Each region’s Nushi boss fight is incredibly epic and offers a fun challenge as you progress through the main story.ConsBecause the game is so explorable, its possible to clip out of a level by accidentally reaching areas you aren’t supposed to access with Emma’s hair abilities. Thankfully, you can fast-travel from anywhere, and the issue can be avoided in most instances.Performance can dip in a few sections of the game. However, a day one patch has already ironed out some of these issues. Game Freak have also said they will be releasing post-launch patches to further improve gameplay. Enemy variety and attack animations could have had more depth. Although this will likely be more of an issue for veteran Soulsborne players, and not you average users.Beast of Reincarnation is now available on PS5, Xbox Series X|S and PC. A code was provided by Game Freak for the sake of review. Reviewed on PlayStation 5 Pro.The post Beast of Reincarnation Review: Game Freak’s Masterpiece is NieR Meets Princess Mononoke appeared first on VICE.