It may be Pokémon’s 30th anniversary this year but Game Freak has been busy at work on another AAA title — for the past six years to be exact. Back for another showcase in the Xbox Developer Direct 2026, Beast of Reincarnation is looking more ambitious and promising by the minute.
Beast of Reincarnation was born out of a desire to create something original with “warmth, trust and loneliness”, as described by Game Freak’s director and writer, Kota Furushima.
1. Exploring Fragments of Humanity in a Post-Apocalyptic World
Post-apocalyptic settings are fascinating because we get to learn about the survivors’ emotional journeys. In Beast of Reincarnation, the world has been ravaged by parasitic plants known as the blight.
Emma, who has been exiled for being born with a blight-sealing ability, befriends Koo, who becomes her faithful canine companion on her journey to save the world.
What part to save humanity will other characters like Brad, Kagura and Kunai play? What are the motives of malefacts, creatures like Koo, who are part plant and part animal? And then there’s the Golems, beings who were once human but have spent the last 2000 years in mechanical bodies. There’s so many questions and answers for players to uncover!
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2. Dynamic Battles That Combine Two Classic RPG Combat Styles
Beast of Reincarnation is an action-adventure RPG that blends two different play styles: Emma specialises in fast paced melee combat, while Koo attacks with turn-based commands. Skill trees help these characters grow stronger and fight in a complementary manner.
This mix of real time and turned-based combat isn’t one we see in many Action RPGs these days and we can’t wait to see how it all works.
3. A Beautifully, Lonely Civilisation
Set in Japan in the year 4026, the art style for Beast of Reincarnation is a wonderful mix of realism and fantasy. It bears a great resemblance to the worlds of Ghost of Yotei or Nioh.
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A New Adventure for Game Freak
This is an entirely different beast to anything Game Freak has developed so far and we’re excited to see how the game tracks. There’s no Pokémon here!
We’re also rooting for a human-with-dog-in-a-post-apocalyptic-world to have a happy ending.
Beast of Reincarnation is coming to Xbox Series X|S, Xbox Game Pass, PlayStation 5 and PC via Steam and Xbox in Summer 2026.
