We’re always happy to go into battle with a faithful companion at our side. That’s all the more true when the companion in question happens to be a very potent addition to our arsenal of moves, and an almost indispensable part of a combat loop that’s got a lot going on already. Well, new previews of Beast of Reincarnation are highlighting a synergy between Emma and her canine companion Koo that is taking their bond beyond their battles.
But that’s not all the new information that’s relevant to the game to come to light, far from it. If you’re thinking of joining us when we dive into this one next week, we’ve got a few new things you might want to know before you hit that preorder button. Let’s dive right in.
1. A 30-Hour Playtime
Beast of Reincarnation’s director, Kota Furushima, has confirmed that the game is spread across ten stages with roughly 30 hours of playtime spread out between them. That could be quite a lot if you consider the titles that have inspired this one, although it could mean that the time flies by without you even noticing if the story is paced well enough.
We’re quite all right with a shorter playtime, as it’s the quality of what’s on offer that matters. Emma and Koo seem like they’ve got us covered on that front.
2. Side Quests To Find Along The Journey
It would be a waste of such a melancholically gorgeous world if there wasn’t too much to do in it now, would it? Well, that’s not a worry, as previews have confirmed that there are side quests for you to find, the majority of which are given to you by NPCs that you encounter while you’re out and about in the game’s dystopian future-Japan.
Pair those with optional items and explore off the fairly linear, story-focused beaten path and you’re sure to wring a lot of engaging memories out of your time with this one. Emma’s mobility is certainly going to be useful in uncovering as much of the world as you possibly can.
3. No Consequences On Death
It’s no secret that Beast of Reincarnation draws inspiration from Sekiro’s katana-based, parry-focused combat, but even that one made an interesting compromise where you only lost a fraction of your XP on death while the Dragonrot mechanic helped even out the curve. However, Beast isn’t aiming to hit you hard if you happen to mistime a parry or get too greedy with your attacks.
You get to keep all your currency, XP, and resources when you die, which is going to make getting back up a whole lot easier than it’s been in the past.
4. Your World Progress Survives With You
Building on the lack of consequences to dying is the twist that environmental unlocks, and doors that you manage to get through on a run don’t automatically respawn and force you to fight through it all over again. Combined with the last one on our list, this makes Beast seem like it could lack enough bite to be a challenge, but we don’t think that’s the case here.
You could always slap on Hard Mode and let the sublime art of not caring about dying become an asset instead of a potential liability, after all.
5. Rest Sites Are More Than What They Seem
Beast draws a little more from Soulslikes with its Rest Points acting as hubs where you can restore HP and spend any ability points you’ve picked up on your last run. That’s definitely better than having them act as mere checkpoints, and we’re expecting to see a fast travel system in place that uses them well. We’re hoping the developers adopted the practice of highlighting locations with characters once side quests move between stages if that’s how they’re implemented.
There are a few things you can only do back at your base, though. We’re getting to that in just a minute.
6. Emma and Koo Have Their Own Progression Paths
Developing your skills in Beast isn’t just about unlocking milestones on a generic progression path, with a lot of flexibility given to you in how you build synergies between Emma and Koo while ensuring that they’re both as effective as they can be in the field.
What we’ve seen of the skill tree points to different combinations and capabilities, which should complement any special effects you get from gear you find when you’re out exploring. It’s looking like finding a playstyle that works for you isn’t going to take too long, which is a good thing given the relatively shorter runtime on this one.
7. Additional Build Layers
Aside from the effects that gear brings to your build, you also get slots in Spirit Stones that bring further effects to your Loadout. From what we’ve seen so far, there’s something for those who prefer an aggressive approach, and those who like to stay at a distance. We’re especially interested in the stealth side of things, with a skill that lets Emma create a hiding spot on the fly!
We imagine that one’s going to work well with all her vine-based abilities to let her move like a Shadow among the game’s enemies, and tear through their ranks before polishing off the remnants with her katana. We’re hoping that stealth is bigger than what Game Freak has shown us officially so far, and it’s looking quite likely.
8. Slow Things Down With Koo
You’ve probably already seen that FF7-esque command selector for Koo, but we believe it deserves a special mention thanks to how it slows down time, giving you breathing room in a game where battles can get pretty intense. That Platinum Trophy on Sekiro was well-earned, believe us.
It’s great, then, that you get a mechanic that works in a few breathers so naturally they don’t feel like a crutch, but a viable tactical option meant to be used wisely in a fight. It makes Koo’s interface feel like more than just a companion ability wheel. It’s always those little touches that can make something new stand out.
9. A Bond Beyond Battle
Your bond with Koo isn’t just a story beat, but an actual gameplay mechanic that we speculate might even influence the endings we’re going to be seeing. If it’s woven in seamlessly enough, it could be an interesting part of the experience.
An Affection Meter tracks how well you’re getting along with your canine companion, and if things play out the way we’re guessing they do, it’s something worth keeping track of.
10. Koo’s Upkeep
Remember when we said there were things you could only do back at your base? Well, nurturing your Bond with Koo is one of them. He’s a majestic figure, and the grime of the battlefield isn’t doing him any favors. It’s up to you to keep him clean and ensure you give him all the pets he desires once you’re done, as there’s the Affection Meter at play.
Keeping him looking and feeling his best is definitely in your interests, and we’re very curious to see how things play out on this front.
11. Look After Koo On The Field
There’s chatter from a 90-minute hands-on that Koo can indeed be downed in battle and that allowing that to happen has negative gameplay consequences. We’d have preferred an invulnerable buddy, but Koo isn’t going to stand by and watch as we brave danger on our own, and it makes sense to tie some narrative and gameplay stakes to his vulnerability.
It’s going to impact your Affection Meter, which makes sense given that it makes errors in battle come with a risk worse than death at the hands of some truly terrifying creatures: getting the dreaded side-eye from your canine companion.
12. PS5 Pro Enhanced
Beast is listed as a PS5 Pro Enhanced title, while the base version gets support for the DualSense’s haptics and adaptive triggers, which should work well with the katana and ranged weapons we’ve seen. We’re yet to get official word on what the Pro’s enhancements could entail, though.
However, remote play and offline play are both supported, which is welcome news on a single-player title like this one. Your Portals might get some serious game time if you like taking your battles with you when you’re on the go.
13. PC Requirements
This one needs 45GB of SSD space, while 16GB of RAM is recommended at a minimum. The target is 1080p/40 fps at Low settings using DLSS or FSR1, which an Intel Core i5-8400/AMD Ryzen 5 3600 CPU and an NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 (8 GB)/AMD Radeon RX 580 (8 GB) GPU can achieve.
For FSR3 Performance, things are a little higher with an Intel Core i7-12700K/AMD Ryzen 7 5800X CPU and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 (12 GB)/AMD Radeon RX 6700 XT (12 GB) GPU on board. You should hit the recommended 1080p/60 fps target with that configuration, and see the Bloom in all its glory. There have since been revisions to these specs, and you can go here to find what’s changed.
14. Game Pass, Pricing, And Editions
If everything we’ve said so far sounds appealing to you, you’re probably going to be happy to know that this one’s a day one release on Game Pass, and it’s on Xbox Play Anywhere. For those of you looking to buy it outright, the $59.99 Standard Edition comes with the game, a skin for Koo, and 30,000 Amber – the in-game currency.
The Deluxe Edition is at $79.99, and throws in the Big Dipper sword for Emma, two skins instead of one for Koo, assorted vegetable seedlings, and 100,000 Amber for you to get a decent head start on things.
15. Graphic Modes
You get a Standard Mode and Cinematic Mode to choose between when you dive into this one. From preview footage and what we’ve seen, Standard looks like it’s at a consistent 60 fps, which could mean it’s making a few sacrifices to get there. We imagine cinematic is where you’re going to have to go to see 4026 Japan in all its Bloom-induced glory, although that might come at the expense of frames you could really use in a cutscene.
Well, if there are options, we’re likely going with Performance on this one.
And that’s about it for all the new stuff we thought you should know before you took the plunge and bought into a future where humanity seems to be in short supply both literally and figuratively.
