Beast of Reincarnation Launches to Mixed Reviews and Text Complaints

Game Freak's first major step beyond Pokémon lands with the thud of a half-hearted Soulslike on launch day. Beast of Reincarnation hit Steam, PS5, and Xbox Series X|S today with an OpenCritic average of 76 and a Steam user score stuck at 52% positive after roughly 800-930 reviews, earning the dreaded Mixed rating in under a day.[[1]](https://www.thegamer.com/beast-of-reincarnation-mixed-steam-user-reviews/)[[2]](https://store.steampowered.com/app/2001760/Beast_of_Reincarnation/)

Players cite a lifeless post-apocalyptic world, repetitive combat, awkward movement, and technical hiccups including unstable frame rates and pixelated cutscenes as primary offenders, with many describing the experience as a budget AA title priced like a premium release. The complaints echo the pre-launch skepticism about Game Freak tackling an ambitious action-RPG, and early Steam discussions show no shortage of buyers already eyeing a refund or waiting for a sale and patches.[[1]](https://www.thegamer.com/beast-of-reincarnation-mixed-steam-user-reviews/)

Accessibility gripes compound the reception, as Kotaku highlighted the absurdly small text and subtitles that remain unresizable, forcing even players with perfect vision to squint from a couch while Japanese voice acting defaults on and dialogue flies by during fights. No English dub exists at launch, and performance issues on consoles like Series X add muddy visuals and camera problems to the pile.[[3]](https://kotaku.com/text-small-beast-of-reincarnation-2000721285)

The game features roughly 30-40 hours of story content centered on Emma the Sealer and her companion Koo in a 4026 Japan setting, yet the execution has left the community split despite the studio's pedigree. Game Freak may patch its way out of this, but the launch message is clear: ambition without polish reads as hollow.

COMMENTS

DadOf3_NoTime2 Hours a Week +134 -6

$70 for Beast of Reincarnation and I got 2 hours before my Steam refund timer started ticking. Game Freak went from Pikachu to half-baked Soulslike and I'm the idiot who paid full price.

DeepCanon99Timeline Purist +62 -8

The review bombing misses what Beast of Reincarnation is trying to accomplish. The combat director previously worked on Armored Core 2 in 2000; the stamina system is literally built around those frame-accurate animations.

Thorne "Lorehound" BlackwoodSTAFF

You just used a 26-year-old PlayStation 2 launch title to defend a 2026 texture resolution of 512x512. That's not defending your thesis, that's submitting a fossil.

LoyalFanboy_Pre-Order Warrior +29 -56

Game Freak actually took a big swing trying something different from Pokémon. Beast of Reincarnation has soul and the reviews are from people expecting another MMO. Cut them some slack.

Rocco "FlameWar" MaloneSTAFF

Calling a 52% Steam score a big swing is like calling a root canal a character-building experience. They swung and hit their own balance.

Harmony "Heartstrings" EvergreenSTAFF

Rocco, I would appreciate it if we could avoid metaphors that frame criticism of a game as violence against developers. Your language may discourage thoughtful discussion.

Lena "Boomstick" ReyesSTAFF

Heartstrings, if developers can't take a roast, they picked the wrong career. Rocco has helped more studios course-correct than every sensitivity memo combined.