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Game Freak's Beast of Reincarnation Launches With Director's Loneliness Theme

The project originated from Game Freak's internal Gear Project system, where President Satoshi Tajiri selected the proposal, marking a personal vision from a Pokemon veteran rather than a studio-mandated direction.

Key Facts

  • Beast of Reincarnation launched on August 4 for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC via Steam.
  • The PS5 package version costs 8,980 yen, while the Xbox Series X|S and PC versions cost 7,980 yen.
  • The game is available on Game Pass from its release day.
  • Director Kota Furushima estimated the main story takes about 30 hours to complete.
  • The game includes three difficulty modes: Normal, Hard, and Story Mode.

Reporting from 8 sources: 4Gamer.net, GAME Watch (Impress), Automaton, Denfaminicogamer, and 4 more.

Game Freak's Beast of Reincarnation Launches With Director's Loneliness Theme

Game Freak's new action RPG Beast of Reincarnation launched on August 4 for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC via Steam. Happinet publishes the PS5 package version at 8,980 yen, while Fictions handles the Xbox and PC versions at 7,980 yen. The game is available on Game Pass from day one. Set in Japan in the year 4026 after the world's collapse, the story follows Emma, a protagonist shunned as a Corrupted One who has lost her emotions and memories, and her canine companion Kuu, as they travel west to defeat the Beast of Reincarnation. Director Kota Furushima, who previously worked on battle planning and sound management in the Pokemon series, said the concept is traveling with a partner, experiencing reliability and warmth alongside loneliness. The game fuses Emma's real-time action with Kuu's command-based strategy, and includes three difficulty modes. Furushima estimated the main story takes about 30 hours, with New Game Plus available for replay.

  • Emma's voice actor is Yui Ishikawa, who Furushima said he imagined while writing the scenario; he could not think of any other actress for the role.
  • Akio Otsuka voices Blood, a character Furushima cast for "a voice with persuasiveness" as an aged guide with knowledge of the outside world.
  • Other characters include Kagura, who joins the journey; Kunai, a fellow Corrupted One; Violet, a spirit visible only to Emma; and Brad, pilot and mechanic of the Purification Ship. Each harbors secrets.
  • Emma is a "Sealer" who takes the corruption of defeated Corroded Ones into her own body, and she travels west under orders from the capital's king.
  • The world is set about 2,000 years in the future, where civilization collapsed and Japan's traditional "one piece of cloth" clothing culture restarted, so Emma's haori and jingasa look Japanese-style but use modern materials.
  • Furushima designed Emma in black and Kuu in white, with matching eye levels, so they read as partners.
  • Kuu learns "Blooming Techniques" like Sakura, which pierces enemies with branch spears and creates jump points for Emma; ranged weapons include a Repeating Crossbow and a Bow.
  • The Purification Ship is a base that upgrades automatically when Emma returns with items, unlocking weapon strengthening, technique research, and new recipes.
  • Kuu's commands slow time, and "Resonance Acceleration" momentarily slows the world for healing or attacks, which Furushima likened to "your turn in an RPG."
  • Furushima said the game hides unspoken world mysteries, and he warned players: "never look up at the sky. Something is floating in the sky."

Synthesized by Yomimono from the 8 cited sources below, including Japanese-language reporting where cited, then editorially reviewed before publishing.

Sources