I Love Pokemon, But I’m Excited to See a New Side of Game Freak with Beast of Reincarnation

Over the years, the name Game Freak has been more or less synonymous with the Pokemon franchise. And that makes sense, given that the developer has been the primary force behind every main series game since Pokemon Red and Green back in 1996. Outside of its work on the Pokemon franchise, Game Freak has worked closely with Nintendo on other projects for quite some time. But despite common misconceptions, the developer isn’t owned by Nintendo. And that means they are free to pursue projects with other publishers, including the upcoming Beast of Reincarnation.

As many Pokemon fans have become dissatisfied with the direction of modern Pokemon games, Game Freak has gotten a lot of the blame. So many people were surprised to learn that Game Freak was the studio behind Beast of Reincarnation when it was first revealed. After so many years of associating the studio with Pokemon’s particular graphical style, it was a bit of a surprise to see a more realistic 3D world from the developer. And yet, I can’t help but be pretty excited to see what Beast of Reincarnation has in store.

Pokemon Has Fallen Into a Pattern that Seems Hard to Break 

For many fans, the Nintendo DS era was the peak of graphics for Pokemon. Since then, many feel that the newer take on a 3D art style falls flat. In particular, things like trees and buildings have been mocked for their flat, unrealistic appearances. As the first open-world Pokemon game, Pokemon Scarlet & Violet left many fans disappointed with frame rate issues and more. Many want to see Game Freak and The Pokemon Company step it up graphics-wise in Gen 10, but I’m not sure what that would even look like at this point.

The cartoon style of the Pokemon series, like it or not, has been with us since the beginning. Shifting towards something more realistic, like what’s showcased in Beast of Reincarnation, would be jarring. And yes, we could have flames that actually look like fire and windows that don’t look like flat images copy/pasted. But even so, it feels like Pokemon as a franchise is in a bit of a holding pattern. And I don’t just mean with its visuals, or the ongoing lack of voice acting.

I love Pokemon. I grew up on the games and the anime, and my office is a tribute to favorites like the original Eeveelutions all the way up through newbies like Lechonk. And yet, for the most part, the gameplay loop hasn’t changed a ton from the early days. Leave home, catch Pokemon, battle others, repeat. When Scarlet & Violet attempted to break that mold, many fans weren’t happy with the result. I liked having more to do besides just challenge gyms, but even I have to admit the open world felt pretty empty at times. But with some fans demanding a return to the older formula while others feel it’s grown stale, it’s a bit hard to say what would make us all happy with Gen 10. That’s part of why I’m really curious to see a big, ambitious RPG from Game Freak that isn’t attached to the Pokemon name.

I Might Be More Excited for Beast of Reincarnation Than Pokemon Gen 10

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Game Freak Reveals New Gameplay & Release Window for Non-Pokemon RPG, Beast of Reincarnation

Don’t get me wrong. I am absolutely looking forward to the next main series Pokemon game. But I have to admit, sometimes I get a little bored of catching ’em all gen after gen. I hope we get a solid main series game when Gen 10 arrives, but I might actually be a bit more excited to see what Game Freak can do with Beast of Reincarnation.

It’s been a while since the studio has put out a major console game outside the Pokemon universe. We’ve had a few mobile games like Pandoland and Pocket Card Jockey. But many of these had a similar cartoon style that wasn’t quite Pokemon, but wasn’t quite what we saw with Beast of Reincarnation‘s previews, either. And honestly? The game looks like it might be a great combination of what Game Freak does best in Pokemon, but with the kind of graphics that franchise will likely never pivot to using.

Beast of Reincarnation centers on an outcast and her bond with an animal. They fight together, side by side. From what Game Freak has said so far, the game aims to explore that bond in a new way. The game looks to have a darker, more fleshed-out story with a main character who does more than simply go along with what the NPCs say. As the first non-Pokemon AAA title from Game Freak, this RPG could be a new look at what the developer can do, along with their partners on the project.

Beast of Reincarnation doesn’t yet have a specific release date, but we’ve seen a decent bit of gameplay footage thanks to the Xbox Partner Direct. It’s supposed to hit PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X|S later this year. And when it does, I look forward to seeing what this new one-woman, one-dog action RPG has to offer.