Beast of Reincarnation is a dark, emotional ride through a world built from mankind’s failings. The game reportedly combines action and exploration with dark storytelling, and challenges players to deal with the consequences of ambition, destruction and repeated mistakes. It appears to be defining itself more in mood, mystique and an intense emotional bond between its two leads than in fast-paced combat alone.

Beast of Reincarnation coverage suggests the game is supposed to be intense, personal and disturbing. A world of hostile environments, deadly creatures and troubled characters. A world that needs you to know what went wrong in the past to live.

A world made by human choice

I think the setting is one of the best things about the game.

Players will explore a broken world where nature, technology and strange creatures live in uneasy balance. The environment has much to tell through the abandoned buildings, broken machinery and sites with the remnants of a former civilisation, they say.

Instead of telling you all about it, the game feels like it wants you to explore the world and discover slowly what humanity did to itself to destroy it.

A punch to the gut of a dark tale

At the heart of the experience is a journey of grief, duty, and survival.

The protagonist seems to be weighed down by both physical and emotional kinds, and the universe around them keeps reminding you that you just can’t undo what you did before. This is a darker take on the standard action adventure.

Maybe the story is about whether people can change after they’ve done irreversible damage, or if history is doomed to repeat itself.

The design of the creature creates a creepy atmosphere.

The monsters of Beast of Reincarnation seem to be more than just enemies.

Perhaps they are meant to represent the world’s imbalance and corruption. Some would be hybrids of natural and artificial features, looking like the result of human experimentation or environmental collapse.

This visual style helps ground the enemies in the larger themes of the game. They are not arbitrary impediments to the player’s progress, but reminders of the destructiveness of untrammelled progress.

The other is the visuals.

The art direction is a combination of beauty and destruction.

Visually impressive but very uncomfortable places, overgrown cities, dark forests, destroyed facilities and strange creatures. The game is very much a message about the juxtaposition of nature and human destruction.

Lighting, weather effects and environmental detail could also be used to create tension and lead the player through each area.

Split players might be pacing

Not everyone will want a slow, serious story.

For some gamers, the exploration parts might be a little too slow or quiet for them. But if atmospheric storytelling is your thing, the slower pace may be a positive in that it allows the world and characters to develop naturally.

How well the game balances combat, exploration and story scenes will determine how successful the pacing will be.

Sources

• Official Game Publisher – trailers, release dates, and gameplay information confirmed.
• Official Developer Channels – Production insights & creative updates
• PlayStation and Xbox Store – Platform availability and official description.
• Steam – PC Requirements, Features and Release Date
• IGN – Video Game Previews and Reviews.
• GameSpot – Reviews, news, previews, downloads for video games.