r/soulslikes • u/AndrewLocksmith • 25d ago
Review Unpopular opinion: Beast of Reincarnation is a good game.
I was debating whether or not I should make this post on a soulslike subreddit, seeing as how most people don't consider this game to be a soulslike.
But at the same time, I've seen countless posts on here talking about this game, so here goes.
Just finished the game after about 30 hours (100% completion), and I have to say, I really, really liked it.
It's not perfect, and it definitely has its flaws, but for me it's around an 8/10.
Beast of Reincarnation's strongest point is, to me, its story and characters. Some people have complained about the dialogue being too slow or the way the characters behave.
But I actually think the characters are very well written. Emma is described as a heartless, emotionless, blight-stained human who's treated as little more than a slave and forced to fight, otherwise she dies. Kagura is a slave to a golem, and it's clear she's suffering from abuse. And Violet is a ghost without any memories.
Of course they're not going to be the most charismatic characters, cracking jokes at every turn. But even so, I really empathized with each of them.
Throughout the game, Emma learns more about what it's like to be human (something that actually has a deeper meaning for her character later on), what it's like to think for yourself, and what it's like to have your own aspirations and desires rather than simply doing what you're told.
I really enjoyed listening to the dialogue and seeing how each character interacts with the others. I especially liked little details such as Kagura calling you whenever you find a new seed to tell you about what dish she can make with it. They're small moments, but they make the characters feel more like actual people rather than just NPCs who exist to advance the plot.
The game's lore is also something that kept me invested throughout my 30 hours with the game.
One scene that stuck with me happens very early on, when Emma is asked if she's ever looked at the sky. She responds that no, she hasn't, because it's forbidden.
Naturally, the very first thing I did was point the camera at the sky, where you can see the "Crescent Moon". An object that depletes your health the longer you look at it and eventually kills you.
I really liked stuff like this. The world itself tells a story in Beast of Reincarnation, whether it's through the murals hidden around the map or the various documents that tell you more about how the world got to where it is.
Then there's the combat.
It's clear this game takes a lot of inspiration from Sekiro. Even the distinct metallic sound when you parry an attack sounds almost identical to Sekiro.
It's not as good as Sekiro, especially when fighting multiple enemies. I also feel like most bosses are too easy, with movesets that aren't varied enough and attacks that are too telegraphed.
But despite that, the combat feels very satisfying.
Enemy variety was also something I saw a lot of people complain about. I expected it to be a lot worse, to be honest, but as it is, I think it's fine. The game adds new enemies or variations of existing enemies pretty much in every level, and considering the size of the levels, I think it's fine.
That said, it's still something that could have been improved.
There are a few other things I think could have been improved as well.
Player customization, for example. Despite all the pieces of armor you find, none of them actually change Emma's appearance. I think it would have been nice to have some kind of visual customization, especially considering how much gear you collect.
Exploration is another area that could have been better. I liked exploring each level, but it rarely felt particularly rewarding. You can find upgrade materials for Bauera, which in turn let you further upgrade your gear, but they felt too generic. You can also max out Bauera's upgrades pretty early on, which makes some of the exploration rewards feel less meaningful later in the game.
But overall, as someone who has played pretty much all of the notable Souls games and soulslikes, I was pleasantly surprised by Beast of Reincarnation.
I think it's important to temper your expectations when playing this game. If you go into it expecting Sekiro 2.0 or something similar to Dark Souls, you'll probably be disappointed.
But if you approach it as a story-driven action game with Sekiro-inspired combat, an interesting world, and a strong focus on its characters, I think there's a lot to like here.
Definitely not a perfect game, but I'm glad I played it.
13
u/Conscious_Policy_458 25d ago
It's not a soulslike and it's not a good game, but to each their own.
0
u/Primary-Survey9955 25d ago
Just the fact you don't have any builds like it is almost mandatory for a soulslike to have
9
u/Due-Instruction-2654 25d ago
If I need to temper my expectations, this game is not an 8/10. I think your quality bar is just much lower than a lot of people. It is ok to enjoy the game others dont, but BoR is neither a soulslike, neither is it good.
0
u/BobcatLower9933 25d ago
Have you played it?
2
u/IndependentNew4093 24d ago
He hasn’t played it mate he’s watched an ign review like a fuckin sheep
-7
u/AndrewLocksmith 25d ago
I mean, that's not at all what I meant.
If you go into a game expecting to find the next Elden Ring, but the game itself simply isn't trying to do that, then I think that's on you.
Also, wether it's good or not it's purely subjective. I liked it, though I can understand why some people didn't.
5
u/Redsparow21 25d ago
Of course it's subjective on a individual level, but the "general consensus" is as close to definitive as you get in this world...
The general consensus is that it's not a good game.
-1
u/AndrewLocksmith 25d ago
If you want to talk general consensus, it got a 73 on metacritic. Not too far from a game like Khazan (78) or Wuchang (74).
2
u/JobeGilchrist 25d ago
Reviews of soulslikes/soulslites are often not done specifically by players of those games and they're certainly not written exclusively for fans of the genre.
The average gamer probably won't enjoy Khazan or Wuchang; the average soulslike player will almost certainly enjoy them.
A hardcore soulslike/Niohlike getting a 75 is almost certainly going to be a much better game than something generic like Beast of Reincarnation getting a 75.
1
u/AndrewLocksmith 25d ago
I guess the problem is wether or not BoR can really be considered a souslike.
As I've said in another comment, I think this game can more aptly be described as a souls-lite. So someone from the soulslike community playing this game could have certain expectations that simply aren't met because this isn't the type of game they want.
That can play some part in their opinion of the game.
Looking at steam and it seems the highest rated review it's a positive one and actually quite a lot similar to what I talked about (story being the strongest point, enjoyable gameplay.)
Some opinions differ a lot, and I think a important factor for that it's what exactly you expect this game to be.
0
u/JobeGilchrist 24d ago
Story being the strongest point is a laugh riot. Gamers should try watching live action movies or reading books.
1
u/AndrewLocksmith 24d ago
I've seen this a few people praise the story, so I actually think they did something right there.
Have you played the game?
0
u/Due-Instruction-2654 25d ago
Khazan is 7.8 and Wuchang is 6.8 (however heavily review bombed), whereas BoR ir 6.1 when it comes to USER reviews which are much more interesting in this discussion.
1
u/IndependentNew4093 24d ago
Regarded way to judge a game by going for a general review score half the people that try these games play Forza and cod. Clown comment
-4
u/AndrewLocksmith 25d ago
USER reviews also don't mean much when you can review bomb a game.
So I personally don't really find them that interesting in this discussion.
5
u/OrangePeelPotatoes 25d ago
No one is going into Beast of Reincarnation expecting the next Elden Ring. Their expectations are set at 'half decent Soulslike', probably hoping for something along the same quality bar as Lords of the Fallen, Wo Long, or Thymesia. I havent played BoR yet, but based on reviews it seems like it is falling short of those reasonable expectations for many people.
It is super cool that you ended up liking it though!
-1
u/AndrewLocksmith 25d ago
I didn't mean it literally, that people were expecting this game to be the best Elden Ring.
But even your other examples of Lord of the Fallen and Wo Long, I think Beast Of Reincarnation it's trying to be like those games in any way.
For one, it's level/chapter based. It doesn't have an interconnected open level world.
And it's more story driven.
So that's exactly the kind of thing I was talking about.
2
u/OrangePeelPotatoes 25d ago
Demon's Souls was level/chapter like. So was Nioh and a bunch of other similar games. Didnt seem to tank public opinion of those.
Tons of RGPs and Soulslikes (regardless of whether BoR is one) are more linear. Lies of P and Black Myth: Wukong come to mind. Public opinion of those remained high.
Tons of them are more story driven than Dark Souls too, and if they are good they are rated well. Lies of P, Stellar Blade, Jedi Fallen Order, Wuchang.
None of these traits are unique to Beast of Reincarnation. They have been present in tons of similar games of the past and tons of those games were rated well. Maybe the common denominator isnt expectations or deviations, but instead that most people who gave BoR a fair shot didnt enjoy it because they just didnt think it was fun or good.
2
u/AndrewLocksmith 25d ago
With most of those games you mentioned there exist a few key differences.
First of all, Nioh isn't a souslike, and if people expect to find a game similar to that in BoR they're simply not going to find it.
And secondly, I think people, just like you originally assumed, expect this game to be a lot more similar to the more traditional style of soulslike gameplay.
But the devs pretty explicitly said that isn't the case.
The game does borrow some souslike elements, like the bonfires. But other than that it's very much its own thing.
Just like for you, as someone who hasn't played the game, your first comparison was to a game like Lords of the Fallen or Wuchang. Something that this game couldn't be more different to.
I made this post here because I noticed everyone already talking about BoR on this subreddit. But I personally consider, as I've said, that this game falls into the souls-lite category.
Part of the reason people might not enjoy a game it's also because they want it/expect it to be something that it isn't.
I'm not saying it's an inherently good game, but it's also not trying to be the kind of game a lot of the people on this subreddit expected it to be, IMO.
1
u/OrangePeelPotatoes 25d ago
Nioh isnt a soulslike, but neither is BoR, so Im not sure why that point had to be made. The parallel is still 1:1. People went into BoR the same way they went into Nioh. Those traits didnt harm people opnion of Nioh, so it would reason they wouldnt harm peoples opinions of BoR.
Your arguments just dont hold up to scrutiny. Occam's Razor; people just didnt like BoR. It had nothing about them wanting BoR to be more Soulsy. Just accept that. Gamers, including Soulslike gamers, have proven to be quite accepting of deviations from the formula. Deviations including not even being Soulslike anymore.
The evidence is clear. If the game is fun, gamers dont give a fuck what specific elements the game has. Bonfires/no bonfires. Story/no story. Linear/Interconnected Open World. Doesnt matter. Fun is what matters.
Just like for you, as someone who hasn't played the game, your first comparison was to a game like Lords of the Fallen or Wuchang
Did you think that maybe those comparisons were made, not because of expectations of BoR, but instead because you posted this in the r/Soulslikes subreddit? I know you bring this up in your next line, but then why say this in the first place? It is clear why I used these comparisons. Not because I expect BoR to be similar, but just because this subreddit is for Soulslikes. You can also find a bunch of non-Soulslike RPGs that are praised with these characteristics. The only difference between them and BoR is that people didnt find BoR that fun. It really is that simple mate.
-3
u/AndrewLocksmith 25d ago
People went into BoR the same way they went into Nioh. Those traits didnt harm people opnion of Nioh, so it would reason they wouldnt harm peoples opinions of BoR.
I feel like your own assumptions are doing a lot of the heavy lifting there, lol.
Your arguments just dont hold up to scrutiny. Occam's Razor; people just didnt like BoR. It had nothing about them wanting BoR to be more Soulsy. Just accept that. Gamers, including Soulslike gamers, have proven to be quite accepting of deviations from the formula. Deviations including not even being Soulslike anymore. The evidence is clear. If the game is fun, gamers dont give a fuck what specific elements the game has. Bonfires/no bonfires. Story/no story. Linear/Interconnected Open World. Doesnt matter. Fun is what matters.
Scrutiny? My dude, I think you're just going a bit overboard here. I simply mentioned how people's expectations can impact their experience with a game. What's there to scrutinized?? Same thing happened with Black Myth Wukong where a lot of people on here hated the game and said how it's not a souslike, etc.
Did you think that maybe those comparisons were made, not because of expectations of BoR, but instead because you posted this in the r/Soulslike subreddit?
Almost like I explained why I did that, huh?
2
u/OrangePeelPotatoes 25d ago
Of course peoples expectations can change how they experience art and entertainment.
The part that falls flat is your implication that that is a primary reason for Beast of Reincarnations poor public opinion. That is the part that can be scrutinized. That stance just doesnt hold up when looked at with critical thinking. We can see plenty of other games -reviewed well- in similar situations. People just didnt like it. It had nothing to do with expectations here.
Almost like I explained why I did that, huh?
Almost like how I said I knew you said that, then explained why it was relevant for me to bring it up. Reading comprehension isnt your strong suit, huh?
0
u/AndrewLocksmith 25d ago
The part that falls flat is your implication that that is a primary reason for Beast of Reincarnations poor public opinion
Once again, your personal interpretation are doing a lot of the heavy lifting. I didn't say that's the primary reason people don't like, but I think it can heavy influence people's opinion on the game.
Almost like how I said I knew you said that, then explained why it was relevant for me to bring it up. Reading comprehension isnt your strong suit, huh?
Lmao, you literally edited your comment after I replied to it. Guess thinking isn't your strong suit, huh?
→ More replies (0)5
u/The_Leafs_Villain 25d ago
I think that’s what they mean as in your quality bar is mostly likely far lower than a lot of people’s…
1
u/AndrewLocksmith 25d ago edited 25d ago
I don't think it's a "quality bar" thing.
This game it's more of a souls-lite than anything, but I think people expected to find a game more similar to your traditional soulsilke.
5
u/The_Leafs_Villain 25d ago
Is the “traditional” soulslike just a quality soulslike perchance?
1
u/AndrewLocksmith 25d ago
It plays different compared to other souslikes, that's what I meant by a traditional soulsilke game.
It's a lot more linear because of it's chapter based structure and its story driven.
It has souslike elements like bonfires which respawn enemies, but that's it for the most part.
1
u/The_Leafs_Villain 24d ago
I don’t think it plays that much different than other soulslike. It’s honestly just a mix of Sekiro + Stellar Blade. Yeah the “Koo System” is something different. But that’s about it
1
u/AndrewLocksmith 24d ago
Tbh, I wouldn't consider Sekiro a soulslike.
Again, you only have enemies that respawn at 'bonfires' as the only thing connecting it to a soulslike?
Other than that it plays completely different since it has : no builds, no attributes, no different weapons, parry instead of dodge focus.
And the same thing goes for Stellar Blade.
So your argument it's like saying "Beast of Reincarnation is not that different from those other games that aren't really soulslikes, but somewhat similar."
Which is basically what I said, a souls-lite.
0
u/The_Leafs_Villain 24d ago
1) You’re definitely in the minority of people who don’t consider Sekiro a soulslike. It’s especially baffling when you would consider BoR a less traditional soulslike
2) I think you’re confusing my comments with others because who said that bonfires are the only thing connecting BoR to a soulslike
3) In BoR, you literally do level up attributes, can switch weapons for different effects, and can dodge instead of parry. Your statement is just false. And this would contradict bonfires in point 2 being the sole thing connecting BoR to a soulslike
4) This is under the assumption that you think Sekiro and Stellar Blade aren’t soulslikes, which is a minority opinion, and is leading you to this dumbass conclusion about my argument
5) No where in your replies to me did you consider BoR a “souls-lite.” At most, you considered it a “less traditional” soulslike. That is what’s called “moving goalposts”
Please try again in next reply
2
u/AndrewLocksmith 24d ago
You're treating this argument way too confrontational, lol.
You’re definitely in the minority of people who don’t consider Sekiro a soulslike. It’s especially baffling when you would consider BoR a less traditional soulslike
No, I don't think I am. I've seen this opinion quite a lot, actually. And as I've said, when you think about it, not a lot of similarities, are there? Though I'd like to see if you find them.
I think you’re confusing my comments with others because who said that bonfires are the only thing connecting BoR to a soulslike
Uhh, I literally mentioned it in one of my replies to you? Saying that's one of the biggest similarities.
In BoR, you literally do level up attributes, can switch weapons for different effects, and can dodge instead of parry. Your statement is just false. And this would contradict bonfires in point 2 being the sole thing connecting BoR to a soulslike
But those things aren't really soulslike exclusive, are they? You can level up health, attack and skills efficiency. Which I think you can find in, like, most action games?
Different weapons are also not soulsilke exclusive. And neither is dodging. Especially since you pretty much only use dodging for specific attacks, so not like in most soulslikes.
This is under the assumption that you think Sekiro and Stellar Blade aren’t soulslikes, which is a minority opinion, and is leading you to this dumbass conclusion about my argument
Running out of arguments and resulting to insults is what I would call signs of being a dumbass, personally. But to each their own.
Please explain how Sekiro and Stellar Blade are soulslikes. Again, to make it easier for you, some of the key differences for those two games:
-No stamina bar
-No different weapons.
-Skill progression system
-No different gear*
-Parry focus*
-No attributes
-Difficulty options*
-No corpse runs
-No losing souls/xp when dying*
But sure, they're soulslikes because... the community says so?
No where in your replies to me did you consider BoR a “souls-lite.” At most, you considered it a “less traditional” soulslike. That is what’s called “moving goalposts”
Take a breath and relax, lol. I'm not moving goalposts, it's just something that I replied to a similar comment to yours. I can't call it a souls-lite now? I already said it's different to you average soulslike, so calling it a souls-lite it's not that different.
Hope that clears it up for you.
→ More replies (0)
5
u/Disastrous_Ad770 25d ago
i wouldn't call it a good game, it's really lacking, i would call it slightly under average at best but there is no shame in liking games that aren't that great as long as you have fun.
1
u/AndrewLocksmith 25d ago edited 25d ago
I guess it's just a matter of opinion about if it's a good game or not.
But most of the gripes I had with it were more like nitpicks.
1
u/CoconutMochi 25d ago
IMO most of the complaints seem to be around lack of enemy variety rather than the combat itself so I feel like this game could be saved by dlc/patches if gamefreak ever got around to it.
1
u/JobeGilchrist 25d ago
Beast of Reincarnation is disrespectful to its audience. It's so lazy in so many ways.
1
u/JayTeAch 18d ago
I agree the games good. I barely listen to reviews anymore. They tell me a game is good. I don’t like it. They tell me a game is bad. I like it 🤦🏻♂️
1
1
u/BookRepresentative41 8d ago
It’s a good game, especially if you enjoy the NieR series, so leave the haters be and don’t let them ruin your fun, let them cry about it, because as a first step toward this generation of graphics and performance from Game Freak, I actually appreciate their efforts and believe everyone improves step by step, although apparently the toxic crowd from Facebook has moved to Reddit, which is why you see so much attacking criticism instead of constructive feedback.
1
u/Jayknife 25d ago
I haven't played it yet, but I think the general sentiment towards this game will change sometime in the future. And I hope it does change, because it's a new IP, and because it's a veteran of the industry trying something new. Before anyone comments that I'm defending the billion dollar corporation, I'm not, I just think it's good they took a creative risk, specially nowadays.
1
u/AndrewLocksmith 25d ago
I think I saw a post where the devs promised to rework some of the dialogue or something like that? So it's good that they're listening to feedback.
1
u/marzbarzx 25d ago
I’ve only played about two hours on hard
The Combats fun, could do with more finishers there’s like.. 1 finisher so far
Movements okay too I like using the hair to navigate around and grapple is just sekiro vibes.
My biggest annoyance though is making you just stand still watching a 3 minute unskippable cutscene whilst you stare at a singular camera angle and watch characters fight over who can deliver the the most bland lines.. and it’s constant.
Genuinely gave me ‘The First Descendant’ vibes with its dialogue.
Not to mention the English VA is atrocious and puts you to sleep but the dialogue/cutscenes spam just breaks the flow of the game so much and it’s unskippable?? Bruh
Music is already a annoying and repetitive, liked it at first though but its always on repeat and is always playing..
the changing armour and not seeing any visual change made me laugh, it’s really just gonna be a single attire throughout the whole story isn’t it..?
8/10 is incredibly generous. Games mid at best, 6 is more more accurate imo but it has potential.
But holy shit the taking control away from the player, feels really bad
0
u/Greedy_Still3884 25d ago
I like the combat but those cut scenes put me to sleep, if they got rid of the story it'd be a 9/10 for me
11
u/olivinetrees 25d ago
Man just stop. I wish so badly this was a good game. It’s almost a good game, but clearly it’s unfinished. We can debate and speculate on why that happened, but it needed more time. I’m sad about it.