The Combat Shines With Creativity, But the Story Remains Frustratingly Vague, Hiding Key Explanations in a Tutorial Menu

Game Freak, the studio behind Pokémon, ventures into new territory with Beast of Reincarnation, an action game set 2,000 years in the future in a postapocalyptic Japan. Players control Emma, a mercenary who absorbs powers from fallen mutants and uses her hair to build bridges, grapple, and stealth-kill enemies, aided by a giant magical dog. The combat shines with creativity, but the story remains frustratingly vague, hiding key explanations in a tutorial menu. Despite slick action, the game offers little that hasn't been done before.