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Beast of Reincarnation Review — Is It Worth It in 2026?

The Beast of Reincarnation review verdict: Metacritic 72, IGN 6/10, Steam's mixed reception, what critics and players agree on, what they fight about, and whether it's worth $59.99 in 2026.

Last Updated: August 12, 2026

Beast of Reincarnation Review — Is It Worth It in 2026?

The launch verdict on Beast of Reincarnation is genuinely split — and that's the honest headline. On one side: a Metacritic average of 72 and an IGN review at 6/10, with critics praising the ambition, the two-character design and the Blight mythology while questioning the combat's depth. On the other: Steam's community reviews sitting at mixed (about 64% positive), with players disagreeing over whether Game Freak's first full-price action RPG has slick or uninspired combat — the debate GamesRadar called "the strangest review split of the year."

This review sorts the two sides, tells you which player each verdict is for, and gives you the bottom line.

Emma standing in the Blight-covered wilderness at the start of the game.
Emma standing in the Blight-covered wilderness at the start of the game.

The Scores

Source Score Notes
Metacritic (critics) 72 PC/PS5/Xbox averages vary slightly by platform
OpenCritic ~76 Higher than Metacritic, per launch tracking
IGN 6/10 The most-quoted review
Steam (players) Mixed (~64%) The community split in numbers

What the Critics Agree On

Across the reviews, the consensus points are:

  • The two-character design is the game's best idea — Emma and Koo as a paired unit with separate progression gets credit even from the harshest reviews
  • The Blight mythology and worldbuilding land — the lore-document structure, the Sealer concept, and the ending's themes are called the game's emotional core
  • The presentation is strong — Game Freak's production values carry the game's look, sound and cutscene direction

What They Fight About

The combat is the split. The two camps:

  • "Slick" camp: the stamina loop, the Nushi captures and the elemental builds give the combat a satisfying rhythm — these reviewers and players point to the best build depth as proof the system has legs
  • "Uninspired" camp: IGN's 6/10 and the harsher community reviews describe the melee combat as functional but not memorable — the dodge-and-commit loop works, but nothing about it demands a place in the genre's upper tier

GamesRadar's launch piece is the best summary of the phenomenon: players genuinely disagree over whether Game Freak's action RPG has slick or uninspired combat, and the review scores map exactly onto that disagreement.

Who Is It For?

Buy it if you want a focused, story-driven action RPG (about 30 hours, no multiplayer padding) with a genuinely distinctive two-character system and a mythology worth reading. The beginner guide covers whether the difficulty suits you.

Wait or skip if you're buying for genre-best combat — the reviews' harshest line is that the fighting is the weakest part of the game. If you're a FromSoft-style combat purist, the soulslike comparison is worth reading first.

Try it for $0 if you have Game Pass — it's a day-one Game Pass title, which makes the "is it worth it" question trivially easy to answer for subscribers.

The Patch Situation

The game has been patching since launch — the v1.0.7 update added DLSS 4.5 and FSR 4.0 support (confirmed by DSOGaming's patch coverage), which meaningfully improved the PC performance picture. The pattern so far is the studio responding to launch feedback; performance-related complaints from the first week are the ones most likely to be addressed next. The platforms guide tracks the performance state.

The Bottom Line

Beast of Reincarnation is a 7/10 game wearing a 72 Metacritic average and a loud argument. The ambitious, distinctive core — two heroes, Boss Stealing, the Blight mythology — is real and worth experiencing. The combat's depth is the honest question mark. At $59.99 it's a fair buy for the story-and-systems player; at Game Pass it's a no-brainer; and if you're the combat purist the reviews' harshest voices are written for, you've been warned.

The reviewer/player split is the feature, not the bug

The "strangest split of the year" is actually useful information: it means the game is distinctive — strong enough in one direction to polarize people. Generic games get unanimous mid-scores. A 72 that comes with a real debate is a different product than a 72 that everyone quietly agreed on.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Beast of Reincarnation good? It's a genuinely split game: critics average 72, IGN gave 6/10, Steam is mixed (~64% positive). The two-character design and Blight mythology are near-universally praised; the combat depth is the fight.

What is the Metacritic score for Beast of Reincarnation? About 72, with OpenCritic higher (~76) and the platform averages varying slightly.

Is Beast of Reincarnation worth buying? For the story-and-systems player, yes — roughly 30 hours of distinctive action RPG. For combat purists, the reviews' harshest voices are the warning. Game Pass subscribers should absolutely try it.

What did IGN say about Beast of Reincarnation? IGN scored it 6/10, praising the ambition and two-character design while criticizing the combat as functional but uninspired.

Official resources: Metacritic page · IGN review · GamesRadar launch analysis · Steam store page · Wikipedia

Last Updated: August 12, 2026