Beast of Reincarnation director Kota Furushima apologized to players for the game’s technical issues and mixed reception. The first patch is already out, with improvements to the narrative pacing, cutscene skipping, and framerate improvements coming soon.
The news, frankly, isn’t exactly exciting, but it’s important. Beast of Reincarnation launched on August 4th on PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC, and instead of being a triumph, it was met with a wave of criticism. The review round was a tense one: a Metacritic score of 73 is decent, but a bit low for a game from the creators of Pokémon. Furushima himself, however, didn’t hide behind marketing hype in an interview with 4Gamer and admitted that yes, there are some things that need to be improved. And he’s already started—the first patch, v1.0.7, has already been distributed to all players.
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The Game Has Received Mixed Reviews—What’s Wrong with Beast of Reincarnation?
On the one hand, the project is praised. The combat system with Ku’s partner is truly fresh, and the post-apocalyptic atmosphere is captivating. On the other hand, the problem lies in the little details that ruin the fun. The camera in combat and while exploring behaves like a skittish horse, the text is so small in places that it hurts your eyes, and the dialogue is repeated so often that you start to wonder, “Seriously? Again?”
The situation on Steam is telling: only 52-53% positive reviews, and this is with a peak online audience of over 15,000 players. The numbers speak for themselves—the game maintains its audience, but many are angry. And, characteristically, they’re angry not at the plot or the ideas, but at the technical implementation. Here’s the proof: the developers were clearly rushing things, and now they’re dealing with the consequences. What’s being praised are the combat mechanics, the partnership with Ku, and the visual style.
What’s being criticized are the camera, small font, repetitive gameplay in the middle chapters, and technical crashes.
Patch v1.0.7 Is Already Out—What’s Changed?
And here’s the most interesting part. Instead of keeping quiet, Game Freak promptly rolled out an update. And it’s not just cosmetic.
A quick list of the changes:
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Camera: It’s now less choppy in combat and exploration, and the angle has been adjusted.
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Text: Its size has been increased, especially in the interface and dialogue.
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Dialogue: Repeated phrases have been reduced to once per day (previously, they could pop up every time you entered a zone).
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Default mode: Now Performance (60 FPS) instead of Cinematic (24 FPS). This is a logical decision: most players prefer smoothness over blurry images.
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Boss and enemy balance: Some encounters have become slightly easier, but not to the point of “autopiloting.”
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Interaction button remapping: You can now assign a convenient key.
These changes have already noticeably improved the experience. Judging by the forums, those who paused the game due to technical issues have started to return. But, as the director himself admitted, this is just the beginning.
What Is Promised in Future Updates
In the same interview, Furushima outlined the next steps. And they are much more ambitious than simply “fixing bugs”:
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Improving the narrative pacing: The second half of the game has been criticized for lagging; they want to make the story more dynamic.
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Skippable cutscenes: Yes, they currently cannot be skipped, which annoys many, especially on repeat playthroughs.
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Implementation of DLSS 4/4.5 and FSR 4: On PC and next-gen consoles. This should significantly improve performance and graphics.
Speaking of performance: the game already looks good on high-end systems, but does it surpass other summer titles in visuals? Debatable. However, the developers clearly want to make the graphics more polished—this is evident in their plans.
Why the Game Is So Difficult—The Director’s Explainer
It’s worth mentioning a point that many have missed. Furushima explained that the difficulty in Beast of Reincarnation isn’t a goal in itself. It’s tied to interaction with Ku, your partner. The goal isn’t to make the player suffer, but to teach them to work together and synchronize their actions. And, according to him, that’s precisely what they wanted to convey.
“We weren’t going for hardcore,” he says. “We wanted you to feel like part of a team.” Well, the idea is clear, but the execution, as we can see, was hampered by technical flaws. Right now, it’s important that the team doesn’t abandon its work and finishes the project.
What’s Next?
So far, Game Freak has demonstrated an honesty rare among major studios: they’ve acknowledged the problems, released a patch, and outlined their plans. And this already gives hope. If they truly improve the pacing, add cutscene skipping, and framerate generation, the game could become what it was originally intended to be. So my advice: if you haven’t bought it yet, wait a couple of weeks. If you already have it, wait for the next update, and in the meantime, check out patch v1.0.7. Perhaps it’ll be the one that brings back your enjoyment.
And then, perhaps, a third patch will arrive, and “Best” will sparkle with new colors. Ultimately, it’s not how you start, but how you finish that counts.
