Beast of Reincarnation Walkthrough

The game at a glance

Beast of Reincarnation is Game Freak's first original AAA action RPG outside Pokémon — there is no Pokémon connection at all. It's built in Unreal Engine 5, published by Fictions, Inc., and it is a single-player game with no co-op or multiplayer. You play Emma, a Sealer who fights with a katana and a bow, traveling with Koo, her blighted canine companion, across a ruined Japan in the year 4026. The companions Kagura and Brad join the story along the way.

The campaign is story-driven, not open world: a linear run of about 13 chapters plus an epilogue titled "Bearing Fruit," each building toward a colossal Malefact — a giant corrupted guardian, some of them titled Nushi — that has blighted the surrounding forest. Sealing one lets Emma and Koo absorb its power and gain a new ability that carries forward. The main story runs roughly 30 hours; some estimates put a fuller, all-content run closer to 40 hours, and a 100% clear (which requires New Game Plus) is estimated at around 80 hours — treat that last figure as a single, approximate estimate.

How the campaign is structured

Because progress is gated by the main story, this walkthrough follows chapter order rather than a district map. The confirmed backbone is the boss progression below, taken from the achievement list; per-chapter routes, pickup locations and Spirit Stone maps are being verified from a day-one playthrough. Chapter 13 is confirmed as the finale — you reach it, beat the final Malefact, and roll into the "Bearing Fruit" epilogue.

The exact chapter-to-boss mapping is still being confirmed, so the table groups chapters instead of pinning every boss to a numbered chapter. Full per-chapter walkthroughs are being verified post-launch — detailed steps coming soon.

Boss progression order

This is the confirmed order you fight the major Malefacts, reconstructed from the trophy and achievement list. The fights with solved mechanics have strategy now; the rest are named but their patterns are still being verified.

1. Rangifer — the "Prowling Nushi," a towering stag and the game's first real difficulty wall, fought twice. It is weak to Fire and comfortable to attempt around level 6–7. Deflect its wide antler sweeps to build FP, then spend it on a Koo fire Bloom Art to ignite it (some captures label the art "Higanbana: Seeds" — treat the exact name as in-game-authoritative). A Fire-slotted bow or katana shortens the fight sharply.
2. Lacerta — a mud lizard fought in an ancient-civilisation area, also fought twice. Its second phase inflicts poison, so bring antidote items. Open with a frailty-type debuff, use Koo's binding Bloom Art to pin it, then burn the opening with Emma's Entanglement Overdrive. (Specific ability names vary by source — go by the in-game labels.)
3. Ursa — strategy coming soon; mechanics being verified post-launch.
4. Corvus — strategy coming soon; mechanics being verified post-launch.
5. Erymanth — strategy coming soon; mechanics being verified post-launch.
6. Koo's Nushi form — a story-critical encounter tied to Koo. Strategy coming soon; mechanics being verified post-launch.
7. Taurus — strategy coming soon; mechanics being verified post-launch.
8. Shidou & Nue — an alternating dual boss you face about three times across the game. It is a deflection test: read which of the two is active and parry into the opening. Clearing it rewards the Black Blossom katana. The full parry-and-dodge timing breakdown lives in the boss guide.
9. Kunai & Kirin — a second dual-boss fight. Strategy coming soon; mechanics being verified post-launch.
10. Beast of Reincarnation — the final Malefact, reached in Chapter 13. Strategy coming soon; kept spoiler-safe and being verified post-launch.

Crimson Malefact (forced, late-game): separate from the main chain, this mandatory fight at Starfall Tower lands roughly 18 hours in — and you face it as Emma alone, with no Koo. That removes your FP-funded heals and Bloom Arts, so it's a real spike: lean on your own kit, save Entanglement Overdrive for its longer recovery windows, and play the deflect patiently. The full move list is in the boss guide.

The combat loop that shapes every chapter

Beast of Reincarnation is built around deflecting: a perfect parry beats dodging, in a parry-and-posture system in the SEKIRO mold. Every successful deflect does two jobs at once — it negates the damage and refills your FP (Florescence Points), the resource that pays for Koo's command skills. Defense literally feeds offense, so sprinting past every fight leaves you at a Malefact with an unpracticed parry and an empty toolkit.

Three more systems layer on top:

• Down Gauge. Landing hits and parries fills a Down Gauge; max it to execute a regular enemy outright, or to stagger a boss for a big punish window.
• Entanglement Overdrive. Emma's Entanglement Gauge builds across seven stages into Overdrive, a slow-time burst you can upgrade up to five levels (unlocked through the Strength attribute).
• Nushi Skills. Each major Malefact you seal grants a new Nushi Skill that carries into the rest of the run.

Weapons come in exactly three types: a Katana (melee, swappable, and able to carry an element), a Bow, and a Crossbow. Arrows and bolts take up to three element slots, drawn from Fire (ignite, then explode), Lightning (Shock), and Wet. Attributes come in exactly three: Strength (attack and defense), Vitality (HP), and Florescence (HP plus skill power). There is no separate dexterity stat and no separate per-element damage tree — invest your SP where your equipment's effects already point.

That supports four broad playstyles — melee pressure, ranged elemental, stealth executions, and a Koo / Bloom-Arts parry build — and the builds guide breaks down how to commit to each. One note for guide accuracy: several skill names differ between captures and outlets (the Higanbana / Higurashi variants, and the Bloom Art "mod" names), and even the FP acronym is written as both Focus and Florescence Points depending on the source. Where a name is contested we defer to the in-game text; a verified skill list is coming soon.

Koo, and using him well

Koo is semi-controllable. On PS5 you press Triangle to open a command menu that slows time but does not pause it — Emma still has to move and parry in real time while you pick Koo's next move, and his actions spend FP. His Bloom Arts can break guard, crowd-control, heal, close distance, and hit groups with status effects. Media-recorded examples (not an official complete list) include an acid area attack that applies a status, a giant-root bind that pins a target, and a rapid seed volley that adds stagger and heals Emma.

Out of combat he earns his keep too: he barks to warn of ambushes, points you toward hidden loot and rest spots, digs up items, and can pull enemy aggro. Building Rapport by petting and interacting with him raises his combat power and unlocks rewards. Still being verified: the PC and Xbox button prompts, the official Bloom Art names and their FP costs, what happens when Koo is downed, and the exact Rapport thresholds — detailed steps coming soon. The Koo guide tracks all of it.

Progression: where you get stronger

• Cleansing Walker — your mobile base, where you save, level up and manage gear between chapters.
• Spirit Stones — slotted into your armor to add effects; the walkthrough will flag where the useful ones drop as routes are verified.
• SP — spent across two skill trees, since Emma and Koo grow separately.
• New Game Plus — carries your build into a tougher second run. Full achievements and the level 100 cap (respec is allowed) generally require NG+.

Editions: what actually helps a run

Both editions ship the same game; the difference is purely cosmetic, item and currency bonuses.

The 100,000 Amber and the early "Big Dipper" katana smooth the opening chapters, but the whole $10 gap is cosmetics, items and currency — it does not change core gameplay. Full breakdown on the editions page.

Performance and platform notes

• PC: an SSD is mandatory, 16 GB of RAM is the floor, DLSS/FSR upscaling is supported, and the install is about 45 GB.
• PS5: a 60fps Performance mode is targeted, but boss fights can drop frames and some textures load in at low quality.
• Steam Deck: not Verified at launch — locking to 40fps on Low settings is the practical starting point.

Ending and New Game Plus

The shipped game has a single main-story ending followed by New Game Plus. No branching or multiple endings are confirmed as of launch, so treat any "true / good / bad ending" claims with caution. The critical-path achievement chain runs: reach Chapter 13 and beat the final Malefact (The End of Reincarnation) → watch the ending (Life After the End) → unlock New Game Plus (Reincarnated).

Tonally it's a tragic, tearful story about breaking a cycle, built on the bond between Emma and Koo and on the theme of letting go. Still being verified: the official ending count, whether NG+ unlocks anything extra, and specific ending spoilers — detailed steps coming soon. See the endings page for what's confirmed.

How it reviewed

At launch Beast of Reincarnation sits at OpenCritic 76 ("Strong"), with 68% of 41 outlets recommending it; a Metacritic average hadn't been aggregated yet. Steam user reviews were more split — around the mid-50s percent positive on an early, shifting sample. The consensus is clear: the combat — deflection, elemental arrows and multiple build paths — is the standout, while the world and story (repetitive environments, long cutscenes, thin characters) are the weak point, and boss-fight cameras plus PC / Steam Deck performance draw the loudest complaints. The review has the full score roundup.

Walkthrough FAQ

Is Beast of Reincarnation open world?

No. It's a story-driven, chapter-based game — about 13 chapters plus an epilogue — not an open world. More on the open world page.

How long is the main story?

About 30 hours for the main path. A 100% completion, which requires New Game Plus, is estimated at around 80 hours (a single, approximate figure). See how long to beat.

Is there co-op or multiplayer?

No — it is strictly single-player. More on the multiplayer page.

Is it on Game Pass?

Yes — it's a day-one title on Xbox Game Pass and PC Game Pass. There is no equivalent subscription option on PS5.

Do I need to know Game Freak's other games?

No. Beast of Reincarnation is a brand-new original IP; nothing from Pokémon or any other series carries over.

Will the walkthrough be spoiler-safe?

Yes. Story beats and the ending sit behind clearly labeled markers. Per-chapter routes, pickup locations and unconfirmed boss patterns are being verified from launch play and marked "coming soon" until they're nailed down.

Related guides

• All Malefact bosses — the full confirmed order
• Koo guide — commands, loadouts, and skins
• All weapons — the three weapon types and the deluxe "Big Dipper"
• All endings — the single main ending and New Game Plus
• Trophies and achievements

Sources

• Beast of Reincarnation — official Steam store page
• Xbox Wire — "Beast of Reincarnation: A One-Person, One-Dog Action RPG" (Developer Direct)
• GameSpot — "Beast of Reincarnation Has Sekiro Vibes, But It Won't Beat You Down" (hands-on preview)
• Game Informer — Beast of Reincarnation hands-on preview (July 2026)

Last updated: August 4, 2026