At the Xbox press conference in the middle of last year, there was a game whose entire 1-minute-45-second trailer didn’t reveal much that was particularly surprising: a young girl dressed like a ronin swordswoman and her beloved white wolf dog battling massive creatures with natural powers and various mechanical constructs.The various elements shown in the first twenty-odd seconds of the video gave players a sense of déjà vu, though they couldn’t quite place which studio’s new title it was.
Except for the 30th second of the video, when the letters “GAME FREAK” appear prominently on the screen.
Almost all players had the same reaction: they were so shocked they couldn’t believe their eyes, and then they started wondering—when did GF acquire this level of technical capability?
This is truly a bombshell that has turned players’ worlds upside down—after all, a company that has been making Pokémon games for Nintendo for decades suddenly pulled off a major stunt at an Xbox press conference; anyone who saw it would have been stunned for a few seconds.
So, before next year’s *Pokémon: Wind & Waves* arrives, players are even more eager to find out just how good GF’s new game *Beast of Reincarnation*—developed using UE5—really is.
In mid-June, we were invited by Bilibili to attend the “Play First” demo event held in Shanghai, where we got our first chance to try out some in-game footage from *Beast of Reincarnation*.
After a two-hour experience, all I can say is:
“Hey, GF, you know how to make games, right?”
The End-of-the-World Adventure of a Wild and Unrestrained Teenage Girl
The game is set on Earth sometime after the year 2000. The world has been corrupted by a mysterious substance known as “Corruption,” and all plants and animals have been transformed into Corrupted beings.
The most powerful among them are called “dominators.”
To escape the catastrophe, some humans chose mechanical ascension, storing their souls within mechanical constructs and transforming into “goblins”;Others continued to live in human form, and among them, a small number who were infected by the Corrupting Blight not only avoided corruption but actually awakened special abilities, becoming “Corrupted Ones.”
The game’s protagonist, Emma, is one of these few “Corrupted Ones.” Together with “Corrupted Hound” Xiao Ku and several other companions, she will journey through a beautiful yet harsh post-apocalyptic world to find and defeat the source of it all: the “Beast of Reincarnation.”
Compared to other works in the “teen girls × post-apocalyptic” genre, *Beast of Reincarnation* places greater emphasis on conveying a sense of life growing wildly and unchecked. This isn’t limited to the sight of overgrown vegetation covering architectural ruins or mechanical wreckage as seen throughout the game;but players can tangibly feel the irrepressible wildness of nature within the game’s ecosystems.
Take my recent experience as an example: early in the demo level, a cutscene about the “Forest of Corruption” is triggered. At sunset, as the concentration of corruption skyrockets, the area’s original vegetation rapidly withers and decays,replaced by giant plants infected by the Corruption. Within just a few minutes, these plants grow unchecked at an astonishing rate, eventually forming a dense, sky-obscuring Corruption Forest.
The Forest of Corruption will significantly alter the current scene content, which will, to some extent, affect players' exploration paths and behavior, and the gameplay experience will also change.
Similarly, the ferocity of this Corrupting Power is reflected in the protagonist, Emma, and her “Corrupted Hound,” Xiao Ku. In addition to the combat system discussed below, Emma’s mobility is further enhanced by her infection with the Corrupting Power.Emma’s awakened special ability allows her to control her hair at will. For example, by jumping off the ground and holding down the jump button, she can generate strands of hair that rise continuously, propelling her to greater heights;she can also use them as grappling hooks to climb high tree branches and other accessible locations, allowing for multiple leaps; she can even extend her hair forward to create platforms or footbridges for herself to cross.
The level I played in the demo was a vast, box-garden-style scene. Due to time constraints, I wasn’t able to explore it thoroughly, managing to cover barely 20% of it. If you include the main story content, it would likely take over 4 hours to fully explore a single map.
Based on my experience, GF has clearly put a lot of effort into the level design. The entire environment feels incredibly immersive, and with the help of her abilities, Emma can explore the vast majority of the content. The methods and process of exploration are highly strategic, and the items and equipment obtained through exploration are almost all very practical—there’s very little junk. This, to a certain extent, keeps players motivated to keep exploring.
In an unassuming room, you can find a recipe book for acid arrows that are highly effective against golem enemies.
Use a combination punch against your opponent—it works like a charm!
*Beast of Reincarnation* features a highly versatile combat system. The protagonist, Emma, primarily fights using close-range katana slashes, but she also uses weapons such as bows and crossbows for ranged attacks (which deal relatively low damage).
The game also includes the backstabbing mechanic that players love so much.
When it comes to melee combat design, GF has also played it safe: on the offensive, players continuously attack to fill the enemy’s stun gauge and trigger finishing moves; on the defensive, they use perfect dodges and parries to turn defense into offense, ensuring their survival while expanding their combat advantage.
During battle, you can press the button at the right moment to trigger powerful moves such as Dominator Skills and Finishing Moves.
Countering is a relatively central combat mechanic in the game, but GF hasn’t included a stamina bar for this seemingly basic combat maneuver. In this title, when players control Emma to block with her weapon instead of countering, Emma’s Resonance Gauge (the meter at the bottom center of the screen) decreases.If you continue blocking after the Resonance Gauge reaches 0, Emma will become staggered and vulnerable; a successful parry will replenish the Resonance Gauge.
Once the Resonance Gauge has accumulated to a certain level, it can be spent to enter the “Resonance Overload” state. In this state, the passage of time slows significantly, further expanding the player’s window for dealing damage, while also allowing for more flexible responses to various combat situations, such as dodging and healing.
During actual combat in the game, “Koro,” the “Corrupted Hound,” will assist Emma in battle. By pressing the command button, you can issue tactical orders to Koro, which will trigger a time-slowed interface,where players can select the skill they want Xiao Ku to cast. Casting skills consumes Blossom Energy, which is also accumulated through successful parries.
Players can enhance the performance of their weapons and armor through standard equipment upgrades, and they can also develop their characters by allocating skill points and unlocking skill trees. However, there are limits to what a single player can achieve; to become stronger in battle, you’ll need additional strength from your allies.
To highlight the theme of “bonds,” the game features an affinity system that is inextricably linked to character development, combat, and exploration. On her journey to find the Beast of Reincarnation, the protagonist Emma will encounter many companions along the way. In this demo level, players can unlock the “Evil-Eating Hound”Xiao Ku and her friend Kagura. Through conversations and interactions, Emma can increase the NPCs’ affinity toward her. When affinity reaches a certain level, more options for that NPC become available—for example, raising Xiao Ku’s affinity unlocks additional skill slots and exploration bonuses;while raising Kagura’s affinity level unlocks more cooking techniques, and so on.
GF has put together this diverse combat system, which is like a flurry of punches—it’s incredibly effective against any enemy.
Conclusion
If I had to sum up my experience with *Reincarnation Beast*, I’d say two hours wasn’t nearly enough. On the one hand, the demo was so extensive that it was impossible to experience everything; on the other hand, my curiosity was getting the better of me—I was really eager to find out what GF had up its sleeve.
However, this also indirectly suggests that the quality of the *Beast of Reincarnation* demo is above average; its rich content and clever design provide the motivation to keep playing, and it also offers a preliminary answer to the question posed at the beginning of this article: GF has indeed delivered a well-crafted, AAA-quality action-adventure game.
Players won't have to wait too long, as the game is set to officially launch on August 4. I'd also be happy to recommend that players give this game a try; after experiencing it, they might gain a whole new perspective on GF.
原创文章，作者：游茶妹儿，禁止转载：https://youxichaguan.com/en/archives/208067
