Post-launch update: Beast of Reincarnation is out — it released August 4, 2026 on PS5, Xbox Series X|S and PC (Steam and Microsoft Store), and it's on Xbox Game Pass and PC Game Pass from day one. This page has been rebuilt around the shipped game: the confirmed chapter structure, the full boss order pulled from the achievement list, and hands-on strategy for the fights whose mechanics are already nailed down. Where a fight has not been fully tested we say so rather than guess.
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 campaign's 13 chapters are named, in order: Seedling, Creeping Tendrils, The Vessel, Stems, Branching Paths, Necrosis, Root Rot, Worm Food, Branching Out, Malefact, Budding Realization, The Firmament, To Bloom Then Fall, closing with the epilogue Bearing Fruit. The boss spine below maps each major fight to its chapter and level.
| Stretch | Chapters | What it covers |
|---|---|---|
| Early game (Kanto Region) | Ch.1–2 | Emma and Koo meet; the deflect economy; Rangifer (Lv.9/12), the Nue Malefact (Lv.16) and Lacerta (Lv.13/16). Steepest part of the player funnel — almost half of all players stop here. |
| Mountain stretch | Ch.3–6 | Shidou & Nue's first two encounters, Taurus twice in Chapter 4, and the Rangifer and Nue rematches at Lv.32+. New Nushi Skills come fast here. |
| The long west road | Ch.7–10 | Corvus (Lv.38), Kunai & Kirin (Lv.45), the solo Crimson Malefact wall (Ch.9), and Ursa (Lv.46). |
| Capital and finale | Ch.11–13 + epilogue | The last Shidou & Nue resolution, Erymanth and the Kunai & Kirin rematch in Ch.12, then the Beast of Reincarnation and the single ending into New Game Plus. |
Boss progression order
The order of first encounters, with each boss's chapter, level and elemental weakness (per-fight tactics live on the boss guide):
- Rangifer (Ch.1, Lv.9 then Lv.12; weak to Flame) — the game's first real wall. Deflect the antler sweeps to bank FP, slot Fire, and spend on Koo during recoveries. Sealing it grants Sakura Storm. A Ch.5 rematch comes at Lv.32.
- Nue Malefact (Ch.1, Lv.16; weak to Poison) — returns at Ch.3 and Ch.6; the Ch.3 encounter feeds into Chimeric Flow.
- Lacerta (Ch.2, Lv.13 then Lv.16; weak to Lightning) — poison second phase, so carry antidotes; bind it with Koo and punish. Grants Dokuzeri Shower.
- Shidou & Nue (Ch.3 Lv.20, Ch.6 Lv.35, Ch.11 Lv.48; weak to Poison) — the alternating dual fight. Parry whichever is active; spend FP in the swap gaps.
- Taurus (Ch.4, Lv.26 and Lv.29; weak to Acid) — parry the committed charges; the Ch.8 rematch at Lv.44 completes the Botan art line.
- Corvus (Ch.7, Lv.38; weak to Lightning) — grants Acid Burst Nobudou, the kit you will want for Ursa.
- Kunai & Kirin (Ch.8, Lv.45; weak to Poison) — second dual boss; resolved in Ch.12 at Lv.49 for Blade Art: Thunder.
- Crimson Malefact (Ch.9, Lv.45; weak to Water) — fought solo, without Koo. No FP economy, no Bloom Arts: pure parry discipline and Entanglement Overdrive.
- Ursa (Ch.10, Lv.46; weak to Acid) — bring the Nobudou acid kit from Corvus.
- Erymanth (Ch.12, Lv.47; weak to Explosive) — explosive ammunition is the fast route.
- Beast of Reincarnation (Ch.13; no weakness) — the finale tests fundamentals, not elements. Beating it rolls into the single ending and NG+.
A note on an earlier version of this page: our pre-launch draft listed a speculative boss order that placed Ursa third and included a “Koo's Nushi form” fight. The shipped game does neither — the list above reflects the live game's chapter data and has been corrected.
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; the Koo guide carries the skill list as it appears in the shipped game.
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. 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.
| Edition | Price | What it adds |
|---|---|---|
| Standard | $59.99 | The full game. This walkthrough's baseline. |
| Digital Deluxe | $69.99 | Black-and-brown skin for Koo, Emma's "Oni's Hat," the sword "Big Dipper," 100,000 Amber, and crop seeds |
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. The full spoiler discussion lives on the endings page.
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-fight tactics and the completion-rate difficulty curve live on the boss guide.
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
- Game8 — List of All Bosses — chapter, level and weakness data
- VGC — chapter and region list
- 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 reviewed: August 31, 2026 · Game version checked: 1.0.9 · Moving figures state the date they were read