Let’s be honest, over the years, there have been games that everyone thought were “too good to be true”. The most recent examples are Black Myth: Wukong in 2024, which sold 25 million copies to date, and last year’s Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, which went on to have the most game of the year awards to any game in history. Now that we are heading into 2026, following the recent Developer_Direct from Microsoft Gaming, which housed great gameplay showcases for upcoming titles like Playground Games’ Fable. A new car joins the hype train with Beast of Reincarnation from Game Freak (yes, that Game Freak).
From its reveal last year, Beast of Reincarnation was obviously a big surprise to everyone who knew what Game Freak usually creates. But a third-person action game with high fidelity graphics and an interesting setting? Yeah, that was not on everyone’s bingo card. As the days go by, I constantly think about the gameplay that was shown. Leading me to believe that we may be seeing another “too good to be true” game. This is because it seems very out there for Game Freak and could end up being one of, if not the biggest surprise of 2026.
Big Monsters, Platforming, Parrying, and a Wolf
Let’s get the important bits out of the way, the gameplay. It is a video game after all. This is where Game Freak grabbed my attention personally. Sure, the setting and story seem interesting. But the game has a very interesting mix of different action mechanics. There is a bit of platforming with vines that look a bit floaty in action. Then the gameplay is a third-person action game with parrying, similar to what you could find in Stellar Blade. Finally, there was a wolf companion that could perform certain actions in combat with a power gauge. You feed that power gauge by attacking, and when choosing the move, the game is paused, similar to the Final Fantasy 7 Remake.
Seeing it in action is much better than describing it, and it definitely looks awesome. Obviously, the shooting from what seems like a handheld crossbow could be more impressive. But what helps it all click into place are the enemies. You have a little bit of robots, both big and small, to slash through with visceral style. Not to mention the big animal bosses being the obvious standout in the showcase. A giant deer with deformities, which you can parry its antlers and dodge large sweeping attacks, adds a level of spectacle to what seems like a mystical journey in the story of Beast of Reincarnation.
A Little Nier in the Setting of Beast of Reincarnation
The setting of the game mixes in some very poignant themes from Square Enix’s Nier Series, mainly Automata. The post-apocalyptic sci-fi setting with killer robots and broken-down massive pieces of machinery is not lost on me, and I really love the approach to it. The story is set in the year 4026 in Japan. Where most of humanity is lost to something known as the “blight”. Centering the plot around Emma, who can seal the blight in her body and hunt “Malefacts”, the aforementioned big animal bosses.
Emma lives sealed away from the remainder of civilization and stumbles upon her wolf companion, Koo. She is summoned one day to be tasked with taking down a “Beast of Reincarnation,” and that is the main driver of the plot. There are humans who come into conflict with Emma as well, and obviously, more to the story that will be revealed as time goes along. But the setting is very beautiful, and the gameplay looks very strong. The flavors of sci-fi, and even some Princess Mononoke for good measure. The world looks lovingly crafted to blend the inspirations Game Freak has in their mind. So much so that I am not just excited for the gameplay, but the world and the story as well.
Could it be the Sleeper Hit of 2026?
Let’s not get it twisted. I am not saying that Beast of Reincarnation will be the best game of 2026. But everything I saw from the gameplay showcase led me to one conclusion: that it will be the biggest surprise in 2026. When the year is stacked with games like Fable, Wolverine, and maybe Grand Theft Auto 6, this could rise above the “guaranteed” stardom that the aforementioned IPs hold. Game Freak looks proud of their game, and I hope that when it launches this year, I will too. It just looks that good, with what could be a great emotional story between Emma and Koo.
