Since its reveal at last summer’s Xbox Games Showcase, Game Freak’s newest venture, Beast of Reincarnation, has sparked both excitement and curiosity in equal measure. For the past few decades, Game Freak has firmly established its identity as the studio behind the Pokemon series; as such, the realistic-looking action-RPG marks a notable shift from the cartoonish creature-collection series.
In Beast of Reincarnation, players take on the role of Emma, a Purifier tasked with putting a stop to an ever-encroaching and life-threatening blight. Though this is no small task, she’s not alone; alongside Emma is her wolf-life companion, Koo, who aids her on her journey through an overgrown, post-apocalyptic Japan. In the game’s latest trailer, we saw a bit more about what exploration and combat will look like, and while you’ll still be issuing commands to a furry friend, the action-packed RPG is a far cry from what we’ve come to expect from Game Freak.
So, why the dramatic departure from the studio’s tried-and-true visual stylings and formula? That’s just one of the questions GameSpot got the chance to ask Beast of Reincarnation’s director, Kota Furushima. Ahead of the game’s August 4 release date, we spoke with Furushima about the challenges he’s experienced during production, what the game’s core message is, and why–despite the company’s long-standing relationship with Nintendo–Beast of Reincarnation is still not confirmed for Switch.
