New Soulslike from the Pokémon team is confusing, challenging, and such a blast

You probably know Game Freak as the studio behind Nintendo’s Pokémon games, from all the way back to the series’ origins in Red and Blue, to last year’s Legends: Z-A, and 2027’s hotly anticipated Switch 2 exclusive Winds and Waves. It’s an intriguing change-up: a studio known for its kid-friendly catch ‘em all RPGs is making a crunchy action game with shades of Monster Hunter and Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice. How’s that gonna work?