Japanese developer Game Freak shared the first proper look at their new franchise, Beast of Reincarnation, during the recent Xbox Developer Direct Show 2026. Following that appearance, several gamers noted the apparent similarities with the Soulslike genre. However, in an interview with Famitsu, Game Director Kota Furushima revealed several key differences, such as the design goal of making the game completable even for those who are not action game experts, and the ability for players to lower the difficulty. This is famously absent in most Soulslike games.
We're trying to make it so that even people who aren't good at action games can enjoy it. You can also choose the difficulty level, so if you're unsure, I think it's best to lower the difficulty level. Personally, I'd be happy if people could enjoy the game by taking an approach that actually lowers the difficulty level, by devising the skill tree system and Koo's support.
That's not to say there won't be times when you will be challenged in Beast of Reincarnation. Again, though, Furushima stressed that they're not trying to make a game where you're forced to fight a boss hundreds of times, which is practically a key component of a Soulslike game.
I think there will be times when you get defeated, and I want players to enjoy trial and error, trying different fighting styles next time, or changing Kuu's skills. However, I don't intend for players to never be able to clear the game on their first try, or to have to retry dozens or hundreds of times, so I hope that players will pick it up without being too scared.
Elsewhere in the interview, the Game Director confirmed that the protagonists, Emma the Sealer and Koo, each have three skill trees, enabling a variety of playstyles. For example, as well as close-range combat, you can attack with long-range weapons and perform stealth actions. There are also other ways to change your fighting style; while you can learn action-oriented skills, you can also acquire passive skills that simply boost Emma and Koo's stats or recovery rate.
Beast of Reincarnation is currently slated for a Summer 2026 launch window on PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series S and X. Stay tuned for more details as the release date approaches.
About the author: With over two decades of experience in gaming journalism, Alessio Palumbo has led the gaming vertical at Wccftech since August 2015. He started working at a young age for Italian websites like Everyeye.it, Gamestar.it, Nextgame.it, and Multiplayer.it before kickstarting the indie English-language publication Worlds Factory as its founder and Editor in Chief. In the last decade, he has coordinated the overall output of Wccftech's gaming section, managed PR relations, assigned reviews, produced daily news coverage, edited gaming content as needed, and delivered game reviews. Arguably, his trademark content is the long series of exclusive developer interviews that have been cited by Wikipedia and by the biggest news media and gaming publications. His passion for technology also makes him knowledgeable when it comes to gaming hardware and tech. His favorite genres include RPGs, MMORPGs, and action/adventure games.
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