Many people often assume thatGame Freak, the developer of thePokemonseries, is a Nintendo first-party studio, but that isn’t actually the case. Although the company frequently collaborates with Nintendo and has partial ownership of thePokemonIP, it is a wholly independent firm. In addition,Game Freakhas, to some people’s surprise, released a handful of non-Pokemongames over the last several years, many of which are available on multiple platforms. These include the turn-based RPGLittle Town Hero, the puzzle-platformerGiga Wrecker, the card-based sports gamePocket Card Jockey, and the side-scrolling platformerTembo the Badass Elephant.
Unlike the originalPokemongames from back in the day, Game Freak’s non-Pokemonprojects haven’t exactly achieved mainstream recognition. The majority of these games have received middling critical reception at best, and they haven’t sold particularly well, either. Nonetheless, Game Freak has still not abandoned its plans to develop more original properties. In fact, its next game (after this year’sPokemon Legends: Z-A) seems to be the company’s most ambitious title yet from a visual and technical standpoint, and it surprisingly looks a lot like Sucker Punch’sGhost of Yotei.
Game Freak’s New Game Looks Like it Will Be the Closest Thing to Ghost of Yotei on Xbox
Beast of Reincarnation Was Announced During the Xbox Games Showcase
During this year’s Xbox Games Showcase, Game Freak announced a game calledBeast of Reincarnation, which is coming to Xbox Series X/S, Xbox Game Pass, PC, and PlayStation 5 in 2026.Beast of Reincarnationlooks, quite literally, nothing likePokemon, and it’s the first game with a realistic art style that the company has ever made.UnlikeLittle Town HeroorPocket Card Jockey, it looks like Game Freak is putting a lot of money behind this title, given that it has impressive graphics and is targeting non-Nintendo consoles.Beast of Reincarnationalso appears to have a much more mature tone compared to the company’s prior works.
Beast of Reincarnationtakes place in the far future in a post-apocalyptic Japan, where robots and dangerous beasts roam freely across the land. The game follows a young woman named Emma, who becomes an outcast after being cursed as a Blighted One. to save humanity, she goes on a trek through the wilderness and explores the unknown. Fortunately, she isn’t taking this journey all alone. Emma has a trustworthy dog companion named Koo by her side, and her bond with it deepens as the game progresses.According to Game Freak,Beast of Reincarnationis a “one-person, one-dog action RPG,” and it seems to have Soulslike-inspired combat.
Ghost of Yotei and Beast of Reincarnation Have a Surprising Amount of Similarities
As previously mentioned, the upcoming open world gameGhost of Yoteiappears to have a lot of similarities withBeast of Reincarnation. For one, both of the titles are set in the Japanese wilderness; one, however, takes place in the past, while the other is set thousands of years in the future. The games havefemale protagonists with dog companions, as well. Even though it’s not clear what roles these dogs will have gameplay-wise, they do presumably have a major presence in their respective titles.Beast of ReincarnationandGhost of Yoteiare also third-person action games that place a heavy emphasis on melee combat.
Beast of Reincarnation May Satisfy Xbox Fans Who Are Looking for a Ghost of Yotei-Like Experience
UnlikeBeast of Reincarnation,Ghost of Yoteiis coming out in just a few months, but it will only be available on the PS5 at launch. Although it will likely be ported to PC eventually, like its predecessor,Ghost of Tsushima,was, the chances of it coming to a non-PlayStation console are slim, since it’s being developed bya PlayStation first-party studio. Xbox players who want to experience a game likeGhost of Yoteion their preferred platform have, at the very least,Beast of Reincarnationto look forward to. They’re not exactly the same thing (Ghost of Yoteiis an action-adventure game, whileBeast of Reincarnationis more of a Soulslike), butGame Freak’s upcoming game may satisfy those longing for a new action RPG set in Japan.
