In the new role-playing game from the creators of Pokémon, the visual presentation does not support the wave of criticism aimed at the Nintendo series. Kota Furushima, director of Beast of Reincarnation, stated that at Game Freak the main objective was building a fun game, and everything else followed from that.

Although many people almost automatically link the name Game Freak with Pokémon, the Japanese studio’s work goes beyond the “pocket monsters,” and clear proof of that will arrive in 2026. With Beast of Reincarnation, the studio once again steps away from the Pokémon universe, doing so with its most ambitious action RPG so far, a project that has reignited debate about the technical limits of the Pikachu-led saga, especially when compared with how this new title looks. However, for Game Freak, visuals were never the core pillar of development, but rather the outcome of a higher priority, namely the gameplay experience.

As previously mentioned, the game’s appearance at the recent Xbox Developer Direct inevitably revived discussion around the studio, particularly after several recent Pokémon entries faced criticism on the Nintendo Switch and its successor. And indeed, based on what has been shown, the title targets a high technical level, featuring dense, detailed environments, smooth and dynamic action, and an aesthetic direction unlike anything the team has delivered before.

Beast of Reincarnation Looks Impressive, but Not Because of Criticism

For this very reason, the contrast with the most recent Pokémon games has led many to wonder whether this will be the standard the studio follows in the future. Addressing these doubts, Kota Furushima, the project’s director, sought to clarify the philosophy behind the development of Beast of Reincarnation. As he explained, the team did not begin with the aim of reaching a predefined graphical benchmark, but with the intention of shaping a very specific gameplay experience, supported by the visual quality required to make it work.

“It was not about simply trying to do something different from what we had done before.” “I started from a concept centered on feelings of loneliness, isolation, and warmth.” “We wanted to deliver a very distinct gameplay experience, with visual and graphical fidelity providing the foundation” – Furushima told IGN. Furthermore, this visual and technical direction also covers optimization and bug fixing, as the studio structured the project around a single guiding principle: “gameplay comes before appearance”.

With these words, Furushima makes it clear that Game Freak is aware of the technical criticism directed at its previous titles as well as the expectations surrounding this new project, and he believes Beast of Reincarnation was born from the desire to show how many different ideas the team is capable of exploring. For now, the exact release date remains unknown, beyond the fact that the game is set to arrive this summer.

Source: 3djuegos