Upcoming action RPG from Pokémon devs isn’t a Soulslike, and that’s a good thing

Game Freak’s upcoming Beast of Reincarnation may still be full of secrets, but game director Kota Furushima shed light on the upcoming action RPG’s future in a machine-translated interview with Famitsu. 

Coming courtesy of the studio behind the world-renowned Pokémon series, Beast of Reincarnation is set for release this summer after a six-year-long development cycle, and one element that we now know much more about is the difficulty.

Furushima elaborated on the journey and how the developers veered away from the usual, prescriptive difficulty settings often found in action RPGs, thanks to the influence of soulsborne titles. 

“We’re trying to make it so that even people who aren’t good at action games can enjoy it,” Furushima explained. 

“If you’re unsure, I think it’s best to lower the difficulty level.”

Furushima then went on to explain how, while defeat is to be expected, player agency is key. 

“I think there will be times when you get defeated,” added the director. 

“I want players to enjoy trial and error, trying different fighting styles next time, or changing Koo’s skills,” Furushima continued,

“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.”

A new identity

Despite plenty of action RPGs releasing early in 2026, the broad genre is still at risk of being oversaturated with soulslike titles. 

Soulslikes are characterized by high difficulty and stamina-based combat in the tradition of the highly-influential Dark Souls series developed by FromSoftware. 

With recent releases like Code Vein 2 and the upcoming Nioh 3 falling under this umbrella, it’s easy to view soulslikes as the leaders of the genre.

While it’s important to stand on the shoulders of giants, it’s just as important for these titles to carve out their own identity. Titles that lean on the conventions of Dark Souls too heavily often struggle to go beyond direct comparisons to establish their own place in the Action RPG market.

Soulslikes such as Lies of P may wear their inspirations on their sleeve, but its heavy use of the perfect parry system and more linear, narrative-driven experience set it apart to present a different experience to players. Other action RPGs can learn from this. 

Furushima’s comments about Beast of Reincarnation suggest that Game Freak is attempting to produce something distinctive. With an accessible combat system and a unique canine companion, the game is looking to establish its own “one human, one dog” brand of action RPG to help it stand out from the crowd.