Beast of Reincarnation ended up being one of my favorite games this year. For me, it captured the world and atmosphere of NieR: Automata while delivering a compelling story that felt like Princess Mononoke meets Blade Runner. So, I was incredibly honored when I was given the opportunity to interview Beast of Reincarnation director Kota Furushima. During our discussion, the Game Freak developer opened up about Emma’s hair, her beloved sidekick Koo, and how the team balanced the game’s difficulty.
Brent Koepp: Koo plays an important role in combat, but he is also central to the game’s emotional story. How did you make him feel like a genuine companion rather than simply another weapon or ability for the player?
Kota Furushima: Our primary focus was staying true to the core concept.
That concept was: “To experience the reliability, warmth, and even the loneliness of a partner while journeying through a harsh world together.”
We believe that every element of the game—from combat to the narrative—should embody this concept. Consequently, we designed the game to ensure Koo always feels like a “partner” in every situation.
In combat, we aimed to create moments where Koo saves the player from a tight spot while Emma desperately holds off enemies closing in on her in real time. We also implemented a slow-motion mechanic that allows players to formulate strategies calmly, even when facing a crisis.
BK: Traversal plays a big role in Beast of Reincarnation. What were the biggest challenges of using Emma’s hair as a system for climbing and exploring the map?
Kota Furushima: Actually, the movement system using Emma’s hair was prototyped before the combat system, and we felt confident about it right from the start.
The game’s world features significant verticality, and Koo often spots items or enemies at high elevations before Emma does. So, how does Emma get there? We realized we needed an ability that would allow her to traverse cliffs or leap to high places, which led to the current design.
In short, this system was born out of the challenge of figuring out how to best utilize Koo within the game world.
BK: Game Freak is traditionally known for games with more colorful and stylized graphics. What was the biggest challenge in creating a much more realistic world for Beast of Reincarnation?
Kota Furushima: From a technical standpoint, there were many things we had to learn from scratch, which simply required a great deal of time and effort. While the game is themed around plants, we constructed the environments using a wide variety of flora to authentically capture the dense, lush vegetation unique to Japan.
We faced challenges in determining the right mix of plant varieties—balancing visual authenticity (evoking the feel of the Japanese countryside or mountain forests) with technical optimization requirements.
We also faced challenges in building the teamwork necessary to co-develop the game while sharing know-how with our development partners. It required careful, deliberate communication to ensure that team members from diverse backgrounds shared a unified vision.
BK: Beast of Reincarnation manages to be challenging while still being approachable for players who may struggle with intense action games. What was the most difficult part of finding that balance?
Kota Furushima: The hardest part was fine-tuning the balance to steer players toward the game’s core concept. Discussions about “difficulty” often tend to focus on the target audience, but at one point during development, we nearly lost sight of our concept while adjusting the difficulty level.
We had to step back and remind ourselves: “The difficulty needs to be set so that players make the most of Koo—meaning, it must guide them toward the core concept.”
If enemies are too weak, there’s no need to rely on Koo; if they’re too strong, Emma gets defeated instantly, preventing the player from experiencing mechanics like Koo healing her when her health drops. We focused heavily on finding that perfect balance.
BK: Is there a feature or part of Beast of Reincarnation that the development team is especially proud of but that hasn’t received much attention from players?
Kota Furushima: The murals found throughout the game world. These murals actually depict stories that aren’t told in the main narrative. I encourage players to explore the world and unravel its mysteries and history.
Beast of Reincarnation is now available on PS5, Xbox Series X, and PC. You can check out our review of the game here.
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