Beast of Reincarnation’s Dog Mechanics Break an Otherwise Brilliant Flow State

Beast of Reincarnation’s clunky command wheel disrupts the flow of an otherwise great RPG.

A wanderer with a straw hat walks alongside a large, white wolf adorned with greenery, in a misty, tranquil forest setting with waterfalls and ancient structures in the background.

Published: Aug 10, 2026, 5:35 pm Updated: Aug 10, 2026, 5:36 pm

Primary Subject: Beast of Reincarnation
Key Update: Following the game's recent launch, players are finding that the slow, multi-layered tactical menu overlay used to command the companion dog Koo drastically disrupts the flow of high-speed real-time action.
Status: Confirmed
Last Verified: August 10, 2026
Quick Answer: Beast of Reincarnation combines real-time swordplay with a slow turn-based command wheel for your dog companion Koo, creating a jarring, unstreamlined combat experience.

When I heard of Beast of Reincarnation's "one-person, one-dog" combat, I was extremely excited.

I love turn-based games, and I was extremely fond of how Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 handled it. So when I found out that Beast of Reincarnation would feature a turn-based system with Emma and her dog Koo, my interest piqued.

However, I was ultimately disappointed with the gameplay once it came out. It felt clunky, and the tactical wheel for Koo felt like something they added as a second thought.

The Tactical Turn-Based Combat in Beast of Reincarnation Was a Let-Down

Beast of Reincarnation's combat was marketed as having Emma and Koo work together as a seamless fighting unit. Emma uses real-time action with demanding Sekiro-style deflections and sword art, while you give commands to Koo through a command wheel.

A character in a dark outfit fights a large wolf in a forest setting, with various health and ability indicators on the screen.

But when you're locked in a high-stakes battle, you're forced to track tells, time the perfect parries, and manage your spacing. And then bam, you need Koo to execute a status technique, forcing you to a slow, multi-layered command overlay. The momentum grinds to a halt, and your flow state is disrupted. No matter how many times it happens, I still find it jarring. Surely there was a better way to implement this, right?

You don't feel like a unified duo. You feel like you're constantly juggling and under immense pressure not to drop the ball.

A character is facing off against an enemy while a wolf stands nearby on a rocky terrain by the water.

I can't help but compare it to the hybrid combat in Final Fantasy VII: Rebirth. This game also uses hybrid combat, but the tactical pause feels like an intentional breath of fresh air that revigorates your strategy. The fact that it lets you map out your essential abilities into shortcuts is a lifesaver since it respects the flow state you're in. Beast of Reincarnation should've taken notes from THE prime example of hybrid combat.

Beast of Reincarnation forces you into a sub-menu every time you want to use Koo to bite or distract an enemy and throw everything off. I can't understand how the lack of quality-of-life streamlining made it past so many production stages.

If Game Freak wants to fix this, they should let us map out Koo's primary skills into button-hold shortcuts, eliminating the full-screen menu mid-combo. Either let the dog do its own thing or give us shortcuts that don't disturb the fight. If they keep it the way it is, the fantasy of seamlessly fighting with your dog is broken.

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