Game Freak: silence between protagonists is key to bonding in Beast of Reincarnation

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Beast of Reincarnation director Kota Furushima has spoken about why it's so important that dual protagonists Emma and Koo are unable to talk to each other. Game Freak has a history of developing the relationship between man and beast without dialogue thanks to the Pokémon franchise, and has applied this experience to its upcoming action RPG.

In an interview with DenFamiNicoGamer (translated by GamesRadar+), Furushima outlines why a lack of communication was key to developing the world of Beast of Reincarnation.

"The truth is that it's incredibly important that there's no talking," he says. "When you don't speak, you gain something else. We wanted the game to give you a certain feeling, and that wouldn't happen if talking had benefits over keeping quiet."

Further, he believes that building a relationship without words creates a different feeling for the player. "For example, when you don't talk your imagination can take over, and as time passes in this way, something awakens deep in your heart," he explains.

"As the result of devoting ourselves to this concept, [Beast of Reincarnation] took the form it's in today. It's not impossible for a relationship to develop purely because of the scenario they find themselves in. That is dependent on the plot's strength though."

Ever since Beast of Reincarnation was revealed, people have been commenting on how far it strays from Game Freak's usual library. Aside from the Pokémon franchise, games like Tembo the Badass Elephant, Drill Dozer, and HarmoKnight all have a cartoon aesthetic. The upcoming game has a more realistic look, but it clearly borrows from Pokémon's core partnerships.

"Therefore, in order to build this kind of relationship, we chose to do so through gameplay," Furushima adds. "Our company has really thought about how you can build relationships and create that feeling of becoming partners through gameplay. I think we've put everything we've been able to cultivate in that regard into this game."

Trained by decades of Pokemon, Game Freak has taken petting the dog to a new level in its RPG Beast of Reincarnation: pet it, wash it, and master a whole affection system