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Koo's Command System
February 22, 2026 at 07:05 PM
Comprehensive article on the command menu interface, time-slow mechanic, Bloom Arts selection, mods, and skill trees
Koo's command system is the strategic layer that sits alongside Emma's real-time sword combat in Beast of Reincarnation. When the player accumulates enough FP through parrying, they can open Koo's command menu, which slows time and presents a selection of Bloom Arts to deploy. This pause-and-choose structure gives the game its hybrid identity: real-time action for Emma, command-based tactics for Koo.
When activated, the command menu slows time to a near-standstill, giving the player space to assess the battlefield, choose an action, and select a target. The time-slow has been compared to Final Fantasy VII Remake's hybrid system. The interface displays available Bloom Arts, their FP costs (shown at the bottom-right of the screen), and target options. Players can also use healing items from this menu, making it a dual-purpose strategic pause for both offense and recovery.
The time-slow mechanic draws a direct line to traditional turn-based RPGs. While Emma's combat plays like an action game, opening Koo's menu shifts the experience toward something closer to selecting commands in a Pokemon battle or a classic JRPG. Director Kota Furushima's background in Pokemon battle system design is clearly visible in how this transition feels: a deliberate gear-shift from reflexive play to strategic decision-making.
Bloom Arts are Koo's special abilities, each consuming a specific amount of FP. After selecting a Bloom Art, the game triggers a quick-time event (QTE) that the player must complete for the ability to take effect. Specific Bloom Arts shown in gameplay include abilities that deal fire damage, deliver high destructive damage to multiple foes, group enemies together through crowd control, inflict poison damage, and launch enemies airborne. The available Bloom Arts expand as the player invests in Koo's skill trees, which branch into three paths: close-range support, long-range support, and stealth support.
Choosing which Bloom Art to deploy at any given moment is one of the game's key tactical decisions. A player surrounded by enemies might choose the crowd-control grouping ability to cluster them together before following up with a high-damage area attack. A player facing a tough single target might select fire damage for sustained pressure or a launch ability to create an opening for Emma's aerial combos. The QTE layer adds execution skill on top of the strategic selection.
Each Bloom Art can be further customized through mods, which alter the ability's secondary effects. Known mod effects include:
HP regeneration: Emma regenerates a small amount of HP per hit while the Bloom Art is active.
Vigor: Provides a damage buff against status-afflicted enemies, rewarding players who layer conditions on targets.
FP generation: Grants Koo additional FP for hits against enemies with specific status effects (such as burned enemies), creating self-sustaining ability loops.
Mods add a layer of build-crafting on top of the Bloom Arts themselves. Two players using the same Bloom Art with different mods will see meaningfully different results. This customization depth means that even within a single skill tree path, there is significant room for personalization.
Both Emma and Koo have three skill trees each, upgradeable with SP (Skill Points). Options range from melee combat to stealth and long-range abilities, with passive skills that boost stats and recovery. Koo's close-range support tree provides abilities that complement aggressive melee play, such as crowd control and stagger effects. The long-range support tree offers abilities that maintain distance and punish advancing enemies. The stealth support tree provides distractions and repositioning effects that enable covert approaches.
Emma's abilities draw from a separate resource called the Entanglement Gauge (a bar displayed at the bottom center of the screen), distinguishing her skill usage from Koo's FP-driven Bloom Arts. Investment in Koo's trees synergizes with corresponding investments in Emma's trees. A player who commits to both close-range trees for Emma and Koo creates a cohesive melee-focused build where parrying fuels devastating close-quarters Bloom Arts. As Furushima has said: "I want players to enjoy trial and error, trying different fighting styles next time, or changing Kuu's skills."
The command system completes the combat loop that begins with Emma's parry. Emma fights in real time, parrying to generate FP and triggering Spirit Stone compounding effects. When enough FP accumulates, the player shifts into Koo's command mode, selects an ability, deploys it, then returns to real-time combat. This back-and-forth between action and strategy is the defining rhythm of Beast of Reincarnation, and it distinguishes the game from both pure action RPGs and traditional turn-based games.
