# Splatoon Raiders, Halo: Campaign Evolved, and Beast of Reincarnation preview roundup: critic watchlist for late July

**July 18, 2026 · Perthro**

Late July looks quiet on the calendar, but three notable games are coming. Nintendo has a single-player Splatoon spin-off for Switch 2. Halo is trying the remake conversation again, this time on PlayStation too. And Game Freak is stepping outside Pokémon with an action RPG about a woman and her dog, a riskier project than the studio usually gets credit for.

This is a preview roundup. Splatoon Raiders, Halo: Campaign Evolved and Beast of Reincarnation had no Metacritic or OpenCritic scores when we wrote it. Hands-on previews tell you what people noticed with a controller in their hands, not whether a campaign holds up over ten or twenty hours. They do show where critics already agree, where they're nervous, and what to look for once embargoes lift. We covered the verdicts later in our [Splatoon Raiders](/blog/2026-08-06-splatoon-raiders-review-critics-love-nintendo-solo-spin-off), [Halo](/blog/2026-07-28-halo-campaign-evolved-assassins-creed-black-flag-resynced-galley-house-review-roundup) and [Beast of Reincarnation](/blog/2026-08-05-beast-of-reincarnation-review-critics-split-game-freak) roundups.

## Splatoon Raiders previews: a roguelite, not Salmon Run with a map

Splatoon Raiders releases July 23, 2026, exclusively on Switch 2. It's a mostly single-player Splatoon adventure with online and local co-op, Deep Cut in the supporting cast, and the Spirhalite Islands as the setting. The question in every preview: can Splatoon work without competitive multiplayer at its centre?

The early answer is warm. IGN's Will Borger sounded almost startled: "Splatoon Raiders is kind of a roguelite with persistent progression." He describes ink surfing, Salmonids, odd gadgets, Showstoppers and a bot companion piloted by Big Man, all in a loop of exploring, collecting, upgrading, getting knocked around in harder raids, refining your build and trying again. He isn't describing a side mode stretched thin.

Nintendo Life says it plays as smoothly as the mainline games, with the loadout system as the big change. Gadgets replace sub-weapons, tanks give different specials, Bot Buddies add movement and combat options, and gear tweaks health, damage and ink reload. That's a lot of systems for a series known for immediacy, and the hope is that levels keep finding new uses for them.

GameSpot's headline calls it "a bold rethink" of what makes a Splatoon game. TheSixthAxis is more cautious on the basics: mostly single-player with co-op, searching the islands for salvage while fighting waves of Salmonids.

The movement still feels like Splatoon, which Nintendo couldn't afford to lose. The surprise is the RPG shape around it: gadgets, upgrades, dungeons, bosses and retry pressure. A few preview sessions can make a customization loop feel fresh. The full game has to prove the island objectives and encounters vary enough to keep it alive.

![Splatoon Raiders screenshot: salvage runs on the Spirhalite Islands](https://perthro.io/assets/blog/0f3748685b987772.jpg)

## Halo: Campaign Evolved previews: beautiful, familiar, technically unsettled

Halo: Campaign Evolved releases July 28, 2026 on Xbox Series X/S, PC and PS5. It remakes Combat Evolved's campaign in Unreal Engine 5, with campaign remix options, Skull modifiers and three new prequel missions. Previews are already split in a very Halo way: some people are relieved, some are suspicious, and both reactions make sense.

IGN played The Silent Cartographer and Assault on the Control Room on Xbox Series X. It sounds right and plays well, but IGN spends a lot of time on the look. The problem isn't ugliness; it's the opposite. Indoors, it's too shiny and visually noisy, with weapons and bodies blending into Forerunner surfaces and plasma effects distracting in dark areas. Its bluntest line: "this game is too dang shiny."

Digital Foundry is more optimistic. It calls this a much more cohesive remaster than 2011's Anniversary Edition, with outdoor scenes that can look physically correct and beautifully lit. It also flags Unreal Engine 5 artefacts (sparkling, boiling, temporal noise and denoising problems), especially in darker scenes. On Series X the preview targeted 60fps with dynamic resolution. On a mainstream PC with an RTX 4060, it saw CPU bottlenecks in The Silent Cartographer when enemy AI piled up.

IGN worries about readability, especially on higher difficulties. Digital Foundry is impressed by the reconstruction but concerned about image quality and performance. Eurogamer's coverage confirms PS5 at launch, which gives this remake more cultural weight than a normal reissue.

The upside is obvious. The campaign is one of the cleanest shooter campaigns ever made, and remix systems could make repeat runs feel less like a museum visit. Campaign remix uses always-on Skulls such as Adaptation, Armistice and Reload, lets you layer more on top, and a Skull even enables third-person play. For a game people have replayed for decades, that's not minor.

The worry is whether it can respect muscle memory while changing the surface this much. Halo depends on readability: enemy silhouettes, plasma bursts, shield feedback, weapon placement, the shape of a dark corridor. If the final build cleans up the lighting and artefacts, expect "safe but worthwhile." If not, expect reviews that praise the campaign and pick at the remake around it.

## Beast of Reincarnation previews: more than a curiosity

Beast of Reincarnation releases August 4, 2026 on PS5, Xbox Series X/S and PC, developed by Game Freak and published by Fictions. "The Pokémon studio made a post-apocalyptic action RPG with a dog" sounds made up, which is why people click.

Previews say it's more than a novelty. IGN played the first two hours and liked the partnership between Emma and Koo. Emma fights with a sword and wrist crossbow. Koo, her dog, uses special abilities while time slows, giving combat a tactical pause without becoming a menu RPG. Parrying charges Koo's abilities, so the dog isn't a passive helper. IGN also praises traversal, especially Emma using her hair as vines to grapple, make platforms and reach ambush points.

Game Informer played 90 minutes under the headline "Parrying Helps Your Dog." It describes Koo's Bloom Arts as real-time action with a turn-based twist: selecting a move slows the world, and quick-time inputs improve the result. Director Kota Furushima confirmed it isn't open world, with roughly ten stages and about 30 hours of play.

Polygon is the useful dissent. It likes the melancholy post-apocalyptic world and the customization, but says the opening throws too much at you too fast. The problem isn't a lack of ideas; the tutorials may not explain them clearly. Polygon spent too long misunderstanding traversal and combat tools, then got flattened by the first serious boss while still unsure how things worked.

IGN and Game Informer see a stylish action RPG with generous parry timing, a strong companion hook and layered exploration. Polygon sees the same promise but worries about onboarding. GameSpot's headline says it has Sekiro vibes but "won't beat you down": challenging, not punishing for sport. Companion systems feel brilliant when they make you smarter and fussy when they add one more cooldown to an already busy fight, and Beast of Reincarnation sits right on that line.

![Splatoon Raiders screenshot: ink surfing through Salmonid waves](https://perthro.io/assets/blog/98f0ca2b265ef100.jpg)

## What to look for when reviews land

- **Splatoon Raiders:** the safest bet. It releases first, and previews broadly agree the single-player structure works. Watch mission variety.
- **Halo: Campaign Evolved:** the loudest bet, with nostalgia, platform politics and technical scrutiny in one remake. Reviews may split between people who want it modernized and people who care about Combat Evolved's exact feel. Watch readability and performance.
- **Beast of Reincarnation:** the sleeper. The Game Freak name will draw people in, but reviews will come down to combat clarity, boss design, traversal, and whether Koo feels like a partner rather than a gimmick. Watch onboarding and combat flow.