I Am Your Beast review (PS5)

Strange Scaffold’s I Am Your Beast makes its PlayStation 5 debut after earning considerable acclaim on PC last autumn. What first appears as a lean, rinse-and-repeat FPS quickly reveals itself as a polished revenge fantasy with surprising depth – balancing furious speedrunning with brutal, improvisational combat. It’s a micro-sandbox thriller that knows exactly what it wants to be and rarely falters in pursuit of that goal.

You slip into the forested shoes of Alphonse Harding, a former COI operative whose refusal to take “one last mission” triggers a relentless onslaught. The narrative is driven forward through “kinetic typography” cutscenes, which cleverly mash comic-book style visuals with sharp voice work – creating moments that are flashier than expected from a minimalist FPS. These brief scenes provide context without slowing the carnage, maintaining narrative momentum without overwhelming the pace.

At its heart, the game is about speed, resourcefulness, and flow. Each of the 27 bite-size levels tosses you into a forest ambush where you scavenge enemy gear – guns, logs, bear traps – and turn it against your pursuers. The satisfaction comes from chaining together kills: slide into enemies, pop heads, throw a weapon mid-air, then snatch a fresh rifle in a seamless ballet of violence. When the action clicks, it’s a near-perfect ballet of brutality and efficiency.

Scoring systems feed the compulsion loop, with ranks from C to S pushing you to shave seconds off your speedruns. You unlock bonus objectives that layer in new challenges – like having to kill with melee, destroy environmental traps, or hack satellites – without slowing down. It isn’t just about completing; it’s about mastering your run. For speedrunners, this is meat and potatoes; for casual players, it adds satisfying layers of replayability. The absence of global leaderboards is noticeable, though the solo competitive nature doesn’t detract from the experience – it’s all about beating your own best time.

Performance on PS5 follows the PC’s lead – tight, silky smooth, and comfortably responsive. Controls feel sharp, with aim assist options softening the learning curve for console players. Glide through the woods, scale trees, slide under logs, and the kinetic pace is illustrated beautifully by blazing red Xs and comic-book polish.

Visually, I Am Your Beast embraces a stylized comic-book aesthetic: bold colors, cel-shaded visuals, and minimal clutter that prioritize clarity during frantic movement. While environments are serviceable forest settings, the real showstoppers are the violent set pieces: head pops, weapon swaps and environmental kills are all graphically visceral and satisfying.

Accompanying the action is RJ Lake’s pulse-pounding soundtrack: electronic beats that accompany high-speed chases and tense standoffs. It’s a near-perfect pairing – though the music occasionally feels mismatched to the mood. Voice acting is understated and gritty, rooting the narrative in a believable, if blood-slicked, revenge thriller.

That said, I Am Your Beast’s structure means the story is short – finishable in three or four hours – so it leans heavily on replay to extend its lifespan. Progression gating based on grades and bonus objectives can feel abrupt, halting story momentum unless you invest in perfectionism. And despite its emphasis on fluid combat, the absence of online leaderboards and a few minor AI quirks may temper its competitive/long-term appeal slightly.

In the end, I Am Your Beast is a potent speed-fueled revenge fantasy in miniature form. It’s not about longevity or sprawling narratives – it’s about moments of kinetic carnage. If you crave surgical violence, chaining kills, and shaving milliseconds off a clock, this game scratches that itch superbly. I Am Your Beast arrives on PlayStation 5 as a thrilling, focused experience – short, slick, and savage – a bite-sized bullet to your reflexes and your instincts.

Score: 8.0/10