Tokyo-based studio developers, UNSEEN, have debuted the first gameplay trailer for KEMURI, a yokai-possession action game.
The gameplay debuted at Sony’s PlayStation State of Play on June 2 where a launch window of 2027 was confirmed. The game will release on PC and PS5.
KEMURI sees players exploring Kemuri City, a vertical metropolis built above a sealed Great Yokai. In Kemuri City, the lines between the living world and the afterlife constantly blur. Taking on the role of Yokai Hunters, players track down paranormal anomalies across rooftops, back alleys, underground ruins, and more.
The “Foxwindow” sits at the heart of KEMURI’s gameplay. Players form a hand gesture and peer through the gap between their fingers. Yokai, fractures between worlds, passages into supernatural realms, things invisible to ordinary people. Each domain reflects the emotions and memories of the beings within them, making each encounter feel unique and distinct.
Hunters don’t just defeat yokai, they form contracts with them. Each contract unlocks Possession Apparel, transforming the player’s appearance, combat style, and movement abilities based on the yokai they bond with. UNSEEN describes it as a system where players can discover their own way to fight, rather than following a single prescribed path.
KEMURI supports both solo play and online co-op for up to three players. Solo players won’t feel alone, though, as other hunters and contracted yokai accompany them throughout the game. In co-op, each player may perceive the city’s paranormal world slightly differently, adding a layer of intrigue to KEMURI’s shared co-op experience.
Ikumi Nakamura, UNSEEN Creative Director and CEO, traces KEMURI’s origins to a simple, exciting question: what would it look and feel like to be possessed by a yokai? UNSEEN describe themselves as “borderless” and “mysterious.” Bringing together developers and artists from across the globe, Nakamura notes that the collision of different cultures and creative instincts helps shape the game’s distinct identity.
What did you think of KEMURI’s reveal? Will you be checking it out next year?
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