Ikumi Nakamura's new Yokai hunting game Kemuri is coming to PS5

Ikumi Nakamura's new studio Unseen has officially revealed its debut project, Kemuri, during Sony's latest State of Play broadcast. The game is a cooperative PvE action title set in a highly stylized urban fantasy world where players hunt Japanese folklore monsters with parkour and fast-paced melee combat.

The art direction leans heavily into vibrant, neon-drenched cityscapes mixed with traditional Yokai designs. It looks less like a traditional horror game and more like an interactive anime, complete with exaggerated character expressions and flashy attack animations.

Ghostwire but with more color

If the premise sounds a bit familiar, it makes sense. Nakamura was the original creative director on Ghostwire: Tokyo before stepping away mid-development due to health concerns. Prior to that, she built her reputation working as an artist on Ōkami, Bayonetta, and The Evil Within. She famously won over the internet during Bethesda's E3 2019 press conference with a highly energetic presentation, only to leave the company a few months later.

Kemuri looks like a spiritual continuation of the ideas she was exploring in Ghostwire, but with a much more saturated color palette and a heavier emphasis on vertical movement. The protagonists leap across rooftops and dive through the air to intercept massive supernatural entities. There is a diverse cast of these monsters, ranging from towering, ethereal spirits to smaller, more aggressive creatures lurking in the alleyways.

Players take on the role of Yokai Hunters. The combat appears to rely heavily on closing the distance quickly. Characters use grappling maneuvers and mid-air dashes to stay above the city streets. The title itself incorporates Japanese characters directly into its custom font design. It blends modern street aesthetics with traditional folklore.

A studio built without crunch

Nakamura founded Unseen in 2021 with a clear goal: building a "people-first" studio that avoids the crunch culture prevalent in major game development. The team is multicultural and remote-friendly, which is still relatively uncommon for a Japanese-led studio. Kemuri is the first test of whether that healthier production model can deliver a compelling action game. I'm curious how the co-op mechanics will actually feel in practice, since the footage focuses mostly on rapid-fire visual cuts rather than raw gameplay loops.

Platforms and Release Window

The State of Play announcement naturally focused on Sony's ecosystem, but Kemuri is not a PlayStation exclusive. While some initial reports suggested a 2027 launch for PS5, recent information indicates that the release dates for Kemuri on PS5, PC, and Xbox Series X are currently 'to be announced'.

A PS5 launch makes sense given the State of Play reveal. Confirming Xbox and PC versions this early at least saves players from wondering if Sony locked down permanent exclusivity. Unseen's approach to development aligns with their stated goal of avoiding developer burnout, suggesting they are taking their time to deliver the game. It is refreshing to see an action game lean into such a distinct, comic-book-adjacent visual style instead of chasing photorealism.

Pick up Ghostwire: Tokyo on Humble Bundle.

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