Ghostwire: Tokyo creator reveals first gameplay of Kemuri: Hunt the Unseen at State of Play — a three-player co-op hunt for yokai

Remember the developer who stole the show at E3 2019 during the presentation of Ghostwire: Tokyo? Ikumi Nakamura is back — and she brought the first gameplay trailer for Kemuri: Hunt the Unseen, the debut project from her studio UNSEEN, to State of Play. “Some of you may have forgotten me,” she joked before the reveal. The audience made it clear they had not.

Kemuri is a supernatural three-player co-op action game where the human world collides with the realm of yokai. Players take on the role of Yokai Hunters and use an ability called Fox Window to peer into the spirit world, uncover hidden creatures, and track them down. But spying comes with a risk — the yokai can see those who watch them.

After defeating a spirit, players can form a contract with it and “manifest” its power, gaining unique combat and traversal abilities.

The trailer showcased three playable archetypes: a katana-wielding Hunter, a bow-focused Hunter, and a Shaman. It also highlighted a highly vertical world filled with wall-running, climbing, and rapid movement between rooftops. UNSEEN describes the setting as “semi-open world” — neither a linear experience nor something on the scale of Skyrim. Nakamura previously explained it as: “It’s hard to describe. It’s not what people imagine when they hear ‘open world,’ but it’s not a corridor-style game either.”

Nakamura left Tango Gameworks following Ghostwire: Tokyo and founded UNSEEN in 2023. Kemuri was originally announced during The Game Awards 2023, but until now the studio had only shown concept art and early prototypes. UNSEEN has also made a point of building the game without crunch, something Nakamura has repeatedly described as a core principle for the studio.

Kemuri is scheduled to launch in 2027 as a PlayStation 5 exclusive.

Did you enjoy Ghostwire: Tokyo? Are you looking forward to Kemuri? Let us know in the comments.