New Game Kemuri Has Massive Anime Meets Sunset Overdrive Vibes

Chemistry is the debut release from UNSEEN, a new game studio founded by Ikumi Nakamura of Tango Gameworks fame. Nakamura was previously best known for his work with The evil within series, as well Ghostwire Tokyowhich she left midway through development—but not before a particularly iconic E3 appearance to promote the project. Now she is back with Chemistrywhich seems to be cut from the same cloth.

Since Nakamura left Tango Gameworks in 2019, gamers around the world have been eagerly waiting to hear about her next project. After all, it looked like she was going to succeed her legendary mentor Shinji Mikami (creator of Resident Evil and founder of PlatinumGames) as creative director at Tango Gameworks – her experience and charisma alone made her an appealing head of the studio. Alas, this was not the intention, but with Chemistryit's clear that Nakamura is doing many of the same high-level elements as Ghostwire Tokyo: urban fantasy with a technical, streetwear aesthetic, signature magic ala Narutoand world-building that connects directly to real-life Japanese mythology. But Chemistry has a chance to be even better than Ghostwireif only for its exuberant and unabashed sense of style.

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Xbox still owns the Evil Within and Ghostwire Tokyo IPs

More details are emerging about Krafton's unexpected acquisition of Xbox's former Evil Within and Hi-Fi Rush studio, Tango Gameworks.

Kemuri channels High-Octane Combat and Traversal of Sunset Overdrive

Before it was one of Sony's crown jewels, Insomniac Games made the crass, outlandish, and mechanically bold Sunset Overdrivea game that combined the devil might care Saints Row with the hectic action of Ratchet & Clank. I can't tell you much about Sunset Overdrives story, but I'll never forget its gameplay: wall running, bouncing off cars and grinding on various rails and wires, all while raining death with absurd firearms and explosives, never gets old.

Drag weapons to fill the grid

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It's hard not to see some of them Sunset Overdrive in Chemistry which, despite having a radically different premise, carries the same spirit of bombastic and over-the-top gameplay. Although we still don't know the details of it Chemistrys gameplay loop, its reveal trailer alone showcases a number of different movement options, including:

Wall driving
Gliding/flying
Grinding on rails and wire
Catapult style launch
Double jumping
Grip point swinging ala Spider-Man

Movement clearly plays a big role in Chemistrywith a premium placed on variety. The flexibility to choose how to get from point A to point B is often the key to a good traversal system, and Chemistry seems to understand it. The same can be said for the game's combat, which, if anything, seems even more expansive than the locomotion sandbox.

Kemuri's unique paranormal premise can provide a particularly rich gaming experience

While Sunset Overdrive is not a very realistic game, it is still relatively grounded in reality. There are no demons, evil spirits, magicians or cosmic forces at play, which cannot be said about Chemistry. Really with Chemistrys yokai hunting premise and enticing “carry the paranormal” system, it could be a deep, dense action game for the ages.

Through this mechanic, players can channel the powers of the yokai they defeat into exclusive, awesome streetwear, all of which seem to drastically change the game. For example, the aforementioned swing mechanic comes from an outfit obtained from a frog-like yokai. The grip line, in this case, is actually the player's own massive, sticky tongue. This variance also carries over into combat, as players can experiment with different projectiles, summonable weapons, and martial arts moves, depending on their magical outfit.

This playful design approach is the most attractive aspect of the Chemistry. With games becoming more popular and more expensive, it seems that many developers prefer to play it safe rather than go all-out with inventive, risky ideas. But every once in a while, a game that gets such bearish will seem silly. Here's hope Chemistry is one of those games.