KEMURI ‘What is KEMURI?’ developer diary
Featuring various in-development looks at the game in action.
UNSEEN has released a new developer diary for KEMURI, its December 2023-announced “supernatural online cooperative action player-versus-enemy game.”
In the developer diary, titled “What is KEMURI?,” UNSEEN founder and studio head Ikumi Nakamura, concept artist Nass, game director Misuzu Watanabe, and more share details on the game’s art style, movement, world, and gameplay.
IGN also spoke to Nakamura in a formal interview, in which she shares more about the game and opens up about avoiding crunch, industry layoffs, and other topics.
KEMURI is currently in development. Platforms and a release date have not been announced.
Get the full developer diary and transcript below. The developer diary contains various bits of in-development gameplay footage.
Developer Diary: What is KEMURI?
Ikumi Nakamura, Studio Head: “My name is Ikumi Nakamura. I am a creator. As an artist, a game developer, and a mother. I always feel like I’m on a continuous quest to find my place. KEMURI is a supernatural online cooperative action player-versus-enemy game. This game merges the world of yokai with the real one awakening the intellectual curiosity we lost in the process of growing up.”
Nass, Concept Artist: “The art style is a blend of old and new. It is very charming. Dark fantasy is a big influence.”
Shane Canning, Level Designer: “As soon as you see it, it’s like the striking anime art style. You might have seen elements like these in the past or in anime or somewhere, but the way we’re combining all of them together.”
Omar Espinosa, Technical Artist: “KEMURI means smoke in Japanese. We are trying to treat it as a character. It has to be unpredictable. It has to have some motion of its own, it has to react to the player. Where there is smoke there are yokai.”
Nakamura: “The yokai hunter is a cool entity, hunting the unknown, clad in mystery. Players take on the role of a yokai hunter, acquiring supernatural powers beyond human capabilities to face even greater unknown challenges.” In the realm of yokai, much like in the human world, both good and evil coexist. Yokai emerge from the essence of deceased animals, objects, and humans, carrying profound backstories.”
Idris Grey Macchruiteir, Game Designer: “It’s not just “monsters are evil,” it’s like being a bridge between two different worlds.”
Misuzu Watanabe, Game Director: “Are you ready to see the UNSEEN? The ‘Fox Window’ is like a superpower that lets us see worlds we usually cannot. You explore the city and use the “Fox Window” to spot yokai. If that’s the origin of the problem, you fight them.”
Kenan Alpay, Game Designer: “It’s actually quite dangerous to use it. Enemies will notice you when you use it, so players have to pick the right time to use it to their advantage.”
Watanabe: “Engage in battles, negotiations, and acquire yokai to possess and increase your power. Unleashing the power of the yokai, you change your visual appearance using fashion to take action beyond human knowledge. The ability to collect various yokai adds high replay value to the game.”
Kasper Holmberg, Game Designer: “The gameplay loop should very much be a journey of growth and discovery.”
David Steinberg, CTO and Technical Director: “KEMURI is a game that you can play by yourself or with friends, or with other people online. It’s whatever players choose.”
Watanabe: “The animations in KEMURI are very dynamic. The animator Raul infuses a rhythm in them.”
Raul Ibarra, Animation Director: “The most important thing about animation for me is undoubtedly the rhythm. We have been listening to music all of our lives and even if you don’t play an instrument, you have internalized it. Whether in a video game or in real life, each movement has its own musicality. My goal is that you can feel this when you play KEMURI.”
Steinberg: “For me, I would say the most striking thing in KEMURI is the movement of the characters. The characters move in a really unique way, both in terms of animation, in terms of gameplay, that enables players to interact with the world we have.
Aaron Packard, Gameplay Engineer: “The thing about the movement in the game is that it’s really about player expression, and that is more about enabling the player to just be funky and do it the way that they really want to do it.
Watanabe: “We avoid using motion capture and only focus on keyframe animation. That’s our concept.”
Nass: “When the animation was added to my characters, it felt as if the character came alive. I was really moved the first time I saw them.
Nakamura: “Racing through the chaotic vertical cities, soaring, and hunting, you will be surprised by the vertical level design.”
Canning: “I think players are going to be really excited about matching our extremely cool animation with this amazing traversal system, and then pairing that with some really vertical spaces that get you to use those game mechanics in a fun way.”
Erick Tjoe, Environment Artist: “We are creating an immersive experience where players explore a chaotic and vertical world. An environment inspired by different cultures.”
Yurie, Technical Environment Artist: “We are building a world which feels like you’ve been there before. Nostalgia is something personal to all of us. In KEMURI, you will feel it in the art, story, and the characters that you meet.”
Nakamura: “It is a world that can only be created by UNSEEN with its cross-cultural and balanced developmental environment.”
Macchruiteir: “I think it’s amazing that we’ve created an environment where we get to bring all of our unique perspectives to making a product that reflects that.”
Nakamura: “Players will explore this enigmatic world, confront the nature of death, uncover hidden truths, and face the consequences of their choices in both life and the afterlife.”
Nass: “You’ll be able to experience the same excitement that you experienced while watching the teaser.”
Watanabe: “With the KEMURI teaser, we’re really grateful to all those who showed interest.”
Pierre Maury, Engineer: “The community that builds around the game is really a source of motivation for us.”
Nass: “We are working hard to make sure we meet everyone’s expectations.”
Packard: “This is taking everything that I love about early PS1 and Dreamcast games, in terms of their style, innovation, but with a modern twist. This is Japan’s retake at that and I’m really excited for people to play it.”
Canning: “You want to see gameplay? We want to show you gameplay! Just, we want to make sure it’s right, it looks cool, not only meets people’s expectations, but exceeds them.”
Holmberg: “I’m really looking forward to seeing people’s reactions to some of the boss battles we have planned. It’s going to get pretty wild!”
Nakamura: “After the release of this video, we’ll be diving headfirst into an extensive phase of development and playtesting. While the rest is just a bit further down the road, you can let your imagination run wild and get ready to be excited!”
Espinosa: “Thank you for your support, I hope you’ll have fun!”
Canning: “I’m really looking forward to seeing which character is your favorite.”
Yuri: “Thank you for supporting KMR and UNSEEN!”
Nass: “Please look forward to it very much.”
Alpay: “Please look forward to it.”
Steinberg: “Keep looking forward to KEMURI. It’s going to be worth it.”
Tjoe: “Thank you and see you again.”
Maury: “Thank you.”
Macchruiteir: “Thank you very much.”
Nakamura: “Look forward to it.”