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Rhapsody in Scarlet Brings Magick and Monsters to 1920s New York
Konami has spent the last few years bringing familiar names back into the spotlight, but its latest project is something entirely new. Revealed during the latest State of Play, Rhapsody in Scarlet is an original single-player action-adventure set across a supernatural version of 1920s New York, mixing the energy of the Jazz Age with combo-driven magick and enormous mystical beasts.
Players step into the shoes of Ellie Myers, a young magus who arrives in the city with a fairly straightforward ambition: to become a jazz singer. Naturally, things do not stay straightforward for long.
A mysterious mafia organisation draws Ellie into a hidden conflict between magick users, eventually putting both New York and the wider world at risk.
Rhapsody in Scarlet Builds Combos Around Magick and Beasts
Combat is built around Ellie combining her own magical abilities with the powers of beast companions such as Sköll. Rather than relying predominantly on melee weapons, players can construct combos from close-range attacks, long-range spells, area-of-effect abilities and beast techniques.
Different beasts can be switched during battle, allowing players to change available abilities as an encounter develops and build attack strings suited to individual enemies.
Finding combinations that suit your preferred style will be a core part of the combat system, giving players room to experiment rather than relying on a rigid set of combos.
Ellie’s Jazz Dream Leads Into a Mafia Conspiracy
The story introduces another major character in Ilya Jones, leader of a magus organisation known as the Seekers. Ilya values discipline and order, putting her immediately at odds with Ellie’s much more free-spirited personality. Their repeated clashes eventually develop into a partnership as both become more deeply involved in the conspiracy unfolding behind New York’s nightlife.
Ellie is voiced by Cherami Leigh in English and Akari Kito in Japanese, while Hannah Grace and Saori Onishi voice Ilya, respectively. Konami has also released a separate story trailer offering a better look at the pair.
Jazz Is More Than Background Music
The 1920s setting is not being treated purely as an excuse for Art Deco architecture and fashionable suits either. Konami says the development team conducted on-site research and collected historical references covering architecture, automobiles, fashion, nightlife and Prohibition-era speakeasies.
Those historical influences sit alongside the fantasy elements, with hidden magical districts and beasts existing beneath the more recognisable streets of New York.
Jazz is similarly woven throughout the experience. The game’s theme, Cool/Hot, is performed by SOIL & “PIMP” SESSIONS alongside singer-songwriter Emi Meyer, with Konami aiming to make its swing-inspired soundtrack part of the rhythm and identity of the action itself.
Konami has plenty of familiar franchises back in motion, but a jazz-singing magus summoning monsters against a supernatural mafia might end up being one of its more interesting bets precisely because we have never seen it before. No release date has been announced yet.
Rhapsody in Scarlet is currently in development for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S and PC through Steam.
