Konami Announces Rhapsody in Scarlet, a Magick-and-Beast Action Game Set in 1920s New York

Konami has announced Rhapsody in Scarlet, a brand-new original action game revealed during today's PlayStation State of Play and Konami Press Start showcase. Set in a jazz-soaked alternate-history 1920s New York, the game stars Ellie Myers, a young magus who arrives in the city to pursue a career as a jazz singer and is quickly drawn into a world-shaking conspiracy involving secret magic users, a shadowy mafia and a threat called the Lightfall.

Rhapsody in Scarlet is being built around highly customizable combo combat. Ellie wields magick directly while commanding beast companions in battle, blending close-range attacks, long-range spells and beast techniques into long, flashy combo strings. Konami describes the system as a flexible magick-and-beasts kit that lets players stack and chain abilities based on the moment-to-moment situation rather than locking them into a single weapon archetype.

The story frames Ellie against Ilya Jones, the serious young leader of an elite magus organization called the Seekers, with the two clashing before gradually forging a bond as they investigate the city's secrets. The soundtrack is built around 1920s jazz to match the setting. Konami confirmed an English and Japanese voice cast led by Cherami Leigh and Akari Kitou as Ellie, and Hannah Grace and Saori Oonishi as Ilya.

Rhapsody in Scarlet is heading to PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S and PC via Steam. A release date has not been announced, and Konami says more details will follow. The announcement trailer and a separate story trailer both debuted today. A PlayStation Store concept page is already live for wishlisting on PS5.

The reveal lands in the middle of an unusually busy day for Konami, which also used its Press Start showcase to share fresh gameplay from Silent Hill: Townfall and Castlevania: Belmont's Curse, additional looks at Rev. NOiR and Project Zircon, and a first proper look at the user-generated platformer Konami Wai Wai World Craft. Rhapsody in Scarlet is positioned as the publisher's new flagship original IP for the slate, developed in-house at Konami Digital Entertainment.

Players can wishlist the game now on PlayStation 5 via the official store page, and the Steam page for the title is also live.

For the official announcement, including the first trailer, see the Rhapsody in Scarlet announcement post on PlayStation.Blog, Konami's official Rhapsody in Scarlet site, and the Steam store page.