Emma the Sealer
Emma is an 18-year-old woman living in Japan in the year 4026, a millennium-scarred wasteland consumed by a corruption called the Blight. Emma is an outcast, shunned from society for her affliction — she carries blight powers herself, which let her manipulate plants to traverse the ruined world and to fight. The image that defines the game's marketing — forests suddenly bursting forth amid the wasteland — is Emma's power made visible.
As "the Sealer," Emma's role is to confront the corrupted Bosses that rule this world, capture their powers, and ultimately face the Beast of Reincarnation itself. In combat she fights in real time with a katana, augmented by her blight abilities — the full mechanics are broken down in our combat guide.
Humanity's only hope being society's outcast is the story's central irony, and the narrative promises secrets on every side: the developers describe a brutal story where every character hides a dangerous truth.
Koo
Koo is a stray dog touched by the same blight that marks Emma — the pair met in the far east and travel together as partners. Mechanically, Koo is the second half of the game's hybrid battle design: you issue Koo commands to unleash techniques mid-combat while controlling Emma directly.
Koo is no mascot. Game Freak's pitch — "experience moments of loneliness, and the reliability and comfort of your companion" — makes the dog the emotional anchor of a harsh journey. Their bond grows across the adventure, and abilities grow with it. (Koo also stars in the game's pre-order bonus, a cosmetic that makes him "that bit cuddlier.")
Their journey
| Setting | Japan, year 4026 — post-apocalyptic, blight-corrupted |
|---|---|
| Mission | Defeat Bosses from around the world, capture their powers, defeat the Beast of Reincarnation |
| Tone | Beautiful yet harsh; compared by press to Princess Mononoke's ecological fable |
| Length | ~40 hours of story |
Open questions before launch
- What exactly is the Blight, and why was Emma born (or made) with it?
- What is Koo's true nature — and why does the game's title speak of reincarnation?
- Who are the other characters hiding "dangerous truths," and are there multiple endings?
We'll answer all of these — behind clear spoiler warnings — in the walkthrough and a dedicated story-explained guide after release.