Rhapsody in Scarlet Developer Insights — KONAMI PRESS START
Key takeaways from Co-Producer Takanori Murayama's Rhapsody in Scarlet interviews: combat design philosophy, recreating 1920s New York, and the full voice cast.
Where did the developers talk about the game?
KONAMI shared the deepest look at Rhapsody in Scarlet so far across three channels around the September 3, 2026 announcement: the State of Play reveal, a sit-down interview with Co-Producer Takanori Murayama during State of Play Japan, and the KONAMI PRESS START broadcast. Murayama also authored a PlayStation.Blog post explaining the game’s design philosophy.
KONAMI PRESS START 9.3.2026 — Rhapsody in Scarlet segment
What is the combat design philosophy?
Murayama noted that many recent action games center on sword-based melee combat — and that the team deliberately set out to challenge themselves with the freedom that only magick allows. Combat combines close-range strikes, long-range attacks, and wide-area magick, with beast abilities woven directly into combos to make attacks stronger and flashier. The goal is for each player to invent their own fighting style. For a breakdown of how this works, see our combat system guide.
How was 1920s New York recreated?
The team aimed to reproduce the atmosphere of 1920s New York in detail — from architecture and fashion to cars and Prohibition-era speakeasies. Murayama described the era as full of new energy: cars and radio were spreading rapidly, and women were entering society in new ways. The team conducted on-site location scouting in New York and collected period materials, then fused that realism with fantasy elements like beasts, magick, and the magick district to create the game’s distinct world.
Who voices Ellie and Ilya?
The broadcast confirmed both the English and Japanese voice casts:
- Ellie Myers — Cherami Leigh (English) / Akari Kito (Japanese)
- Ilya Jones — Hannah Grace (English) / Saori Onishi (Japanese)
What else was shown?
The broadcast featured the story trailer and a special music video for the theme song “Cool/Hot”, performed by SOIL & “PIMP” SESSIONS with Emi Meyer, interwoven with in-game footage. KONAMI says more updates will follow — wishlisting is open on all platforms.
Developer Insights Quick Facts
| Attribute | Detail |
|---|---|
| Co-Producer | Takanori Murayama (Konami Digital Entertainment) |
| Combat focus | High-freedom magick + beast combos, no sword-melee template |
| World research | On-site NY location scouting + period materials |
| Japanese VAs | Akari Kito (Ellie), Saori Onishi (Ilya) |
| Broadcast | KONAMI PRESS START (September 3, 2026) |
This page is updated as KONAMI releases new information. Last verified: 2026-09-07.
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