Bandai Namco Reveals First Look At Unknown 9: Awakening Gameplay

We’ve heard very little about Unknown 9: Awakening, the debut title from Reflector Entertainment, since it was revealed at Gamescom back in 2020, but publisher Bandai Namco has finally revealed the first look at its action-adventure gameplay ahead of its release this summer.

The new footage from the game opened the Xbox Partner Preview, showing more of Unknown 9’s world as well as protagonist Haroona, who’s played by British actress Anya Chalotra of Netflix’s Witcher TV series.

Haroona is described as a “globe-trotting adventurer with mysterious powers,” with the new trailer giving us more of a look at her special abilities. Her abilities come from the Fold, a mysterious dimension that overlaps with ours, with her ability to channel its power attracting attention from a dangerous secret organization with sinister intentions.

Unknown 9: Awakening will allow players to choose between stealth-forward play, or using Haroona’s unique abilities to take on her opponents in direct combat. Called Umbric abilities, they can be used to manipulate objects, weapons, and people, even able to take full control of an enemy. In a preview on Xbox Wire, Reflector says these abilities were designed to give players more flexibility in how they choose to tackle each new situation.

Reflector Entertainment has big plans for the world of Unknown 9, planning for it to encompass more than just video games. Already there are novels, a comic, and a narrative podcast set in the world of Unknown 9, though Awakening is intended to be the “gateway” to a larger narrative universe.

Unknown 9: Awakening is due out on Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, PC, PS5, and PS4 in summer 2024.