Cognosea disruption events are the supernatural incidents that SEAL exists to contain. These events occur when the boundary between the material world and the consciousness realm breaks down, allowing Mindrot and shadow creatures to spill into the City of Rain.
The two spaces
Varsapura's world operates on the premise that two parallel spaces coexist:
Material world: The physical city and its inhabitants, operating under normal rules
Consciousness realm: A psychic space formed by humanity's collective subconscious, where thoughts, fears, and repressed feelings take form
Humanity's collective subconscious manifests as rain within the consciousness space, which is why the city experiences perpetual rainfall. When the barrier between spaces weakens, Mindrot seeps through and spawns shadow creatures.
Code Yellow
In gameplay, the approach of a Cognosea event is signaled by a "Code Yellow" alert. The sky becomes unsettled, visual distortions appear, and SEAL agents are dispatched to the affected area. Code Yellow zones are mission areas where players engage with the game's supernatural threats.
Dimensional gateways
During Cognosea events, camera-like devices can be used to collectively open dimensional gateways into the Otherworld, an alternate version of the city where the consciousness realm overlaps fully with the physical space. Inside these gateways, SEAL operatives can manipulate the environment in ways not possible in normal space. The Otherworld features shifting corridors, surreal architecture, and reality distortion.
Emergent threats
Mindrot can seep into dimensional gateways after they are opened, creating situations where a controlled investigation turns dangerous. This happened in the 31-minute demo: Sayuki administered an assessment trial for Hollowone in the Otherworld, and Mindrot disrupted the test, turning a controlled environment into a genuine combat situation.