Cohen 1939 Characters: The Four Killers and Skills

By Rowan Ashcombe · Updated October 2, 2026

The Steam page promises “sliding shots and focused fire to raven summons and rage”. This page matches each skill to a character using the in-game tutorial prompts in recorded demo playthroughs, the official screenshots and launch-week player reviews. Where sources disagree, that is stated.

How characters work

• One skill each, on Shift. The HUD shows the skill icon above your weapon with a number for the charges you have.
• The story chooses for you. Each chapter tells part of the story through one character, so you play whoever that chapter belongs to. In the demo the game switches from Richard to Elisa after the funeral, and to Sevinda when Elisa is confined to base. Players who reviewed the game say characters can be picked freely in challenge mode.
• Skills upgrade with badges. The character skills menu shows each killer’s upgrades and their badge cost (see below).

Elisa Cohen: the raven

The widow of Richard Cohen and the main character. The in-game prompt is literal: hold Shift to release a raven that scouts for enemies ahead, and while it is in flight, left-click an enemy to disrupt it. Players use it two ways:

• Scouting. Your view is short and the camera does not zoom; the raven shows what is around the corner before you walk into it.
• Disruption. A disrupted enemy is the opening to kill, slip past or reposition.

One player recording the demo found the raven easy to lose track of and reported it bugging out on occasion.

Verdict: the best tool for planning a room. In a straight fight she is the weakest of the four, and more than one Chinese review complains about it.

Richard Cohen: the slide

The head of the Raven’s Claw, whose murder starts the story. You play his last night: an arms deal that turns out to be a trap. In the demo recording his Shift skill is a slide, used to cross open ground and shoot on the way in. His segment ends in a scripted death, which is why the enemies seem endless at the end of it.

The official skills screenshot shows a flat-cap gangster’s slide upgrades. It is not confirmed whether that is Richard or another character:

Verdict: a Chinese reviewer calls the husband’s skill the most useful in the game. The catch is that the story takes him away early.

Sevinda: flow state

Elisa’s bodyguard, drawn in a newsboy cap and a belted double-breasted trench coat. The demo’s prompt: press Shift to activate her flow state, which slows time, and press Shift again to leave it. She takes over late in the demo chapters, when Elisa is ordered to stay at the gang’s base and Sevinda goes to the abattoir in her place.

Her name is spelled Sevinda in the demo’s June patch notes as cited by other guides; the voice acting makes it sound closer to “Servenza”.

Verdict: a panic button for when you are rushed or surrounded, and useful in boss rooms. One player notes she gets little screen time in the story.

The fourth killer: rage

The Steam page lists rage as one of the four playstyles. A Chinese launch review describes it: getting hurt sends this character into a rage, and fast kills keep it going, so you clear rooms by never slowing down. That reviewer calls him the strongest of the four and complains that he leaves the story too early. His name has not appeared in any source we can check yet; this section will be updated when it does.

Who is the best character?

From launch-week reviews, the rough consensus:

1. The rage killer and Richard for forgiving, aggressive play.
2. Sevinda for boss rooms and crowds.
3. Elisa for careful play, but weakest in a firefight.

You only get a free choice in challenge runs, so in the story the better question is how to play the character the chapter gives you. The beginner tips, controls and boss guide cover that.