Rosa Blackwell The main
protagonist of the series, living in New York City during the 2000s. Having been brought up in
foster care after the early death of her parents and
Institutionalisation of her aunt, Rosa is a reserved introvert who struggles with communication, though she is hardly interested in befriending others. She starts the series as a fledgling
writer and
journalist, but quickly embraces her role as a medium. Over the course of the series, she becomes determined and fierce in her resolve to help ghosts move on, even accumulating multiple restraining orders over the course of her work. She is incredibly defiant at times, and can be dismissive of Joey, but always cares enough to do the right thing.
Joey Mallone The spirit guide of the Blackwell family. Joey originally hails from the Roaring 20s, working in a tailor shop before being gunned down by
mobsters. Through an interesting chain of events not fully disclosed, he ended up becoming tied to the Blackwell family, starting with Rosa's grandmother. Joey is dry and sarcastic, frequently lamenting over the eternal and thankless nature of his work as a spirit guide, and is unable to be more than 30 feet away from his medium at all times. He does, however, genuinely care for the Blackwell women that he is stuck with, and tries his best to protect them when they are in danger.
Lauren Blackwell Rosa's aunt on her father's side, and the protagonist of the second game. Lauren was a medium during the 70s in
New York City. Though Lauren largely resigned to her life as a medium and resents it for separating her from her brother, she is still very amiable and, unlike Rosa, is able to charm info out of people more readily. Lauren would later adopt Rosa following her brother's untimely death, vowing to quit being a medium. However, she wound up being institutionalized for decades before finally dying at the beginning of the first game. She comically reveals in the final game that she had tried to prep Rosa for life as a medium by dressing up her prized teddy bear like Joey.
Nishanti Sharma Nishanti, a resident of the same apartment complex as Rosa, possesses contrasting personality traits that make her an amiable and outgoing individual. Notably, she possesses a high
EQ, which allows her to perceive things that many others cannot, inadvertently aiding Rosa in her ghostly encounters. In later games, Nishanti embarks on travels, and communication with Rosa is limited to email. Despite their close proximity, Nishanti remains unaware of Rosa's spiritual medium abilities.
The Countess The primary antagonist of the second and third games. The Countess was originally a spirit medium who lived during the
Roaring 20s. Her real name is Jocelyn Contis. Unlike Rosa, Jocelyn resented her job as a medium, preferring to spend her nights dancing with her peers than with Madeline, her guide. Shortly after the
Great Depression hit, Jocelyn decided to sever her connection to Madeline, and in doing so, she would go mad looking for a new spirit guide, and began referring to herself as the Countess. She would attach herself to other humans and, in the process, create more ghosts rather than help them move on. She is killed by Lauren, but doesn't rest until Rosa helps her spirit move on several decades later.
Madeline An ally turned antagonist. Madeline appears to be of royal lineage of some European monarchy from several centuries prior, though some of her dialogue suggests that the era she once lived in is much more recent. At first, she is kind and helpful, providing Rosa with the assistance necessary to deal with the Countess. However, it is revealed later that she is numb and
sociopathic, brought about by her work as a spirit guide and is unable to pass on. Originally serving as the spirit guide of the Countess, Madeline was abandoned by her and stuck in
Limbo before plotting to return to life so that she may eventually die properly. To that end, she tried to possess the other mediums of the Blackwell family and take their bodies, only to fail and cause them to go insane. Madeline would then try to forcibly destroy her spirit at the cost of everyone else's, only to be stopped by Rosa. She eventually passes on in peace thanks to the efforts of Rosa.
Sam Durkin Rosa's only ally in the
NYPD. Gruff and tough, Sam is a detective who, after meeting Rosa in the fourth game, regularly employs her as a
tipster to generate leads on cold cases, giving Rosa a critical financial lifeline. By his own choice, he does not ask for details about the nature of Rosa's abilities and keeps his distance from her, but otherwise respects Rosa. He is also the detective who saved Rosa from her aunt's tantrum when Lauren went insane, and thus continues to look out for Rosa even when the latter keeps getting into trouble with the law working as a medium. ==Reception==