In the year 19XX, a huge meteorite fell upon Tokyo. Within a short time the entire city was destroyed. Due to unforeseen radioactivity and diseases spread by a new virus, the survivors have turned into horrifying mutants, and corpses were reanimated as zombies. The few remaining humans had to live underground, from where they attempt to continue their resistance. Keiko Kirihara, the only female member of their small armed force, is sent to find a route to a safer location, which lies in the city’s dangerous areas.
Rejection is a hybrid of a shooter and a role-playing game. The entire game is viewed from first-person perspective, and much of it is spent in maze-like areas. It cannot be considered a first-person shooter in the sense of Wolfenstein 3D, however, since the graphics are pseudo-3D and the movement is step-based and not fluent. Keiko can use a variety of firearms and melee weapons (such as knives). Health kits and ammunition can be found in the stages. Enemies would often respawn to give the player the opportunity to level up Keiko, since experience points are awarded for defeating them.