Kunitsu-Gami: Path of the Goddess Review

Well, Capcom has done it again. We all know Capcom, and we all love the work they do, with releases like the multitude of Resident Evil games, the ever-inspired designs and combat from Monster Hunter, and we can’t forget about Dragon’s Dogma 1 and 2…

This Japanese studio has been going strong with game development since 1979, and there’s quite literally no stopping them now. Granted, that’s what keeps them at the top and what maintains their already huge fanbase, so we’re definitely in for a treat with any release from them.

However, while it is fun to look at what they’ve done in the past, let’s jump to their latest creation, Kunitsu-Gami: Path of the Goddess, which was released on 19 July. Now, this is far from what we’d expect from the gaming giant, but you can still expect the same level of detail and quality as any other release from Capcom.

Kunitsu-Gami: Path of the Goddess looks to be a one-of-a-kind type of release, and with being advertised as a "unique Japanese-inspired, single-player Kagura action strategy game", you’d think there have to be others like it…. While there might be a few that say that they fall into the same category, they don’t come close.

Moving on to the juicy part in Kunitsu-Gami: Path of the Goddess, the world itself is designed around Ancient Eastern Culture and the mythos surrounding it. However, while most stories start off with the metaphorical sunshine and rainbows, you won’t get that here with the ever-looming threat of the Seethe.

In this story, the chaos starts right off the bat when the Seethe tilts the balance of the land by taking over the Shrine on Mount Kafuku. This takes place while the Shrine Maiden, Yoshiro, tries to purify it and hold back the Seethe while her protector, Soh, makes his way to her.

Sadly, nothing goes as planned as the Seethe managed a victory and stole the masks of the ancestral deities from each village built around the mountain, further spreading their corruption. This is where you come in as Soh, charged with protecting Yoshiro and saving Mount Kafuku, you’ll have to retrieve the stolen masks to perform the Ceremony of Purification.

However, this is easier said than done as each village will need to be purified and rebuilt, too, not to mention the many obstacles that will also stand in your way as you carve a path to the summit.

Life in Kunitsu-Gami: Path of the Goddess isn’t all gloom and doom, and as can be expected, you’ll be taking charge of most situations with Soh and his various skills with a sword. However, it’s not your typical hack-slash; most interactions through fighting or purifying the path forward will involve Kagura.

For those who don’t know, Kagura is a ceremonial dance, but in this case, it’s combined with combat when fighting with Soh, while Yoshiro does her own form of Kagura as a Shrine Maiden. This alone adds a whole other level of intrigue to Kagura with how it’s implemented and how well it ties into the story, though combining combat with Kagura can also make combat feel somewhat slow.

Now comes the fun part of Kunitsu-Gami: Path of the Goddess… Clearing a path along the mountain is all good and fine, but you can’t stand alone. Aside from purifying villages and clearing a path for Yoshiro, you’ll also need to purify the defiled villagers, who will then join your cause and serve as fighters and builders for you. Hold on to something; this might become a little confusing.

So, villagers are incredibly versatile in Kunitsu-Gami: Path of the Goddess since they can serve as fighters and builders. However, you’ll also be racing against the clock as things will be safe and peaceful during the day; the Seethe will come out to play at night. You’ll have to keep your strategy rather fluid during your first encounter in each village as new types of Seethe can show up, and you’ll need to change your villagers’ roles on the fly.

But wait, your struggle isn’t quite over yet. While villagers can be assigned different roles like Woodcutter or Archer, nothing in life is ever free, and you’ll need crystals for most things, including changing roles. Luckily, change is also encouraged in Kunitsu-Gami: Path of the Goddess, and you’ll need to keep a healthy supply of crystals on hand for nights simply for the sake of reassigning roles as needed.

The big reason behind this is that not all Seethe is the same, and you can’t expect a Woodcutter to reach a flying Seethe, and you’ll need archers to shoot it down. Starting to make sense? You’ll still unlock other roles to help expand your army, and you’ll unlock them as you go. This adds a nice layer of intrigue since it slows down the learning curve and gives you plenty of time to get better acquainted with each new role.

On the other side of combat in Kunitsu-Gami: Path of the Goddess, you can’t just carry a small army of fighters with you, give them orders, and still string combos together with Soh. This is likely the most interesting aspect of this release: the villagers under your control will have to be commanded to stand guard where you choose, like a Tower Defense. No, it’s not a set-and-forget situation; you’ll have to move them around as needed and adjust your planning on the fly to make the most of your defense against the Seethe.

That just about covers nights, but your daylight hours are just as important. Yoshiro’s role in this whole escapade is to Purify to Torii Gates on your path, it seems simple, but you’ll need to use Soh to carve a Spirit Path to each Torii Gate. Once again, crystals are your only hurdle in this regard, and you’ll need a ton of them to carve the path forward, which Yoshiro will purify (Oh so slowly) until she reaches the Gate.

Luckily, you can speed things up by Fast-Forwarding time with Soh. However, time is not always on your side, and you still need to keep Yoshiro alive. It’ll eventually boil down to a matter of whether or not you have enough time left in the day for her to reach the Torii Gate, or you’ll have to tell her to stop moving forward so you can handle the next wave of Seethe.

Naturally, you’ll need to upgrade Soh and your villager army, though this doesn’t require crystals like everything else. Musubi seems to be as scarce as common sense at the Flat Earth convention, but it’s also the most valuable resource you can get since you’ll need it to upgrade your villager roles. However, Musubi isn’t impossible to get either. Taking care of tasks around the villages, such as rebuilding or restoring the broken down and defiled buildings, will usually reward you with some Musubi.

Unfortunately, you’re also being pushed to do more stages or villages as each task will have a duration tied to it measured in stages. For example, rebuilding a small shrine will take one stage, or clearing out another village/encounter. Luckily, stages can be repeated endlessly if you want to go down the perfectionist route before starting with another village. This is great if you want to maintain a form of maximum strength for each new encounter.

With your villagers taken care of, you’ll also need to give Soh some much-needed upgrades, though the rules are slightly different for him. Soh’s power seems to stay pretty consistent, but his cutting edge comes into play with Tsuba Guards and Mazo Talismans. Their uses are as straightforward as can be; Tsuba Guards give Soh unique powers he can unleash on the Seethe to even the playing field.

Mazo Talismans give passive buffs such as more health to Soh or allow Yoshiro to move faster. Luckily, you won’t have to worry about upgrades being permanent as you can undo villager upgrades to change them up, and the same can be said about Soh’s upgrades, too, as every purified village will have a camp where you can change your upgrades.

To save the best for last, Kunitsu-Gami: Path of the Goddess won’t just have you endlessly saving and rebuilding villages until you reach the summit; you’ll also need to handle boss fights. Now, the rules change slightly with boss fights since Yoshiro will also play her own part in them, but her safety is still key.

Now, your villages can still be commanded to take a position and defend, though they might not be able to do much. Boss fights are no laughing matter, and your villagers will easily run with a general command to stand with you and fight. Alternatively, you can also command them to stay close to Yoshiro to defend her instead while you take on the boss fight alone.

Kunitsu-Gami: Path of the Goddess still has so much to explore and delve into, but we’d likely end up with an encyclopedia on the matter. Where it really shines is with the visual side of things. There is never a dull moment, and going all-in with the Japanese-styled drawings' intro cinematic was already great to see.

The detail in the character designs between the human characters and the Seethe is definitely a sight to admire. It gets even better with the animated cinematics. Kunitsu-Gami: Path of the Goddess already brings a great story, but you’ll want to take a moment just to admire how beautifully designed everything is.

As for music and sound design, you’ll find the same level of amazing detail with the background music and ambiance that builds a brilliant atmosphere to drive everything home. There’s a clear line between moments of peace and the chaos of battle that will literally keep you drawn in for much longer than you think.

You’d also likely find yourself just listening to the background music. However, while only the intro cinematic is voiced, the ambiance more than makes up for the lack of voice acting throughout the rest of Kunitsu-Gami: Path of the Goddess.

Overall, Kunitsu-Gami: Path of the Goddess has so much to explore and delve into, and there is never a dull moment between the chaos of pushing back the hordes of Seethe and the peaceful moments of rebuilding the villages.

Between the inspired world and character designs and the enamoring ambiance, that’s already more than enough to keep anybody going, but the best aspect of this release is how well it blends tower defense with action adventure. This is, without a doubt, another gem from the infamous Capcom that you’ll want to experience for its story and beauty.