Kunitsu-Gami: Path of the Goddess Review

Capcom has been on fire as of late. From the incredible Resident Evil 4 remake to Dragon's Dogma 2, the tenured developer/publisher can seemingly do no wrong. Now, Capcom hopes to continue this run with Kunitsu-Gami: Path of the Goddess, an action strategy title inspired by Japanese culture and history. It certainly piqued my interest when it was first unveiled, showcasing vibrant graphics and a fast-paced combat system, but how does it actually play now that I’ve got my hands on the final product? Let’s take a look!

The story of Kunitsu-Gami is rather vague, but the general premise is that you play as Soh, a samurai summoned by the maiden Yoshiro to help rid Mount Kafuku of corruption. The corruption in question is known as the Seethe, a demonic force that plagues Kafuku during the night, attacking villages and their inhabitants with brutal efficiency after emerging from Torii gates that grant them passage from their realm.

Thus, it’s your job to cleanse the land and protect Yoshiro and the villagers of the mountain using Soh’s lethal Kagura dance-style sword abilities. However, you won’t be alone in this task, as assigning roles to the once humble villagers will see them defend their home valiantly using the tactics given to them by Soh.

Despite this interesting premise, I couldn’t help but feel like this world could have been much more engaging from a story perspective. With such a rich, fascinating history and mythology to draw inspiration from, it’s a shame that Kunitsu-Gami didn’t feature more of it. That isn’t to say it’s completely devoid of any storytelling. But, instead of long, drawn-out dialogue and walls of text, the short scenes that are here feature no voice acting and rely on character interactions and movements to tell a story. Although I felt like it worked well within the themes of the game, I would have liked to be able to get to know the characters a little more, and I can see how people would be disappointed with the lack of narrative depth.

It’s clear to see from the screenshots alone that Kunitsu-Gami has its own distinct style that is not only brimming with Japanese influences but also has its own individual flair. Character designs, particularly Soh and Yoshiro, are a sight to behold, mixing both historically accurate and fantasy to create some truly great-looking characters. In fact, Capcom even created the clothing in real life before scanning them into the game for true authenticity, which is very impressive! This, combined with the majestic dance-like Kagura combat, creates a really visually striking game where every action flows brilliantly into the next one. Dancing has never looked so brutal!

I do want to briefly focus on the Seethe, as I was genuinely impressed by how grotesquely unique these enemies are. Everything about them, from the most basic of shambling grunt enemy types with their huge, lolling tongues, to the intensely creepy Torii gates structured from large, demonic fingers, are really a sight to behold. As previously mentioned, all the character designs are great, but the Seethe in their many forms are truly hideous (but in a good way).

Similarly, the environments of Kunitsu-Gami are both nightmarish landscapes plagued with creeping vines and otherworldly flora and fauna, as well as beautiful and tranquil areas of lush meadows, bamboo forests, and serene villages after successfully purifying an area. Seeing areas being cleansed of the demonic influences definitely gives a sense of satisfaction, but it was also nice to see the changes each stage goes through once rid of the Seethe.

With the lack of voice acting (or dialogue as a whole, for that matter) the music and sound effects have to really put in the effort to create an atmosphere that draws the player in. Thankfully, they do just that, with authentic Japanese music heard throughout, from melodic, soothing tunes to the more intense battle pieces, Kunitsu-Gami’s soundtrack really meshes well with the overall aesthetic.

The main gameplay loop of Kunitsu-Gami is relatively simple in its concept: go stage by stage and purge the area of the Seethe by helping Yoshiro reach the Torii gate during the day and defending her as they are pouring out of it at night. Sounds simple, right? Well, thankfully, there’s more to it than that! Each stage starts during the daytime, where you explore the relatively small areas looking for villagers and corrupted spots to purify, the former bolstering your ranks as you defend against the Seethe, and the latter giving you orbs to spend on upgrading the villagers. As they are, the people you purify are not too helpful in battle and will often just cower away as the Seethe swarm the area. Luckily, you’re able to assign roles to each villager; from lowly Woodcutter, to Archer, Shaman, and so on. Each has their own advantages, and you’re able to position them to fully utilise their skills when night falls. As for Yoshiro, she’ll need Soh to carve a path through the corruption towards the Torii gate so that she can purge it and return the land to normal. She likes to take her time dancing her way across the safe path you’ve marked on the ground, however, giving you ample time to prepare for night and the emergence of the Seethe.

Once the day has ended, things take a turn for the monstrous as the Seethe begin their assault. Now you’ll put those newly trained villagers to good use as they help you defend from the constant stream of enemies pouring out of the Torii gate, making a beeline for Yoshiro, with your aim to protect her until daybreak. Combat is a simple hack and slash affair, with light and heavy attacks that can be chained together to form combos. Equipping various talismans will enhance Soh’s abilities and give them added offensive capabilities, though, so if you’re not much for strategy, you can get by in Kunitsu-Gami with your trusty sword and Kagura manoeuvres. You’re also able to block and dodge, although the dodge button being assigned to clicking in the left stick definitely took a while to get used to!

While the game is a lot of fun, it does take a while to get going, and I found myself rather bored in the opening few hours. It feels like a basic hack and slash with a very simple strategy element, assigning roles to villagers and positioning them for the best possible attack or defence. That said, it’s certainly worth sticking with Kunitsu-Gami, as the game becomes much more enjoyable once it really gets going. During later stages and boss encounters, you’ll need to be constantly switching your villagers roles on the fly to best combat the current situation, and swapping Soh’s loadouts becomes almost a mini-game as you mix and match abilities and buffs to be able to face whatever awaits you.

There were moments during my time with Kunitsu-Gami: Path of the Goddess where I found myself wanting to switch it off and come back to it another time. Then, just as I felt I’d had enough, I uncovered something new, unlocked a new villager role, and came up against an insane-looking boss that I just had to kill. Whilst the strategy elements aren’t super in-depth, I do like them as an addition to make this more than just a basic hack and slash title. With all that said, this is certainly a game I’d recommend checking out, as new IPs are something we don’t see all too often from the big game developers these days. At the very least, give the demo a try, and hopefully it’ll grab your attention!