Ever since I caught sight of Kunitsu-Gami: Path of the Goddess at one of Capcom’s many “coming soon” showcases, I have been intrigued, mostly as it looked almost comically Japanese, with its dancing and monsters to fight.
Kunitsu-Gami: Path of the Goddess is described as “a unique Japanese inspired, single player Kagura Action Strategy game”, and while I had to look up what Kagura was (it is a type of ceremonial dance used in Shinto rituals) I have to agree with the rest of the words.
The story found in Kunitsu-Gami: Path of the Goddess is just as weird as you would hope, given the setting. The game takes place on a mountain covered by defilement – Mt Kafuku to be exact. On said mountain there are various villages that have been overtaken by evil, and even worse, the protective masks that each village held have been stolen and defiled. We play as Soh, a swordsman with a neat line in dance moves, who must escort the Maiden of the Mountain, Yoshiro, as she attempts to clear each area of defilement with her funky moves. Think Yuna’s dances in Final Fantasy X and you won’t be a million miles off. Of course, this isn’t going to be as easy as waltzing up to a Torii gate and asking the evil to kindly vacate. As Soh we must protect the Maiden through a day night cycle and escort her to the gate, before some boogying occurs. But more on this later in the review!
The presentation of the game is beautiful to behold. While the levels themselves are varied as regards layout and biome, they are all broadly the same – a side scrolling kind of area with various points of interest to interact with, and a Torii gate at the far end of the level to get Yoshiro to. The animation of Soh as he runs about and cleanses defilement, as well as fighting in a fantastic balletic style is great – it really is a pleasure to watch him dart about the place.
There’s a day/night cycle that also brings changes to the levels, as when night falls, the enemies – the Seethe – come out to play. Again, they are a really well designed bunch. The overall aesthetic of this game is incredibly well done; a pleasure to look at.
The sound is very well designed as well, despite the main characters not speaking a word. It’s here where some cracking fighting sounds, as well as the sound of defilement being purged, come to the fore. In fact, everything as to how Kunitsu-Gami: Path of the Goddess is set up feels great, in short. I’ve had no issues with slowdown or anything like that, with it running silky smooth.
Now, the gameplay is where I’m going to struggle to put the action into words, as this is pretty much unlike anything else I’ve ever played. The action is divided into about three sections. First off, we have the villages or settlements that we need to clear of evil. We start at one end of the path, and the goal of these levels is to get Yoshiro to the Torii Gate at the other end.
That is done by running around freely in the day, until we find a patch of defilement and look to cleanse it. Sometimes this gives crystals, which we really need, and sometimes these free villagers and allow them to join us. Heading through the levels, more and more masks appear, allowing the villagers to perform various different jobs – from simple woodcutters through archers to Sumo wrestlers and many more. Each role has a different effect, and mixing and matching them to the correct ratio for the level you are on is an art.
The crystals that are collected are used to either assign, or change, a job; when you realise you have no archers and all the enemies are flying, for instance! Assigning the right people to the right area is vital, as Yoshiro cannot fight for herself and it’s up to us to keep her safe through the long night hours. Having some archers covering her, with a couple of woodcutters in close support is usually a good idea, all while Soh dances about, taking all the loose enemies out. There is a flavour of tower defence present in Kunitsu-Gami: Path of the Goddess too, and so making sure that all the routes to Yoshiro are covered soon becomes second nature.
The other use for crystals is to carve a path for Yoshiro through the level, right up to the Torii Gate that is the target. Soh plunges his sword into the ground and runs forward, clearing the way for the Maiden to dance her way through. The game will show you where Yoshiro will reach by nightfall, but there are various areas that you can use to your advantage, and sometimes stopping her from moving on until after the night is done can pay dividends. See, there are areas that enhance the attacks of villagers, for instance, and also structures that can block the Seethe, providing a vital line of defence. Luckily, every monster defeated adds to the cache of crystals, so an extra night of fighting can see you make it to the Torii Gate the next day. Then you can see the dance, which again is very well portrayed, with every one joining in!
Once a village is purged of the darkness, then reconstruction can begin. We can visit the freed villages as many times as we like, all so it becomes a nicer place to live. The offerings from the inhabitants get bigger too and as Yoshiro sets up a tent, gifts can be received, saves can take place and – most importantly – stats can be increased. Keeping everyone up to date is vital for the later levels, which get very hard indeed!
The third section of the game is the inevitable boss fight that follows each successful cleanse – if only as we have to get those masks back! Each boss is unique and very well designed, complete with an interesting attack pattern to uncover and adapt to. You can break an enemy’s stance (not the phrase the game uses, but I’ve been playing too much of Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree to call it anything else) and when this happens, you can order everyone to pile on in, which is a great way to do serious damage. Of course, when the boss gets back up, you need to put everyone back where they should be – and fortunately the game pauses while you do this, making things a little easier.
Should Soh be defeated, it isn’t the end of the world, for as long as Yoshiro is alive, you can respawn after a while. In the meantime, you can still reposition and even heal your allies, making sure the Maiden is safe at all times.
Ultimately, Kunitsu-Gami: Path of the Goddess is so unusual that it is a must play. There are a couple of issues, but nothing to knock things down too much. For instance, aerial combat is ridiculously difficult to action, but that’s why you have archers. But overall, Kunitsu-Gami: Path of the Goddess is so different, so compelling, that it is a joy to play.
