Platform reviewed: PlayStation 5
Available on: PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, Xbox One, PC
Release date: July 19, 2024
Kunitsu-Gami: Path of the Goddess might just be the most innovative game that I’ve played this year. Developer Capcom bills its latest title as a “Kagura action strategy”, Kagura being a type of ceremonial dance used in Shinto rituals, which should tell you right off the bat that you’re in for something unusual.
It follows Yoshiro, a maiden from a shrine atop the fictionalized Mount Kafuku, and her sword-wielding spirit guardian Soh as they attempt to defeat a malevolent force called the Seethe. The Seethe has taken over the mountain, trapping its villagers in cocoons, corrupting the local wildlife, and covering the natural landscape with a sinister ooze. It’s a simple premise that is all conveyed through a short introductory cutscene complete with soothing narration and beautiful woodblock-style illustrations.
There’s almost no dialogue outside of this introduction and the relationship between Yoshiro and Soh is instead conveyed through wordless interactions and wonderfully choreographed dance. It's a real testament to the strength of Yoshiro’s presentation that she is still a fantastically realized character in spite of this, with her every polite bow and calm nod oozing humility and gentleness. Supported by a wealth of brilliant little details, like the friendly deer that sometimes come and sit with her at moments of rest, it all culminates in a surprisingly poignant ending that cleverly recontextualizes her personality.
Path of the goddess
Kunitsu-Gami: Path of the Goddess is split across a series of linear stages which see Yoshiro and Soh gradually descend the mountain purifying everything in their wake before returning to the summit for a final confrontation. Each level follows roughly the same formula and features distinct day and night time phases. As Soh, the day is spent making preparations for the oncoming night. You run around, removing traces of corruption, freeing villagers from their cocoons, and accumulating crystal orbs in the process. These orbs are spent carving a spirit path for Yoshiro, which represents the route that she will slowly traverse while undertaking her Kagura dance.
Every environment features at least one Torii gate that Yoshiro must reach and cleanse in order to progress. You spend your remaining orbs assigning combat roles to any rescued villagers, which is vital for when the level transitions into night. Time moves quickly as you explore, marked by an on-screen clock and the tranquil music, which is dominated by traditional Japanese instruments, becoming faster and more frantic. When darkness finally arrives, Yoshiro stops in her path as enemies begin to emerge from the gate and advance towards her.
Your armed villagers function a little like the towers in a tower-defense title and need to be positioned in a paused tactical view to keep Yoshiro safe. A colorful ring denotes their individual areas of effect and, although you start with basic types such as an ax-wielding melee woodcutter or ranged archer, you soon unlock more complex units that open the door to some engaging strategic challenges. Magical ascetics, for example, might excel at slowing large groups of enemies but lack the ability to deal any damage and can quickly become overwhelmed. Hulking sumo wrestlers are adept at keeping larger foes occupied while you chip away at their health from a distance, but are very expensive so often come at the cost of assigning roles elsewhere.
A few restrictions on how certain villagers can be assigned prevent you from creating more than one or two healers and tanks - a smart limitation that forces you to think carefully about how to make best use of the resources at hand. There are a wide range of environmental factors to consider too, ranging from branching enemy paths to devastating traps that you can choose to repair during the day. You defend Yoshiro until the arrival of the next morning, at which point the cycle begins again.
Picture in miniature
Your units can be moved or reassigned at any time, allowing you to adjust your strategy if things start to go wrong. Battles feel refreshingly dynamic as a result, especially considering that Soh can very much be an active participant in the defensive effort. You have rapid light attacks and more powerful dance attacks at your disposal which, together, are chained into an impressive set of combos. You unlock plenty of powerful special moves, talismans with helpful status effects, and a couple of new weapons as you go on, letting you really tweak the combat experience. This is on top of a sizable upgrade tree for both Soh and all unit types, where new unlocks become available at an exhilaratingly rapid pace.
You acquire sweets throughout your journey that can be left as offerings in Yoshiro’s tent. Each one is rendered in exquisite detail and, if you hang around, you can watch the maiden daintily chow down with impressively life-like animations that are unique to each dish.
Individual stages are absolutely overflowing with different mechanics, which prevent the formula from ever seeming stale. There are deadly lightning strikes to contend with, a map filled with poison pools, dark cave environments where the Seethe can lurk undetected, and two whole levels that take place entirely on a boat to name just some. One encounter even lacks villagers entirely, forcing you to think outside the box and rely on your own attacks and an assortment of traps to keep Yoshiro defended.
The variety is a consistent delight and it extends to the enemy roster, which is packed with creative designs. The handful of boss encounters, which mostly occur in small areas that are separate from the main levels, are also highly memorable. That said, the difficulty is definitely on the more forgiving side and I couldn't find any way to increase it. The checkpoints are exceedingly generous and I sometimes felt that I wasn’t quite punished harshly enough for my biggest strategic missteps. This isn’t a major problem by any means, but a more challenging optional difficulty would make every victory that much more rewarding.
You can come back to each completed level later on in an intriguing city-building mode. It’s fairly basic, you assign a pool of villages to repair any damaged buildings, but yields plenty of useful upgrade materials and is quite an enjoyable change of pace. It also allows you to truly soak in the absolutely incredible art direction, which has all been modeled on real-world miniatures. Each map is like its own little diorama and the overall effect is often breathtaking.
Zooming the camera out gives the impression that you’re looking at an adorable model set while zooming in for a close examination of objects and buildings lets you see the impressive level of detail. It’s abundantly clear that a huge amount of care has gone into almost every aspect of Kunitsu-Gami: Path of the Goddess and the end result is a unique journey that is well worth experiencing.
Accessibility
There are a small number of accessibility options available in Kunitsu-Gami: Path of the Goddess. This includes the ability to enable closed captions, increase the size of subtitles, add a background to subtitles, and change the subtitle text color. You can also customize the colors of a range of UI elements, including the mini map radar and general highlight color.
Should I play Kunitsu-Gami: Path of the Goddess?
Play it if...
You’re craving a unique experience
There’s nothing quite like Kunitsu-Gami: Path of the Goddess. Pick it up if you’re tired of experiencing the same old types of games time and time again.
You appreciate a great strategy game
Kunitsu-Gami: Path of the Goddess is a brilliant strategy game that is filled with unique levels. It’s easy to recommend if you’re a fan of games that require you to think tactically.
You like miniatures
The world of Kunitsu-Gami: Path of the Goddess is fashioned after real-world miniatures, giving it a very distinct look. It’s a real treat, especially if you already have a love for tiny models.
Don't play it if...
You want a serious challenge
The more forgiving difficulty level might come as a disappointment to some. While it’s definitely not a dealbreaker, those craving a seriously challenging experience should probably look elsewhere.
How we reviewed Kunitsu-Gami: Path of the Goddess
I played Kunitsu-Gami: Path of the Goddess for just under 14 hours and in that time I experienced the entire campaign, plus a few particularly great missions that I chose to replay.
I tested the game on a PlayStation 5 using a DualSense Wireless Controller in addition to a pair of Final VR3000 earbuds and a 32” 4K TV. As a frequent strategy game player, I compared my experience to a wide range of other strategy titles including XCOM 2, Total War: Three Kingdoms, Crusader Kings 3, Bloons TD 6, Sanctum 2, and more.
