During the Xbox Showcase 2023, Capcom announced Kunitsu Gami Path of the Goddess, a sort of distant cousin of Onimusha (at least in appearance). A smaller scale game which made a strong impression with its artistic direction and the general atmosphere of the trailer. The Japanese publisher has meanwhile explained in detail the concept of the title which we were able to experience before its release on July 19, 2024 on PS5, Xbox Series X|S and PC.
When we think of Capcom, the licenses that come to mind the most are Street Fighter, Monster Hunter and Resident Evil. It is also the most exploited franchises in the publisher’s catalog, particularly in recent years. In 2023, however, the company tried to diversify with Exoprimal, which did not catch on at all with players. While waiting for the new science fiction IP Pragmata, Capcom could well spring a surprise with Kunitsu Gami Path of the Goddess, a game that has been catching the eye of Onimusha fans since its announcement.
A universe that already enchants
Kunitsu Gami: Path of the Goddess tells the story of Yoshiro, a Shinto priestess, who lives on Mount Kafuku. A true paradise with lush nature which, suddenly, finds itself corrupted by a mysterious black substance which completely transforms places by disrupting the balance of fauna and flora and which imprisons the inhabitants in sort of cocoons. Accompanied by Soh, her guardian, the priestess must purify the region before demons permanently rot the mountain, and restore peace by chasing away these evil forces. What immediately captivates us with the game is the very lively artistic direction, full of colors and all the Japanese folklore that the developers have incorporated, notably with the Kagura. A ritual theatrical dance. These two elements instantly give an undeniable charm to the title.
Yoshiro, who must be escorted to the torii to purify the world, will systematically move forward while performing this dance. It’s really special to see and even quite magnetic, whether during the cutscenes or when the priestess moves on her own to fulfill her mission. Soh can also practice the Ōharae-shiki Shinto ritual, with his katana, to obtain crystals which can be spent in order to build a small army of villagers. Locals who will help you fight or protect Yoshiro. Concretely, the action of Kunitsu Gami Path of the Goddess is divided into two stages.
A day and night fight
During the day, we must survey the surroundings to free the inhabitants, acquire improvements in a tent which serves as a base, and above all stock up on crystals. This resource has two uses: to allow the villagers to become protective warriors in their turn, and to create a route that is not infected so that the priestess can access the torii and eliminate the black substance that eats away every corner of the mountain. Each inhabitant can have a different role such as the lumberjack for close combat, the archer for fighting at a distance or the ascetic who slows down enemies. There is obviously no right or wrong role, and you simply have to adapt to the situation in the moment. The day is also a good time to start placing the inhabitants as real pawns.
This is where the whole strategic and tower defense dimension of Kunitsu Gami: Path of the Goddess comes into play. Are you going to position them near Yoshiro? Closer to the location from which the adversaries emerge? Between the two ? In attack or defense position? There is no exact science, and once again, you have to be adaptable, even if you can make changes on the fly. When night falls, that’s when you’ll see if your preparation was in the right direction or not. Indeed, when darkness takes over, a door to another world opens and releases the demons.
We then switch to the purely action aspect, until daybreak, where we must fight alternating between light and heavy attacks and special moves to cut the monsters into pieces with Soh’s katana, knowing that there also has a parry and a dodge. What makes the combat strong is not the gameplay itself, although there may be things left for us to discover. But the staging has something unique. Each shot feels like watching a ballet, like when Yoshiro performs his dance. It’s even quite disturbing at first, because the gameplay is less direct than other games. But this is also what makes Kunitsu Gami Path of the Goddess unique.
The clashes are therefore satisfactory, but after this handling, we have two downsides. You’ll have to wait until you’re further along in the game, but the strategy/tower defense aspect wasn’t essential. A good point for those who aren’t crazy about it, but since the title is based on that, it will have to be really useful. Then, we are a little afraid of repetitiveness, because the operation is always identical and it remains very linear. But it may also be due to the fact that the demo played did not present different biomes on the three levels that we were able to complete.
We await Kunitsu Gami… with curiosity
We cannot say that Capcom is taking it easy with Kunitsu Gami Path of the Goddess, which demonstrates welcome originality. It immediately captivates with its artistic direction and the treatment of Kagura. The traditional action mixed with strategy / tower defense also allows it to stand out from other proposals. But to succeed in its bet, the game will have to show that it is capable of combining the two with relevance until the end, and avoiding the pitfall of repetitiveness. So keep an eye on it, it could potentially be one of the little surprises of the summer.