Gab Hernandez 
Kunitsu-Gami: Path of the Goddess is an attempt by Capcom to recapture the magic of some past games, but does our review show it to have been a success?
Looking at Capcom right now, it’s easy to forget the company wasn’t doing so hot in the early 2010s. While far from going in the red, the company faced its share of problems. Expected hits such as DmC: Devil May Cry and Resident Evil 6 performed below Capcom’s expectations.
Capcom needed a change, and the modern renaissance began with a bold new direction for the Resident Evil franchise. Resident Evil 7 signified Capcom’s willingness to back its experimentation with focus and commitment instead of just repeating itself. Now, Capcom pumps out hits annually and has reached record numbers with many of its iconic franchises.
Kunitsu-Gami is one of the most anticipated games from Capcom in 2024 because it is not another game in a long-running franchise. It’s a strange title with a fascinating aesthetic and creative mechanics, almost like a game lost in Capcom’s archives, prettied up for modern times. Does it have the bones to be a franchise, or is it the beginning of a wave of creative one-shot games from Capcom?
The Good:
- Kunitsu-Gami looks gorgeous with bright colors and fine details.
- The tower defense and action-RPG blend feels new and different.
The Bad:
- Some mechanics may seem unnecessarily complicated.
- Building up your base can become repetitive.
Review Details:
- Platforms available: Nintendo Switch
- Reviewed on: Nintendo Switch
- Official release date: June 27, 2024
Kunitsu-Gami is a beautiful blast from the past
During our review, we found that Kunitsu-Gami feels like a game from a different era. The beautiful Japanese folklore aesthetic, vivid colors, and charming character designs are a refreshing change of pace from Capcom’s photo-realistic use of the RE Engine. The story is wordlessly told as the divine maiden Yoshiro travels the land with her guardian, Soh.
The game does a good job of conveying character emotions through visuals and music alone. Despite all of its details, the game never feels oversaturated by flashy effects and NPCs. It’s a simple story executed appropriately, a rarity in a sea of AAA games set on adding more As to their labels.
Aesthetics aren’t the only thing that makes Kunitsu-Gami feel like an experimental game from an earlier age. The bond between story and gameplay feels seamless, and the strong art direction in service of the game’s addicting gameplay loops. Kunitsu-Gami draws upon the energy of its predecessors, feeling nothing like the homogenous action RPGs of some modern-day AAA titles.
A tale of two gameplay loops
The gameplay follows two loops. In the daytime, Soh explores the land, gathers resources, rescues villagers, sets up defenses, and carves a “spirit path” for Yoshiro to follow to the Torii gate. At night, Soh must defend Yoshiro along the spirit path as Seethe surrounds them. Nighttime is when the Soh’s defenses and preparation pay off or reveal the Spirit Path’s weaknesses.
Each night boasts new mechanics to learn or challenging level designs to tackle. In our review, we found that very choice made during the daytime felt like it mattered for Kunitsu-Gami despite the game’s linear nature. Those elements help the Kunitsu-Gami focus on gameplay without worrying over imbalance or padding.
After you beat a stage, they become bases, which players can repair for extra rewards, upgrade villagers, and get new items. Despite all these varied mechanics, they tend flow together seamlessly.
Despite that seamless flow, the action can blend together after a while. You can only build up and defend a position so many times before the experience becomes overly familiar. And while the game’s variety of mechanics is appreciated, there are times when it feels as though a more straightforward approach would be to the title’s benefit.
Bottom line: Kunitsu-Gami: Path of the Goddess is a throwback to Capcom’s more creative past, and it’s largely a modern success.
