This is how the evening rhythm is.
In Kunitsu-Gami: Path of the Goddess, rhythm is everything. Microscopically, Yoshiro, the maiden, moves through the game with elegant, deliberate steps, purifying the black filth that has engulfed her mountain and its inhabitants. When in battle, Yoshiro’s shield, Soh, swings their sword in quick circles, timing and flowing strikes and parries. Largely, Kunitsu-Gami uses a calming rhythm of hectic fighting and quiet base construction. As they lead Yoshiro down the mountain, Soh’s powers intensify into a strong crescendo, her body failing with every encounter.
In the midst of these roaring waves of calm and suspense, Kunitsu-Gami expertly strikes a balance between terrifying beauty and horrific fear. Although Mt. Kafuku’s slopes are lush, its vegetation, fauna, and people are covered in oily, sticky, and caustic pools of filth. With their captivating moves, Yoshiro and Soh are dressed in layers of exquisite fabrics and shimmering metallic jewelry. The demons that have taken over the mountain are hideous; many of them have gaping maws and sharp claws, and many are eyeless and swollen with pus. Body-horrific, each creature in Kunitsu-Gami is grotesquely beautiful in its own right.
Kunitsu-Gami’s contradictions provide harmony. The main cycle of the game is day-night: players create a passage for Yoshiro to clear a community during the day while also gathering crystals, mending defenses, and releasing residents from cocoons of defilement. With the aid of the villagers who have been saved, Soh must protect Yoshiro throughout the night as creatures known as Seethe stream out of the Torii gates. By defending Yoshiro and carrying out her rite, every area is returned to its original state before pollution, establishing a foundation upon which Soh can enhance their troops and powers.
Real-time fighting and tower-defense elements are combined in this game, which is played in third person and is viewed from a zoomed-out perspective using a fully customizable camera fixed to Soh’s body. It’s a clever strategy that encourages users to experiment with viewpoint and explore each environmental side trip, clearing pollution along the way.
On the mountain, there are 10 boss levels in addition to 17 bases to clear. A new warrior kind, such as a healer, sorcerer, ninja, spearman, cannoneer, marksman, and an aesthetic that may slow down foes, becomes available for Soh to use after defeating a large enemy in a difficult stage. The game’s soundtrack gets louder and more dissonant when night falls during a base battle, indicating the approaching Seethe invasion. Using the crystals they have gathered throughout the day, players assign tasks to villagers before positioning their fighters around Yoshiro on the map. The number of forces used in each battle varies; in some, Soh must fight alone, while in others, they are rendered completely defenseless, handing the fight to the villagers. It’s refreshing how these interactions are designed to be varied.
Combat demands planning and focus at all times because Yoshiro is attacked by the Seethe from all angles using a range of techniques, such as airborne slashes, suicide bombs, and missiles that detonate in poisonous pools. Repositioning forces in the middle of a conflict is frequently necessary, and fortunately, time stops at crucial tactical junctures.
Soh mostly uses their sword in a fluid, rhythmic way that is a joy to wield. Attacks are straightforward: on the DualSense, a square hit is used for smaller blows and a triangle hit for larger ones. Soh’s placement is entirely under control throughout intricate sequences where they twist and swing their body before landing a succession of powerful strikes, which are set up by pressing square before triangle. Combat becomes an extended dance as a result, with the input precisely anticipating Soh’s on-screen motions. With each victory and base restoration, Soh’s skills progressively improve, eventually giving them access to a ranged bow, another kind of swordplay, more powerful assaults, a variety of special maneuvers, and other equipment improvements.
After several villages are successfully cleaned up, mandatory boss levels that include enormous battles against incredibly repulsive animals become visible. The majority of these monsters required me to replay them at least once, changing the types and placements of my units based on the distinct attack patterns and weaknesses of each demon. A literal cherry tree with stabbing tentacle roots, a vicious floating sorcerer encircled by a ring of rocky spikes, a skittering centipede that charges in for quick hits, and a juicy larval beast that moves like a whiny toddler and spews lethal sludge are just a few of the enemies. All of the enemies are giant and covered in intricate, iridescent designs. The final one is named Notsugo, and I think it’s the cutest because it’s so very charming.
Take a moment to gather your thoughts and make some minor adjustments following a battle in a settlement or boss level. After a successful purge, the bases trail down the side of Mount Kafuku in the stage-selection screen. Players must still allocate villagers to rebuild damaged buildings and platforms in order to make a settlement habitable even after defilement has been removed. In-game days are required for repairs to be finished, and they release more resources. It is a calm, simple task. After a fierce battle, this feature offers players a safe haven where they can regroup, hone their abilities, cuddle a Shiba Inu, or let a deer scream at them. In addition to ensuring that resources are obtained at the appropriate rate, I advise restoring bases as soon as feasible and completely to avoid an inconvenient backlog in base repairs. By the middle of the game, I was usually running three or four bases at once, and that was with repairs that were immediately maxed out.
Some of the game’s most exquisite features may also be found in the bases. In every base, Yoshiro pitches a tent where players oversee upgrades and supplies plates for meal sharing. First to fill up is the dessert menu, which features a wide selection of crystalline sweets and mochi delights in an amazing photorealistic viewing mode. I’m not sure what it is, but I could spend all day staring at very intricate food from video games. Kunitsu-Gami recognizes this need and satisfies it.
The tent also has scrolls with classic woodcut-style artwork related to levels that have been finished, and the bases include collectible ema plaques with intricate, rotatable 3D representations of the demons and townspeople that players may meet. These are amazing additions that shed incredible light on Japanese history and culture in addition to adding to the game’s lore.
Kunitsu-Gami: Path of the Goddess is incredibly well-made, exquisitely balanced, and incredibly metal. It’s a calm experience that asks players to slow down and appreciate the beauty around them, even when it takes the shape of a massive, oozing monster. It’s full of furious combat and menacing creatures. particularly at the time.
Now accessible on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, and Game Pass is Kunitsu-Gami: Path of the Goddess. Capcom is the developer and publisher.