Kunitsu-Gami: Path of the Goddess Review

Once in a while, Capcom gets a wild urge to break away from Monster Hunter and Resident Evil sequels to produce something fresh and original. It’s always refreshing to see when the developer attempts something that goes against the grain while boasting stylish visuals. Sometimes it can be a modest yet creative take on the metroidvania genre as seen with Shinsekai: Into the Depths. Even their Ace Attorney team devised the diabolically clever Rube Goldbergian adventure Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective. When Kunitsu-Gami: Path of the Goddess first came out on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S, it defied conventions and blended genres. Perhaps it didn’t connect with some due to its brazen boldness. Maybe the lack of a physical copy deterred Capcom’s long-time fans. Could it be that it just needed the optical mouse mechanism in the Joy-Con 2? Cubed3 reviews the Nintendo Switch 2 port of Kunitsu-Gami: Path of the Goddess to find out.

Mt. Kafuku, a once-lush mountain now corrupted by a mysterious black substance called “defilement”. The landscape has been transformed, and the villagers corrupted. Malevolent spirits known as the Seethe emerge from torii gates at night, stealing twelve sacred masks imbued with the power of the Goddess, plunging the land into chaos. As Soh, the guardian of the Spirit Stone Maiden, Yoshiro, players must guide her across Mt. Kafuku to perform ritual cleanses on the defilement and restore peace.

During the day, Soh explores villages, purifies corrupted areas, rescues afflicted villagers, and collects crystals to carve a Spirit Path for Yoshiro to reach the torii gates. At night, Soh and the rescued villagers, who can be assigned roles like woodcutters or archers, defend Yoshiro from waves of Seethe, including more powerful variants as she progresses toward the gate to perform a purifying Kagura dance. This is the extent of the plot in Kunitsu-Gami: Path of the Goddess. Apart from Yoshiro, there is not much in the way of character to latch onto and form an emotional connection.

The protagonist doesn’t have much personality, then. He is functionally a robot who lives to fulfill a mission. Almost everyone wears masks to save on facial details or animation. It’s a cost-saving choice that admittedly goes too far. Soh needed to feel like a commander and not like one of the many faceless recruited units. A powerful unit, though he may be, don’t expect to get emotionally invested in anything apart from the tense feelings of protecting Yoshiro and getting her to the torii gate to do her dance number.

The real star of Path of the Goddess is the compelling genre mixture of tower defense, RTS, and hack ‘n’ slash action. The tactical gameplay is dynamic and frantic yet streamlined enough to make it easy to pick up and play. The total amount of player units on the field is restrained to keep the battles manageable, and guarding Yoshiro as she slowly dances her way to the goal is varied due to the range of enemy types. Conducting Soh’s command with the Joy-Con 2’s optical mouse mode makes giving orders and directing units feel fluent and responsive.

Progressing the battle lines toward the goal is like the line of scrimmage in American football. It can be pushed back should gamers become careless and thus spread the defilement. While pushing forward constantly seems like a good strategy to keep the demons at bay, Path of the Goddess rewards those who explore and take the time to rescue stray villagers or capture beacons. It can take multiple days to reach the gate, and when night falls and the creatures commence their assault, keeping flexible and changing villagers’ roles becomes key to survival.

Units can be upgraded to deepen their utility, and even equipment can be managed. There is a fair bit of depth and customisation for RPG maniacs out there who relish the grind and crave tinkering or character building. It’s necessary because the boss battles are more challenging than any of the standard stages in the game. Bosses unfold more like something out of a Pikmin title. Gamers must learn to command swiftly and to know which unit types are best and when to use them. Things can get hairy if Soh carelessly sends a battalion to charge a monstrously deformed ogre who ends up sitting on the entire platoon.

Pulling back is half the battle. Aside from thoughtful commanding, the other half is the visceral and brutal action. Path of the Goddess‘ combat does not exactly reach the heights of a Devil May Cry game, but there is no strategy game out there that features melee action this fluid and satisfying. Even in this beautifully bizarre genre blend, Capcom still boasts some of the best and crunchiest swordplay in the game industry.

Path of the Goddess‘ visual presentation stood out on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series consoles. It still stands out on Nintendo Switch 2. This is an exceptionally lush game exploding with colour and dazzling textures. The monster designs are surreal and otherworldly, sometimes even a bit comical. The defilement looks appropriately oppressive and grotesque, but the purification is downright gorgeous. The effects when performing special attacks are vivid and unbelievably theatrical, as if the game motion-captured kabuki actors.

Everything is wildly animated and expressive; even the weather effects are over the top and fittingly dramatic. The only drawback to the visuals is that the frame rate does not hit its target consistently. Sadly, Kunitsu-Gami: Path of the Goddess can’t stay at 60fps enough. The lack of consistency is noticeable and is felt during most of the battles during the night and storms.