Kunitsu-Gami: Path of the Goddess Review

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Kunitsu-Gami: Path of the Goddess Review

As a long-time fan of tower defense games and someone who has spent countless hours exploring the beautiful worlds of the Pikmin series, I was thrilled to get my hands on Kunitsu-Gami: Path of the Goddess. With its unique blend of these genres and Capcom’s signature storytelling, I was eagerly anticipating an immersive and engaging experience.

In the past five years or so, Capcom has been on a remarkable streak, churning out one hit game after another, praised by critics. Mostly, they’ve stuck to creating new installments in their established franchises, but they’ve also taken daring leaps, introducing groundbreaking projects and fresh intellectual properties. An example of the latter is last year’s “Exoprimal,” a live service shooter with PvPvE gameplay and dinosaurs. More recently, Capcom has introduced “Kunitsu-Gami: Path of the Goddess,” an action-strategy title that blends tower defense games. This game represents one of Capcom’s riskiest ventures yet, though it might not appeal to everyone, it offers a captivating and distinctive gaming experience.

Path of the Goddess is a unique game that defies easy categorization, combining elements of tower defense, action strategy, and hack-and-slash. During a typical level, players take on the role of protagonist Soh, cleaning up corruption in the land to obtain crystals. These crystals can be utilized to transform rescued villagers into various roles such as woodcutter, archer, thief, and so on, with most roles concentrating on either melee or ranged combat. Crystals are also employed to carve a route for the maiden Yoshiro to traverse, with the main objective being to reach a gate that leads to the next area or concludes the level. A significant part of the strategy involves positioning Yoshiro advantageously when night falls, as this marks the start of the second phase.

At dusk, areas are invaded by demonic creatures inspired by yokai, emerging from scattered gates across the map. In “Kunitsu-Gami,” Yoshiro serves as the central figure in the tower defense mechanic; her demise equates to game failure. Players must tactically position saved villagers on the map to shield Yoshiro and repel threats. Though mindless button mashing can work, the game promotes chaining combos for enhanced attacks. Well-executed sequences create a captivating dance-like flow, allowing players to transition between foes, eliminate them, and gather additional crystals for daybreak. The blend of dynamic combat, supernatural adversaries, and villager administration in “Kunitsu-Gami” can be described as a mesmerizing fusion of “Demon Slayer” and “Pikmin.” This intriguing amalgamation offers an engaging gameplay experience. Furthermore, the game incorporates another layer of complexity:

After finishing a game level, players establish a base in the designated area. These bases serve as tranquil havens but require significant reconstruction following each battle’s chaos. Villagers can be allocated to various construction tasks around the base, which grant valuable incentives upon completion. The most advantageous of these rewards are Musubi, which can be utilized to enhance villager skills in combat. Regularly visiting bases is essential for dedicated Kunitsu-Gami players as they advance through the game, despite the inconvenience of starting anew each time. A more rewarding experience would have been a persistent base that could be developed and enhanced over time. Rebuilding bases lacks excitement; it involves approaching a project, assigning villagers, departing for missions, and then collecting rewards upon return. While tedious, the incentives are compelling enough to discourage players from neglecting this aspect of the game.

Kunitsu-Gami: Path of the Goddess Has Many Tricks Up Its Sleeve

In the intriguing world of “Kunitsu-Gami,” the gameplay mechanism follows a specific pattern, yet it surprises players with unexpected turns. Some levels introduce thrilling variations to the routine, urging gamers to adapt new strategies. To avoid spoiling the game’s exciting twists, we won’t delve deeper, but trust that “Kunitsu-Gami” offers numerous engaging and unpredictable moments throughout its duration.

The game is like
Demon Slayer
meets
Pikmin.

In addition to the regular levels, the game Kunitsu-Gami includes unique boss fights against terrifying creatures. These bosses can inflict heavy damage, but with the right team of villagers, they can be defeated swiftly. The encounters are unpredictable, as players won’t know what they’re up against until the battles begin. Each battle is engaging and adds to the overall excitement of the game. Some bosses are particularly challenging, but the game gradually increases the difficulty, avoiding sudden spikes that could disrupt the experience.

The game becomes irritating at times due to having to constantly manage the actions of Kunitsu-Gami’s villagers. Their limited intelligence causes them to stand directly in harm’s way during attacks if not instructed otherwise. Although it is simple to give orders, the unresponsive villager artificial intelligence can be aggravating. Players have the ability to command a single villager or the entire team simultaneously with just one button press in the command menu. Advanced command options are also unlocked later in the game for more streamlined control. Nevertheless, it would have enhanced the experience if the villagers displayed some level of awareness and independent decision-making.

Kunitsu-Gami Checkpoints Could Use Some Work

Players might find problematic the mechanism of Kunitsu-Gami‘s checkpoints. In typical levels where guiding Yoshiro to a gate is required, these checkpoints activate once enemies emerge following Yoshiro’s stop. Consequently, if players inadvertently position Yoshiro in perilous spots, they are forced to redo the entire level anew. To circumvent this, players must meticulously map out enemy spawn sites and strategize ahead. However, the placement of the checkpoint at such a point remains questionable.

As a passionate fan of Kunitsu-Gami, I’ve encountered some frustrating moments when my progress was halted due to unforeseen technical issues. Although it’s disappointing to be stuck with Yoshiro in an undesirable spot, at least that misfortune can be attributed to the player’s actions. However, there have been instances where I’ve had to restart a stage without any fault of my own. For example, after purifying a gate, the camera became unresponsive and refused to move, leaving me with no choice but to begin anew. The later stages in Kunitsu-Gami can be quite lengthy and challenging, so being compelled to repeat them due to a glitch is truly disheartening.

I spent around fifteen hours immersed in Kunitsu-Gami: Path of the Goddess’s captivating world. Following my victory against the final boss, I was rewarded with special perks and given the option to start anew with New Game+. With such enticing incentives, it’s clear that there’s plenty more to explore. Each stage presents additional objectives for players to tackle, ensuring that Kunitsu-Gami: Path of the Goddess delivers ample replayability value.

The game “Kunitsu-Gami: Path of the Goddess” isn’t without its imperfections, but it’s an intriguing title that leaves us wanting a more polished follow-up. The core elements are largely impressive and are sure to captivate enthusiasts of tower defense genres, the Pikmin series, and even fans of “Demon Slayer” anime. It’s refreshing to see Capcom take a chance on an original concept, and here’s hoping for more instalments in the future of “Kunitsu-Gami“!

The game “Kunitsu-Gami: Path of the Goddess” is set to be released on July 19 for PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X. I received a PC version of the game for the purpose of this review from Game Rant.

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2024-07-15 18:04