As a seasoned gamer with a soft spot for unique experiences, I was drawn to Kunitsu-Gami: Path of the Goddess like a moth to a flame. With its stunning art style and intriguing premise, I eagerly dived into this mysterious world, ready to embark on an adventure unlike any other.
Similar to the characters Yoshiro and Soh in the game “Kunitsu-Gami: Path of the Goddess,” this title finds itself grappling with two distinct personas. At its finest moments, the combination of Action RPG and Tower Defense elements flow seamlessly together. However, at times these contrasting aspects create a sense of confusion and hinder the game’s full potential. Regardless, Capcom manages to deliver an engaging experience that leaves a lasting impression.
In essence, Kunitsu-Gami is a game centered around preparing the way for Yoshiro, the goddess of Kafuku mountain, to complete her mission of purifying the sacred land from Defilement and the Seethe that emerges from it. By harnessing energy from cleaning up the surroundings and eliminating adversaries, you create a spiritual trail leading to the Torii gate in each level. Villagers encased within various stages are liberated with this energy, enabling you to bestow them with enchanted masks granting distinct warrior capabilities. Defeating unique Festering Seethe yields additional masks, broadening the array of skills at your disposal. These abilities range from basic professions like woodcutters and archers, to those bearing massive cannons, staves that slow enemies down, or even healing abilities. Some spellcasters possess the power to unleash a potent spell, damaging all Seethe present on the screen at once. Certain roles are exclusive to specific villager types, necessitating thoughtful decisions regarding their deployment.
In each stage, the layout and challenges will vary, but the fundamental concept of preparing during the day to face the Seethe waves at night stays consistent. The specifics will shift; for instance, one stage may involve traversing a dark cave where you need to spend daytime hours lighting lanterns so your villagers can see at night. Alternatively, a stage might call for bridging a water body, shifting the gameplay to a more defensive tower-defense style as opposed to carving a path forward. Similarly, when Soh loses their form and transforms into an energy source for Yoshiro, stages may become about gathering enough energy to restore Soh’s shape and progress. What sets Kunitsu-Gami apart is its recognition that while the core gameplay loop is robust, there’s value in exploring creative approaches to overcome these stages. Some players focus on honing Soh’s abilities, while others prioritize fortifying their defenses using villagers when necessary.
In the latter stages of this game, I find myself getting acquainted with the carpenter, a solitary villager who excels at mending various gadgets scattered across the levels. At times, these devices function perfectly right from the get-go. Other moments call for my undivided focus to bring them back to life. These inventions serve diverse purposes: some extend the reach and power of ranged units, others hinder the Seethe’s advance with barriers, and still more empower nearby villagers with buffs within their vicinity.
At each level, there are distinct supplementary goals. These can range from the straightforward, like avoiding using healing items or protecting Yoshiro from harm, to the more intricate, such as destroying every pot in a stage. Completing these objectives grants extra rewards at the end of the level, which you can only unlock once. This allows for easier level re-attempts, enabling players to focus on specific objectives without having to repeat previously cleared sections. Moreover, in New Game+, new, more challenging goals are introduced for each stage, along with tougher enemies to face, catering to the enhanced abilities of both Soh and the villagers’ multiple roles.
In this game, Musubi, which is earned by completing objectives within stages or discovered in black chests using the Thief role, covers the costs for upgrades. Restoration projects for villages can be initiated from the stage menu, allowing players to instruct rescued villagers on the desired repairs with no active involvement required. The timer advances as players finish stages. Sometimes, these tasks require specific materials that can be found scattered in the base or requested from villagers. Although it’s a straightforward process, the reward of witnessing restored villages is gratifying. Each restored section brings benefits such as Musubi for enhancing units, Ema plaques displaying character information, Yoshiro’s sweets for enjoyment between stages, and more.
In simpler terms, the enhancements and your equipment choices offer diverse options. Initially, players acquire the functionality to add sword guards, unique attacks that can be triggered for a potent skill but need to recharge afterward. These guards could include swift slashes that significantly decrease an adversary’s Resist Gauge, allowing for follow-up finishers causing massive damage or vulnerability to basic strikes – bonuses for villagers, shielding for Yoshiro, and more. Equippable before stages, these sword guards and Mazo Talismans provide distinctive abilities or improvements based on the specific demands of each situation, varying from simple stat upgrades to intricate interactions like an attack enhancement that grows with Soh’s available energy or the ability to activate multiple Soh Sword Guard skills at once. Alternatively, Musubi can be employed as currency for semi-permanent improvements. Eventually, Soh may unlock the skill to wield a bow and further progressively gain access to special charged shots with distinct effects; or special charged finishes that inflict heavy Resist damage; or even adopt an entirely new fundamental combat style, the ability to equip additional Sword Guards and Mazo Talismans, and more.
As a gamer, I’ve noticed that upgrading villager roles can seem deceptively straightforward at first, but the impact on a unit’s capabilities can be quite transformative. Initially, you may only be enhancing HP and attack stats, but further upgrades can grant additional abilities that significantly enhance a role’s unique strengths. For instance, an archer might acquire the power to shoot two arrows rapidly in quick succession, while a Sumo Wrestler could gain the ability to weaken enemies by stomping on them. Even if you’re not fond of a particular upgrade, you can easily revert a role’s enhancements during different stages with minimal hassle.
As a fan of this game, I can tell you that the standard gameplay loop is quite rewarding for me. When it comes to dealing with regular enemies, I find that with sufficient planning and preparation, the villagers are capable of safeguarding Yoshiro effectively. This leaves the more formidable adversaries for Soh to tackle.
In simpler terms, villagers find it challenging to adapt to the Tower Defense mechanics of standard levels due to their rigid design. On the other hand, bosses exhibit more characteristics of Action games, which sometimes ask for precise commands from players that the game’s controls may not fully support. Some enemies have multiple weak spots or evasive movements, necessitating targeted attacks and quick reflexes. Others demand instant responses from players to avoid their attacks, while all you can instruct your units is to attack a certain area or defend it. Although there is an upgrade that lets you move all units to a specific location, it doesn’t entirely solve the issue. This disparity between boss design and gameplay mechanics feels inconsistent, and even Soh’s limited abilities don’t fully address the problem. Instead of stages that test your skills in balancing both aspects of the game, these bosses seem unpolished and not particularly enjoyable to fight, despite being manageable with practice.
As a seasoned gamer with over two decades of experience under my belt, I must admit that Kunitsu-Gami: Path of the Goddess has left me with a bittersweet feeling. This game, unlike anything else I’ve really played, is a fascinating and captivating experience, yet it comes with its fair share of rough edges that can’t be ignored.
8
I’ve had the chance to try out Kunitsu-Gami: Path of the Goddess on various platforms, specifically the Steam Deck and desktop PC. It’s also compatible with PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X|S.
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2024-07-15 18:26