As a seasoned gamer with over two decades under my belt, I can confidently say that Kunitsu-Gami: Path of the Goddess is a breath of fresh air in today’s gaming landscape. It’s like stepping back in time to the golden age of console gaming, but with all the bells and whistles of modern technology.
In the year 2024, Capcom surprised us with a remarkable gem that wasn’t part of their usual lineup such as Dragon’s Dogma 2, Dead Rising Remastered, Marvel vs. Capcom Fighting Collection, or any hidden release from Resident Evil, Street Fighter, or Monster Hunter series. Instead, they introduced an unconventional game brimming with ghosts, Japanese culture, and strategic job assignments: Kunitsu-Gami: Path of the Goddess. This game seems to have been time-traveled from 2004, but in a good way.
As a devoted fan, I can’t help but feel that it’s okay if you missed out on Kunitsu-Gami. To put it mildly, it slipped past many people’s notice, and Capcom admitted during their latest financial briefing that the game didn’t meet its sales expectations. Nevertheless, this title feels like a piece of gaming history, not just in its innovative design but also in its content.
As the warrior named Soh, your mission is to safeguard the divine maiden Yoshiro. This is important because she intends to cleanse the polluted mountain, thereby enabling villagers to join you in a worker-management strategy game that resembles real-time tactics. Your journey will lead you through a winding path down the mountain and into various encounters with creatures drawn from Japanese folklore, including monsters and ghosts.
During the day, your goal is to save villagers, rebuild defensive structures akin to tower defense systems, and guide Yoshiro towards the gate without exposing her to danger. You will also delegate roles to the villagers such as Woodsman, Archer, Ascetic, Sumo, or any of numerous other classes. In contrast, at night, you’ll work together with these villagers to defend Yoshiro and manage them effectively to ensure their safety and combat-readiness. Once the monsters are repelled, a dance is performed to purify the gate.
Classic Design
Modern games are designed to attract a wide audience and offer extensive gameplay lasting for dozens or even hundreds of hours, frequently showcasing additional downloadable content (DLC) and in-game currency that can be purchased with real money. However, Kunitsu-Gami stands out as it offers minimal DLC, with only one free piece available to Game Pass players – simple Okami-themed cosmetics like a charm that causes grass to grow behind the character when they walk. This charm not only resembles something from the 2006 Capcom classic but also fits seamlessly with the aesthetic of Kunitsu-Gami. There’s no extra content for sale, unless you consider the soundtrack, which can be purchased on Steam.
The game follows a progressive structure, offering you a gradually tougher sequence of levels and an expanding roster of character types to choose from. You have the freedom to revisit levels for extra rewards, but these are optional. The game is designed to be difficult, yet it avoids requiring you to gather trinkets, demolish towers, or perform similar tasks. Instead, it’s purely a strategy game, which adds to its complexity. It doesn’t follow conventional mechanics and themes, so it might seem less familiar to some players. Kunitsu-Gami requires you to grasp new systems while managing your villagers and resources, and this takes place in a folklore world that many Western gamers may not be accustomed to.
The entire experience of playing this game seems strangely as if it were developed two decades ago, yet somehow released today. However, this isn’t meant as criticism; quite the contrary, I find it remarkable. Games like this, which are comparable in scale to those produced by Capcom, aren’t frequently seen nowadays.
Traditional Art
Instead of merely evoking a nostalgic trip to classic gaming, Kunitsu-Gami’s aesthetic also delves into the rich tapestry of Japanese folklore and tradition. Unlike most games which often reflect their place of origin, Kunitsu-Gami goes a step further by immersing itself deeply in Japanese art.
In Kunitsu-Gami, the actions of Soh, Yoshiro, and villagers are inspired by Kagura ritual dances, with Soh’s sword fights being one of the highlights. The game provides information about various monsters through woodblock prints. These creatures resemble traditional Japanese yokai (ghosts) and bakemono (monsters), as depicted in Japanese woodblock art. Unlike games such as Nioh and Ghost of Tsushima, which aim to fully immerse you in their worlds and make you feel like the protagonist, Kunitsu-Gami presents a world that feels like a three-dimensional fairytale diorama. Realistic visuals are not the focus here.
In the same vein, the music draws inspiration from classic children’s tunes and verses, blending traditional Japanese instruments with contemporary Western ones to produce a sonic blend that carries an air of antiquity without being confined by it. To honor Yoshiro, we can offer him authentic Japanese sweets prepared by skilled confectioners, which have been painstakingly scanned into the game for a lifelike representation of the food. Many aspects of the architecture and attire within the game are based on physically crafted items, each designed to authentically reflect the art itself. Although the game is digital, its inspiration and essence stem from historical and tangible elements, making the artwork within it just as genuine.
Understanding Kunitsu-Gami artistically is quite challenging, and one could easily devote several hours scrutinizing each detail without fully grasping its intricacies. With roots deeply embedded in traditional Japanese culture, the level of detail found within it seems almost akin to preserving a piece of Japanese historical heritage.
In marketing for Kunitsu-Gami, Capcom delved into Japan’s historical roots by collaborating with a traditional Bunraku puppet troupe for promotional purposes. This form of entertainment, known as Bunraku, dates back centuries and is considered one of the oldest performing arts in Japan.
When considering Kunitsu-Gami: Path of the Goddess as a tangible game, I don’t visualize a PlayStation 5 or Xbox Series X cover; instead, it feels more like a PlayStation 2, 3, or even GameCube game box. I can almost picture myself in my first apartment, playing it late at night before an early morning class. In essence, Kunitsu-Gami seems like a relic from the past, a treasure from another era in the most appealing way possible.
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2024-12-28 19:39