Kunitsu-Gami: Path of the Goddess review: Capcom’s latest is one of 2024’s best

Kunitsu-Gami: Path of the Goddess MSRP $50.00 Score Details Pros

Unique action-strategy blend
Level twists keep battles fresh
Strong progression
Feels like a true folktale
Gorgeous visual design

Cons

Tedious base building

I knew Kunitsu-Gami: Path of the Goddess was special when I hit the oddball strategy game’s third level, Yuan Cavern.

Until this point, all of the levels had been simple affairs of guiding a maiden from one Torii gate to another along a preset path, and defending her along the way by commanding powered-up villagers and fighting enemies head-on. While Yuan Cavern tasked me to do the same, it introduced a light mechanic that impacted my strategy. I could no longer just crowd villagers at the Torii gate to kill Seethe as soon as they came out.

My villagers couldn’t attack in the dark, but could light lanterns along the path to illuminate incoming enemies. I had to think more delicately about how far I had to move the goddess forward each day so I was in a place where I could properly defend her. Kunitsu-Gami is a unique hybrid of action and tower defense, but levels like that almost turn battles into an ingenious puzzle.

Kunitsu-Gami constantly encourages players to stay engaged, whether that be because they have to plan out the maiden’s path, actively fight enemies during the night, or craft their own interpretation of its mostly dialogue-free narrative. While some parts of the journey can get repetitive, Kunitsu-Gami rewards those who pay attention, learn its deep systems, and adapt to whatever wacky situation it throws at them. There’s nothing else quite like it.

Modern folklore

In Kunitsu-Gami, players control a mystical being named Soh, who must guide a maiden named Yoshiro from the top of a mountain to the bottom after it is overrun by “defilement.” Across 14 stages, players clear handcrafted levels of defilement and transform each area into a base afterward. The further players get down the mountain, the clearer it becomes that the