The RTS GAME OF MY DREAMS - thE KUNITSU gAMI: PATH OF THE GODDESS REVIEW
platform: xbox series s (gamepass)
- Also available on PS4/PS5 and PC
hours spent in game: 34 hours
My introduction to the RTS genre was through Minecraft Legends, a game known for its simple and friendly approach to strategy. Like any traditional RTS game, the main objective is to command your troops in battle like a live-action chess board, but it also scratches the surface of character action combat by putting a sword in your hand and allowing you actually to fight -- albeit minimally. Though I loved Minecraft Legends for what it was, this toe dip into character action combat left me thinking, "Man, wouldn't it be great if I could command my troops in traditional RTS fashion AND be a badass sword-wielding hero, hacking and slashing my way through every battle?"
Enter Kunitsu Gami: Path of the Goddess, an RTS/character action adventure that lets you do just that. Rather than only being a god hand strategically leading your troops into battle, each battle's outcome depends on YOUR ability to fight just as much as your ability to command. This leads to a very intense balancing act that you have to maintain, but it also gives you the power of choice: will you turn the tide of battle with your sword, with the swords of your fighters, or both? In Kunitsu Gami, every aspect of battle is put under your control, thanks to Capcom's excellent execution of this core idea.
From Sun Up To Sun Down
The story of Kunitsu Gami is simple: The Goddess Yoshiro and her people are driven from their land by an evil force called the Seethe. To help combat this force and return home, Yoshiro summons Soh, a spirit fighter wielding incredible swordsmanship with the ability to command troops and dispel the defilement that plagues the world. Not only that, but Soh is also responsible for commanding villagers to repair villages destroyed by the Seethe. The amount of responsibility Soh has may feel overwhelming to the player, but if you allow yourself to be immersed in that responsibility and rise to the challenge, you'll be in for a rewarding experience.
Each level starts at the break of dawn, and from the moment the sun rises, you're in a race against the clock to prepare for the Seethe attack at night. With your limited time, you'll have to decide how to balance tackling releasing trapped villagers held captive by the defilement, recruiting and picking roles for your villagers to aid you in battle, and guiding Yoshiro down the spirit path safely to the Torii Gate. Yoshiro is defenseless and cannot fight for herself, so every decision you make has to be with this in mind.
One of my favorite parts of the RTS part of this experience is choosing roles for the village fighters and deciding where to place them to ensure the best chance of victory. You'll start with basic axe-swinging woodcutters and archers, but as you progress through the game, you'll gain the ability to recruit healers, powerful spell casters, sharp shooters, and a variety of other fighters. Additionally, as the level of each layout became increasingly complex, I found myself in increasingly more challenging situations where I would need to weigh the risk and reward of placing certain fighters in specific locations. For example, if I place a certain amount of woodcutters near the front Seethe gate where their advance is the most aggressive, will I have enough fighters to defend Yoshiro while I'm on another part of the map holding back a large Seethe horde on my own? Your ability to make decisions on the fly and adjust your strategy where needed will be the key to your victory.
Another aspect of Kunitsu Gami that I appreciate is how it goes to great lengths to keep you on your toes with its varied level designs. Just when you think you've gotten comfortable with how each level is laid out, the game will throw a curveball at you, making you rethink your approach entirely. One of the most creative examples of this comes in the handful of levels where you are unable to fight as Soh, relegating you to a position where all you can do is command to your troops. Typically, my strategy is to rush back to Yoshiro when she's in imminent danger to defend her rather than spending time commanding troops to go to her defense. In these levels, I wasn't able to do this, so I had to adjust my entire approach to the game.
When it comes to Soh's combat system, you'd be forgiven for assuming that you could get away with button mashing -- especially given everything you have to juggle in battle. However, this is not the case, as Soh's combat system is based on a button combo system. So, in addition to keeping track of and commanding your troops and defending Yoshiro, you have to consider and memorize button combos to be effective on the battlefield.
I can remember the moment I felt myself getting a handle on Soh's combat system, as nailing one combo after another felt smooth and satisfying. Stringing together different variations of combos went from feeling like a tedious task to a fun and satisfying mechanic. Once I mastered the combos, I relied more on Soh's abilities to turn the tide of battle in crucial moments. Getting to this point helped me realize Capcom's vision for battle -- an experience where contrasting combat systems can coexist and thrive in their depth and complexity.
Let's Throw RPG Elements Into The Mix
So what's the purpose of having to repair the villages that the Seethe have destroyed? Sure, as a part of the story, you're reclaiming land from an enemy that drove your people away from it, but the story doesn't give much attention to that. Instead, repairing each village, or a base as they're labeled in the game, serves as the purpose for upgrading Soh's abilities and the abilities of your village fighters. Assigning villagers to repair certain structures will yield certain benefits. Some repairs will be rewarded with stat upgrades; others will be rewarded with access to talismans, and more. Like you would need to do in battle, you'll need to decide where to prioritize the use of villagers in one location vs. another, depending on what rewards are important to your desired upgrade path.
Capcom could have just created a simple post-level menu screen where you could use your earned crystals to cash in for upgrades, but they went far beyond that. By creating the village repair system, they've added a level of depth to the game that makes it feel more immersive. I also appreciate how nuanced this system is because you don't need to fully repair every village to reap the rewards YOU want to receive. If you want to earn enough rewards to fully upgrade your woodcutter's health, your shaman's healing abilities, and Soh's sword dancing technique, you can do that if that's what you feel will be the most effective for battle. There are no right or wrong answers, and Capcom gives you the freedom to decide what is right for you.
An Effective Art Direction
In order for the day and night cycles in Kunitsu Gami to feel effective, they needed to be supported by an art style that expresses the stark difference in each—and it does just that. During the day, the colors are bright and calming, creating a feeling of safety. The music is relaxing and peaceful, almost making you forget about the impending battle coming at night. As the day rolls on, the music starts to become more intense. The calming blue sky turns to dark orange, slowly stripping away your sense of safety and calm until, finally, the night comes.
When the night arrives, and the spirit gates open to make way for the Seethe horde, the evening sky turns to black. The music turns from calm to anxiety-inducing. The unsettling blues, reds, and purples of the defilement cover the battlefield. Throughout the battle, you long to survive long enough to return to the calm and peaceful atmosphere of the daytime. It may seem like a small thing, but the yo-yo-ing between feeling safe during the day and intense anxiety during the battles at night is central to the core design of the game—and the art style plays a significant role in that.
The Verdict
Kunitsu Gami: Path of the Goddess is just plain fun. Though grasping all of its systems and mechanics can be somewhat difficult at first, I found it extremely hard to put down once I got into the game's groove. Couple that with its solid RTS mechanics and dazzling character action combat, and you've got a fantastic experience on your hands. My only nitpick was the lack of exploration with the characters. Although Kunitsu Gami wasn't necessarily trying to be a story-rich game, the characters and the world certainly had enough intrigue that could have warranted them being expanded upon. Nevertheless, I walked away from this game having had a fun, unique, and memorable experience.