As someone whose interest is admittedly aligned closer to that of the humble, independent game/studio and of those titles likely making their home on a digital storefront a la Steam, seeing the big-shot/big-name companies take a swing at something “smaller scale” will always be appreciated. Whether it’s Square Enix offering space (and a modest budget) for RPGs not branded with the Final Fantasy name, Nintendo letting their iconic IPs throw up a novel concept once or twice or even a studio like Obsidian exploring stripped-back approaches to role-playing in a world that may not be entirely dense or alive with activity.
Call it the reemergence of “AA”-type success, a push-back on the superficial gloss of AAA promises, or simply an outcry for the big hitters to prove they’re at least trying to cultivate creativity via projects fittingly budgeted. As successful as a studio like Capcom has been over the past half-decade and then some, it’s welcoming to see even a company experiencing one commercial/financial success after another recognizing the importance of variety in as much as their scale, let alone the genres encompassed. And yes, you can point to the likes ofMonster Hunter Stories, the recentGhost Trickremaster. Maybe even something as far back asMega Man 11, as examples of Capcom acknowledging that off-shoots, spin-offs and smaller-scale titles still have their place in their own release schedule, if not the wider gaming landscape.
ButKunitsu-Gami: Path of the Goddessis an interesting proposition. Not just because it’s an entirely new IP with virtually no franchise legacy or expectations from some fandom hoping it’ll be similar or akin to x, y and z. Other than the good-will Capcom have [rightly] earned for themselves as of late.Exoprimalmight have arrived prior, but was it really that easy to shake off the concerns of online-focused, multiplayer-only PvPvE experiences?Kunitsu-Gamiis a solely single-player effort, however, so any concerns of failing due to inactivity or disinterest are, if not completely irrelevant, then certainly diminished.
The Long and Winding Road
But it’s the game’s refusal to shy away from its smaller scale where a lot of immediate admiration is felt. And quickly through a mix of real-time tactics and tower defense-like management – that even veers into feeling a little bit like a Musou at points – convinces you that Capcom have landed with yet another winner on their hands. Burdened by brief imbalance and imperfections it may be,Kunitsu-Gami: Path of the Goddessis a refreshing change of pace for Capcom. A game that reaffirms one of Japan’s biggest developers are just as malleable and skilled with smaller-statured original ideas as they are the big-hitting, mass-appealing follow-ups.
In fact, this surprisingly swift interplay between action and tactics is where Capcom’s approach should first be credited. WhileKunitsu-Gamiis far from the most complex or in-depth of strategy outings, this decision to frame gameplay as this more active, action-orientated approach to decision-making mitigates much of the worry that what one is walking into will be both overbearing and woven to the extent that “one mistake = absolute failure.” Don’t get me wrong, failing to deal with a mob of enemies, dubbed Seethe, from lashing out at the lone maiden Yoshiro – for whom you’re tasked with clearing a path for and subsequently guiding to a required Torii gate to complete a stage – or simply taking your eye off a troublesome few strays attempting to flank you and your class-equipped villagers, could have a snowballing effect on things.
Capcom Teases Dragon’s Dogma 2 Features, New Title Kunitsu-Gami Ahead of Launches
The presentation, which is now available on Capcom’s official YouTube and Twitch channels, provided gamers with a closer look at some new features.
But aside from a few momentary spikes in difficulty over the course of the self-contained, stage-by-stage progression,Kunitsu-Gamimanages to feel threatening but manageable all the same. Seethe, for example, not only spawn from specific points – and on top, only spawn during a stage’s Night phase wherein the game’s combat side of gameplay kicks into gear – but can be modestly dealt with by the player themselves. Controlling the main protagonist of Soh, there is at times a sense that your character is maybe a little too apt (and overpowered) to deal with foes. Even the later-game variants with deadlier attacks and an emphasis on ridding them of their Guard meter first. But thankfully, the game once again reframes this as a matter of one’s focus, or lack thereof with everything else going on across the map.
Focus too much on narrowly doing the work yourself and it’s easy, as noted, to let slip the occasional Seethe that just may decide on detouring down a path you haven’t covered or avoiding set traps you’ve committed to establishing. Even if one is extremely confident with the placement of units or the setting up of barricades and other such obstructions,Kunitsu-Gamifinds a way to throw an interesting spanner in the works to make players feel anything but assured of how things will play out. At times, going as far as to shake-up things in some quite surprising ways that just might call out one or two overly-reliant on their own combat efficiency.
Build Me An Army
Even during the Daytime phase – serving as your opportunity to prepare your units, position them in specific points and cover/cut off particular paths –Kunitsu-Gaminever lets you settle or feel too confident in how things might be going. Whether it’s the fact you need to hunt down spots in each stage to cleanse and thus free trapped villagers to employ in your squad, optional unlocks to hunt down and acquire via certain conditions being met. Or as the case eventually becomes: properly and thoroughly surveying these enclosed, multi-level spaces in deciding which class of unit is best suited in which particular spot. As strange as this may sound to say: the big question is how far you allow Yoshiro to travel before everything is locked down and the combat phase of nighttime is initiated.
“Wait, what? Surely you’re going to choose to get her to the objective as quickly as possible, right?” Well, yes and no. It’s true that the primary objective in each stage is to get your companion to the end of each stage’s marked path. The catch, however, is that Yoshiro is a non-combatant. Meaning that during each Night phase, she can’t fight back and is left entirely vulnerable until the start of a new in-game day to again prepare once more and push on.
So of course, the instinct would be to rush each stage’s Torii gate – which later on, becomes a series of Torii gates – and hope you make it before sundown. But if you don’t? Well then you have a precarious case of fending off an even denser crowd of Seethe from a character standing but a few feet away. A few feet away from the goal, but a few feet away from death and thus immediate mission failure. And taking into account Yoshiro can only remain static or move forward (and not go backwards on the path already trodden), it’s a tense, calculated decision on just how great a step you wish to take.
Back To Base-ics
Again, though the mechanics aren’t entirely complex, enough threat, danger and uncertainty as to how enemies will behave provide enough of a deciding factor on where valuable resources go. Which units, yourself included should you take too much damage, are given rations to heal – of which you only have a limited amount – and more importantly, how and where are Crystals spent. Crystals serving as the base currency with which units can be assigned (and even switch) classes, but also crucially of all are what allow you to carve a path toward each stage’s end goal. Though the management factor may seem simple and devoid of much in the way of consequences, Kunitsu-Gami still requires you to think carefully on where resources are spent and who is more deserving of them at a given time.
Management becomes even more pivotal when it comes to each stage’s climactic boss fight against a larger Seethe – usually with some kind of gimmick or environmental factor to take note of – or even upon return to previously-completed stages, whereupon one can rebuild villages in the pursuit of additional upgrade material and items to equip. Again, the catch being that certain restoration or rebuilding projects require not just a set number of villagers, but a certain amount of in-game days to see completion through. Meaning that, somewhat of a mild frustration it may be, seeing each village fully rebuilt, requires multiple revisits. And herein lies perhaps the most prominent criticism and one that, while not detrimental, does brandish the experience with a massive asterisk to consider: its somewhat tediously drawn-out nature at points.
Path of the Ocassionally Frustrating
Be that the requirement to revisit villages multiple times, just so one can upgrade your unit classes' stats and abilities, to keep up with the increasing stakes. Or worse still, how boss fights can degrade into button-mashing slogs against enemies with unjustifiably large health bars. Situations wherein the combat’s deliberately slower pace and rhythm can be its undoing.Kunitsu-Gamiisn’t a fast or frantic game by design, thankfully, but it still doesn’t excuse how annoying it can be to watch as your player-character – and indeed your units – move as if at half-speed. Made worse when you unfortunately find yourself stun-locked by a given boss Seethe’s unavoidable strikes.
Admittedly, the AI works competently well to acknowledge and act upon your desired commands, but it’s in these segments where the strategy leanings combined with this more action-oriented framing that harmony and synergy soon turn into friction and incompatibility.Kunitsu-Gamidoes thankfully end up riding out the storm of its momentarily clumsy execution, but it’s still a noticeable caveat that can make it seem like one is caught in a genre entirely separate to that of the hostiles and enemies surrounding you.
What perhaps salvages even these moments from feeling too much of a drawback are the more artistic strides. Specifically, the use of color and particle effects in, again, emboldening the JapaneseWaaesthetic with a liveliness and an energy you’d often associate with anything but the strategy genre. If you’re fortunate enough to possess a monitor or TV with HDR capabilities, Capcom utilizes this to great effect. Providing sequences of striking contrast against the muted-yet-natural color palettes of the mountainous setting.
Closing Comments:
An easy-to-grasp premise coupled with a campaign with an abundance of clever twists and turns,Kunitsu-Gami: Path of the Goddessstands as one of Capcom’s most interesting ventures into smaller-scale experiences yet. A game that doesn’t shy away from its smaller stature, yet never feels like it’s sacrificing the quality of production we’ve come to expect and praise Capcom for. Some great artistic use of color and lighting on top, only emboldening further a game that feels miniature yet grand at the same time. The surprise isn’t that Capcom can excel just as well on newer, smaller-scale projects. It’s that for a premise revolving around a combination of combat, real-time tactics, overhead management and tower defense-style adaptation, Capcom andKunitsu-Gami: Path of the Goddesshave found a way to make such anxieties of the Strategy genre a still-perilous but altogether more exciting and interesting path worth taking.
Kunitsu-Gami: Path of the Goddess
Version Reviewed: PlayStation 5
Inspired by the Japanese principle of Wa, Kunitsu-Gami: Path of the Goddess combines action and strategy as the villagers of Mount Kafuku fight to cleanse the holy mountain on which they live, from the demonic creatures known simply as the Seethe.
