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The mixing of genres in video games is nothing new; we've seen the likes of it all the time. The developers always like to explore new possibilities, and, truth be told, it is highly commendable.
However, the mix of genres seen in Kunitsu-Gami: Path of the Goddess is something not often seen because in this game, the famous action RPG genre, which is already a mix of the two genres, is intertwined with no less than the strategy genre.
This mix of genres might seem like something that cannot work in symbiosis, but truly, if you decide to give this game a chance, you just might be surprised at how well the whole thing performs. Action RPG with the elements of strategic tower defence mechanics seems like a total hit, but will it be enough to keep you hooked on the game all the time? Let's explore it in this review.
The Tale of Japanese Tradition and Folklore
The modern games that are single-player-only titles must have a good story that holds the entire thing together; that's just how things work nowadays, right? Well, in the case of Kunitsu-Gami: Path of the Goddess, that's not entirely true.
Don't get me wrong, this game has a story, and a good one, provided you have a degree in Japanese history and tradition, because this game will bombard you with the terms and stuff from Japanese mythology that you'll soon become completely lost.
And to be honest, that shouldn't be a problem at all if the game decided to explain those characters, items, and events to us, but it seems the developers consider us to be the experts in those fields, so further explanations are just unnecessary.
Even though I might say I played my share of games with the theme of Japanese Mythology, tradition, and folklore (Ghost of Tsushima, Ghostwire Tokyo), I felt like a first-grader at a science symposium the whole time playing Kunitsu-Gami: Path of the Goddess, because all that was a total unknown to me.
Another aspect that detracts from the quality of Kunitsu-Gami: Path of the Goddess is the storytelling method. Regardless of the language you choose, there is no voice acting. The story is told in souls-like fashion, through item descriptions and special collectibles called plagues, which provide vague explanations about the characters and events.
Apart from that, there is a special menu where you can follow everything shown in the game and read the tutorials with certain explanations. Nothing you haven't seen already, right? Well, given the game is quite dynamic and requires you to be fast in your decisions, reading those walls of text simply breaks the immersion of the game.
Long story short, if you're in Kunitsu-Gami: Path of the Goddess for the great story, there's a great chance that you'll be disappointed, but luckily, the other aspects, especially the gameplay, are there to make up for everything that Kunitsu-Gami: Path of the Goddess lacks story-wise.
Clear the Defilement, Kill the Bosses
I've already said a thing or two about the curious mixture of genres used in Kunitsu-Gami: Path of the Goddess in the intro of this review, but everything I said is simply not enough to explain to you how different this game looks and feels when you start to play it.
Since the game falls under the genre of strategy and tower defence, you might expect it to look and play like those strategy games. Well, Kunitsu-Gami: Path of the Goddess actually plays like a real-action RPG with all the elements you can see in such games.
Regarding the combat, you have everything you might have expected from a real action RPG game: light and heavy attacks, special attacks, combos and everything else, all together with the camera that you can control and point in any direction you like. Let's not forget to mention the blocking and dodging systems that work flawlessly, like in any other full-blooded RPG or action adventure.
The gameplay is divided into two segments: cleaning the defilement and fighting the bosses. Yes, it is that simple. As the game begins, you're thrown into the first stage, where you learn the basic mechanics. Your goal is to extract Yoshiro (the goddess that can clear defilement) through villages stricken by it. During that process, you'll kill monsters called Seethe and free imprisoned villagers that you can turn into warriors later.
Once Yoshiro reaches the end of the village to the Tori Gate, she will cleanse it. When the Tory gate is cleansed and all villagers are saved, the stage is cleared. Some stages have multiple Tori Gates and require more work to cleanse them, but basically, the concept is always the same. After you cleanse the village, you use it as a base.
Upon cleaning a stage, the boss related to that particular area will unlock and you'll be able to fight it. The bosses are very well designed and sometimes very challenging, especially the late-game ones, because, in order to defeat them, you'll have to employ the help of freed villagers. Every boss drops a mask that can be used to turn a villager into a new type of warrior.
There are a lot of types of them, like woodcutters, archers, mages, and many others, and each of them has a special ability you can use during combat. In the manner of a true strategy game, you'll be able to position them during the fights to either attack the enemy or defend positions, and this is what sets this game apart.
In a classic RTS, you just worry about placing your soldiers, but here, you must fight, and worry about them at the same time, which gives the game a special dose of tension.
When they don't fight with you, those warriors are simple villagers who tend to their village and do whatever you order them to do. Once a fight is finished, you can visit freed villages and order villagers to repair them. Repairing the structures inside a village will reward you with materials that can be used to upgrade your army and your main warrior.
Everything I mentioned in the explanation of the gameplay seems like a perfect game, and it really is, but only if you play it for an hour or two. The huge problem of this gameplay is the fact that everything I mentioned here is repeating itself over and over again throughout the entire game.
The game literally goes like this: clean the stage, repair the previous ones, kill the boss, repair more villages, clean another stage, kill another boss and so on, and so forth. This circle never ends. It doesn't help that the stages look pretty much the same and cleaning this one looks almost the same as the previous one and the one after.
It is always the same thing, without anything new. As I said, it is interesting and even very innovative when you start to play the game, but as soon as you finish a couple of stages and kill the same amount of bosses, it all becomes extremely repetitive and, dare I say, boring.
I know that the games tend to have repetitive gameplay all the time and it is nothing new, but at least you get to experience an interesting story that will push you forward. Sadly, in the case of Kunitsu-Gami: Path of the Goddess, I cannot say I found anything that forced me to finish the game apart from my obligation as a reviewer. If I bought the game on my own, I probably wouldn't have the patience to see it through to the end.
Vivid Colours of Kunitsu-Gami
Kunitsu-Gami: Path of the Goddess is a visually stunning game, though its vibrant colours might be a bit too intense for my taste. However, this is just a subjective opinion. The graphics showcased by the developers are impressive, and you are likely to enjoy this aspect of the game.
Much like the story, the visuals are deeply rooted in Japanese mythology and tradition. Everything is designed with this theme in mind, from the enemies and masks to the characters, including Goddess Yoshiro and the protagonist. The designs are heavily influenced by traditional Japanese art.
The colours are bright and vivid, and the effects of character movement, dancing, and fighting are so vibrant that it feels like they could come to life on the screen at any moment.
Regarding the PlayStation 5 version of the game I played, you have the option to choose between the two graphic settings: the one that prefers the higher resolution with the cost of lower 30 FPS, and the version with a slightly lower resolution that runs at smooth 60 FPS. Of course, since Kunitsu-Gami: Path of the Goddess is a fast-paced game, I chose the latter, but I must say that both versions work flawlessly.
The biggest problem regarding graphical presentation in general is the lack of variety. The game looks amazing; that's undeniable, but the problem is that each stage is almost identical. Don't get me wrong, there are different settings within stages, and they do not look the same per se, but even though they look different in setting, the execution of the level design is always the same.
Some stages are rich with overgrown vegetation, or snowy ones, or the ones reminiscent of autumn with falling leaves and stuff, but once you enter the stage, it is always the same design and the same structure, and that can become very repetitive and hard to look at.
Even though the game looks awesome, the graphic presentation is not so modern and you won't find some fancy graphic effects like ray tracing and such, so if you're one of those gamers who gets overly excited about those shiny reflections, you won't find them here, at least not in the PlayStation 5 version; I can't speak for the other versions because I haven't tried them.
The sound presentation, as well as the graphic one, at least when it comes to the soundtrack, is heavily influenced by Japanese traditional music, and if someone in another room hears you playing Kunitsu-Gami: Path of the Goddess without seeing the game, they could easily identify it as something connected to Japan and its traditions. The other sounds are okay and neither worthy of praise nor critique.
Conclusion
Kunitsu-Gami: Path of the Goddess is a very good game that mixes some genres that seem unmixable, but once you start to play it, you see that the combination of action RPG and strategy tower defence is not just possible but highly likeable. However, everything that captivates you at the beginning quickly starts to fade away because the game can get extremely repetitive.
If you add a very confusing and hard-to-understand story to the equation, the final result might not be as one would have expected. However, a good combat system, very interesting bosses, and a decent graphical presentation can be enough reasons to overlook those obvious flaws and give this game a chance.
Everything is up to you. If you're ready to forgive those obvious flaws, this game has a lot to offer. If they're game-breakers for you like they were for me, then maybe it is wise to spend your hard-earned money on something else.
The Good
Descent visuals- Well-designed and challenging bosses
- Good combat system with strategic elements
The Bad
Repetitive gameplay and level design- Understanding story requires great knowledge of Japanese folklore
