Kunitsu-Gami: Path of the Goddess: A Hidden Gem of Summer Game Fest?

It’s hard to come into a large event like Summer Game Fest and not know everything about some of the games you will see. But that was not the case for me with Capcom’s Kunitsu-Gami: Path of the Goddess, a highly original game that combines real-time strategy with hack-and-slash action. After taking some time to try out the demo at Summer Game Fest, I can’t wait to get a chance to jump back into this world.

Kunitsu-Gami: Path of the Goddess is described as a “Kagura strategy game,” which might be a word you, like me, are unfamiliar with. Kagura translates literally from Japanese as “god entertainment,” but is the term for a Shinto ritual dance. A major function of this practice is purifying the spirit, a mechanic that takes center stage in the game’s story. The player explores Mt. Kafuku, which has been overwhelmed by a strange defilement. As the warrior, Soh, players will travel from village to village; purifying the defilement and fending off the hordes of seethe that creep through defiled gates. Prepare for battle during the day and fend off enemies during the night to defend the Maiden as she continues the Kagura, which will ultimately purify the entire village.

Kunitsu-Gami: Path of the Goddess, Capcom, 2024

Players control Soh, a bodyguard of the Maiden. They can purify small areas of defilement and free villagers who have been cocooned, but it’s up to the Maiden to purify each village’s gate to fully restore the village to its lush, peaceful state. The purification process will take several in-game days, meaning that Soh will have to defend the Maiden from several nights of the seethe horde. Thankfully, freed villagers can be granted roles in the fight. The demo had two roles that could be assigned, the Woodcutter who will attack nearby enemies, and the Aescetic who slows down nearby enemies to support its fellow fighters. Soh moves about the battlefield freely, fighting off crowds of enemies in action-heavy gameplay, but the player can also pause to give villagers commands to move to defend a new area. Soh is powerful, but he can’t cover every angle, so proper positioning and tactics are key to success.

For the Maiden to reach the gate, Soh must create a path. This path can only be created by gathering resources from fallen enemies and purifying defilement in the village. As mentioned earlier, gathering enough resources will take several nights. As the path gets closer, the Maiden also steps closer to the gate, putting herself closer to the spawning enemies. Thankfully, my first time trying the game, I had the foresight to store up resources for another night so that I could complete the path the following day and avoid a tense night of up-close-and-personal combat.

Kunitsu-Gami: Path of the Goddess, Capcom, 2024

Kunitsu-Gami: Path of the Goddess’ use of Shinto culture and combination of real-time strategy and action already make it stand out, but there is one more thing I have to talk about. This game has incredibly vibrant visuals. While I’ll be the first to admit that many of these visuals are quite unsettling, overall the colorful and creative designs are something to marvel at. Thankfully, the defilement won’t get all the praise, because the Maiden, Soh, and the various villager archetypes all have unique designs and I can’t wait to see more of the different types of villager units and their distinctive masks.

If you’re hearing about this game for the first time and can’t wait to try it out, you’ll be happy to hear that you won’t have to wait that long. Kunitsu-Gami: Path of the Goddess, unlike many of the biggest games present at Summer Game Fest, already has a release date set for next month. This spirited action strategy game launches on July 19th for PC via Steam, PlayStation 4 & 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X / S, and you can play it day one with Xbox Game Pass.