Capcom unveiled an exceptional title this year. No, I’m not referring to Dragon’s Dogma 2, Dead Rising Deluxe Remaster, or the Marvel vs. Capcom Fighting Series—all of which were released in 2024. And you certainly didn’t miss a stealth launch in the Resident Evil, Street Fighter, or Monster Hunter franchises. Alongside three major well-received titles, Capcom also delivered a peculiar game brimming with spirits, Japanese culture, and tactical assignment: Kunitsu-Gami: Path of the Goddess. This game debuted in 2024 but feels as though it was hastened from 2004—in all the best ways.
No one will fault you for overlooking it. To say it went unnoticed would be an understatement, and Capcom indicated in a recent financial briefing that the game failed to meet sales expectations. However, Kunitsu-Gami deserves recognition as almost a historical document, both in terms of its design and its presentation.
As the hero Soh, you aim to protect the divine maiden Yoshiro so she can cleanse the tainted mountain, liberating villagers to assist you in a thrilling worker-management real-time strategy game that takes you in a winding path down the mountain and through all sorts of creatures and spirits plucked from Japanese folklore.
The gameplay flow is straightforward: By day, you’ll rescue villagers, repair tower defenses, and try to keep Yoshiro as close to the gate as possible without putting her in danger. You can assign villagers various roles such as Woodsman, Archer, Ascetic, Sumo, among many others. At night, you’ll defend Yoshiro with the help of these villagers, coordinating them to act effectively while keeping them safe. If you manage to defeat the monsters, everyone participates in a dance to purify the gate.
Main Impression
Many modern games are crafted to appeal to as many players as possible, offering dozens or even hundreds of hours of gameplay, often accompanied by piles of DLC and in-game currency that costs real money. In contrast, Kunitsu-Gami feels refreshingly simple. There is only one piece of DLC, and it’s free for Game Pass users—a few easy Okami-themed cosmetics, including an item that makes grass grow behind you as you move, which both resembles something straight out of the 2006 Capcom classic and is cohesive with the aesthetic of Kunitsu-Gami. There are no additional purchases required, except for the soundtrack, which is available on Steam.
The game itself is linear, progressively offering a more complex list of levels and an expanding roster of character classes to access. You can revisit levels for extra rewards, but it’s not necessary. The game is dynamic, yet it never forces you to collect trinkets, clear towers, or engage in any other distractions. It is strictly a strategy game, and that alone makes it considerably more challenging to navigate. It doesn’t follow a familiar set of gameplay mechanics and themes. Kunitsu-Gami requires players to learn a unique set of systems as they organize their villagers and resources, all within a world of folklore that may feel entirely foreign to many Western gamers.
The overall experience feels as if it had somehow been delayed by two decades and has just now arrived, but that’s not a criticism—quite the opposite. Publishers of the same stature as Capcom simply don’t create games like this anymore.
Authentic Artwork
While feeling like a nostalgic journey to the gaming days of yore, Kunitsu-Gami also draws on the rich well of Japanese folklore and culture. Many games reflect the era during which they were created, but Kunitsu-Gami elevates this concept to another level. It is deeply infused with Japanese art.
The movements of Soh, Yoshiro, and the villagers are inspired by Kagura ritual dances, including Soh’s sword combat moves. You might come across woodblock prints detailing the various monsters you battle. The designs of the monsters themselves echo traditional representations of yokai (spirits) and bakemono (monsters) found in Japanese woodblock art. Whereas games like Nioh and Ghost of Tsushima focus on immersing you in their worlds and making you feel like the one experiencing the adventure (which is a completely valid approach!), Kunitsu-Gami presents a world that resembles a diorama of a fairytale. Photorealism is not a priority here.
The soundtrack, too, draws from traditional melodies…
participants’s melodies and verses, incorporating a blend of traditional Japanese instruments and distinctive Western tools to create a sound fusion that feels timeless without being restrictive. You can enjoy Yoshiro’s creations featuring traditional Japanese sweets crafted by authentic confectioners. The development team behind the game took these sweet treats and meticulously scanned them into the game to capture the appearance and essence of the cuisine. A significant portion of the architecture and attire also derives from hand-crafted artifacts, all designed with a commitment to authenticity in relation to the art itself. Although the game is a digital production, the inspirations behind it are historical and tangible, which is reflected in the art of the game as well.
Properly understanding Kunitsu-Gami from an artistic angle is a monumental task, and you could easily spend countless hours studying everything and still be left with inquiries. It is deeply rooted in traditional Japanese culture, with such meticulous attention to detail that it could well qualify as a form of Japanese historical preservation.
Even the promotion and marketing for Kunitsu-Gami draws inspiration from Japanese history, as Capcom collaborated with a Bunraku troupe as part of the game’s promotion. Bunraku (puppet) theater is one of the oldest forms of performance art in Japan.
When I think about Kunitsu-Gami: Pa