During today’s Xbox Partner Preview for 2024, Capcom gave fans an in-depth look at its upcoming action-strategy game, Kinitsu-Gami: Path of the Goddess, and confirmed the launch window of 2024.
While that doesn’t help nail down the release date, the stunning gameplay on show was enough to convince me that the wait will be worth it. Kinitsu-Gami will be available on Xbox Game Pass on day one, so subscribers won’t have to wait patiently to get their hands on it. This isn’t an Xbox exclusive, though; it’s also heading to PC and PS5.
Kinitsu-Gami: Path of the Goddess is an incredibly unique title that wears its Japanese influences on its sleeve, similar to games like Ghost of Tsushima. It’s been almost a year since the game was first revealed during a similar Xbox event, but the most recent footage dives into the core gameplay loop that looks as though it’ll be absolutely engrossing.
The story of Kinitsu-Gami: Path of the Goddess revolves around 12 masks that are stolen from Mt. Kafuku, an area of the world that’s now been defiled by The Seethe. You’ll take on the role of Soh, who appears to be a samurai and work with the Yoshiro, a mysterious and powerful maiden, to cleanse every village of this defilement. You won’t be slicing and dicing The Seethe, though. Instead, you’ll be using Kagura, moves derived from the dances used in Japan’s Shinto religion, to purify the defiled.
New masks unlock with every village you cleanse, and each mask unlocks new powers. Over the course of the game, you’ll need to use these powers to protect Yoshiro as increasingly challenging waves of enemies threaten to spread the purge once again. Villagers can be saved by day while cleaning a village, and they can then be recruited and placed close to a Torii gate through which enemies surge by night.
Each mechanic adds a new layer of complexity for you to consider. It’s important to wear the mask that will best protect Yoshiro, but villagers must also be placed correctly to stop enemies from getting past your forces. Finally, you’ll need to perform moves such as the Dancing Sword Action to cleanse The Seethe from an area once and for all and move onto the next village.
The Seethe’s forces are vile abominations inspired by Japanese demons known as Yokai. Leading them are Festering Seethe, huge monstrosities that act as bosses at various stages throughout Kinitsu-Gami: Path of the Goddess. In an Xbox Wire post, the game’s director, Shuichi Kawata, explained, “This game features a very distinct blend of action and strategy genres and takes strong inspiration from various elements of Japanese culture. With all of that, we’re excited (and maybe a little nervous…in a good way!) to have everyone experience this game.”
For some reason, Kinitsu-Gami: Path of the Goddess reminds me a lot of Okami, which was initially published by Capcom in 2006. The music and art style are extremely similar, but I reckon that’s because they’re both very upfront about their Japanese inspiration. What took me back in time almost two decades to playing Okami when it was first released on PS2 was Kinitsu-Gami: Path of the Goddess‘s music. The cadence, rises, and falls of each instrument immersed me in its world once more, and I’m already eagerly awaiting that release date so I can clear my calendar.
