Kunitsu-Gami Game Design Commentary 15: Batsu(魃ばつ)

■第15回　色々混ざった乾きの大ボス！魃… pic.twitter.com/AMku2ujoHv

— 【公式】 祇（くにつがみ）：Path of the Goddess (@Kunitsu_Gami_JP) May 20, 2026

■第15回　色々混ざった乾きの大ボス！魃

最初期にボスとしてラフ絵は上げていたもので考えた通りの敵になりました。大ボスの設定、干ばつのイメージから、乾き→地面ひび割れ→蜘蛛の巣っぽい→蜘蛛…みたいな連想を繰り返し、顔は動物では無く人寄り、開くと獣感、牛鬼とくだんを混ぜた様な印象にしました。

当初は尻尾に当たる部分は考えておらず、前後の分かり易さ、後ろが隙みたいな印象が必要かな？との意見もあり、蜘蛛の糸を出すようなよく動く尻尾をつけ足しました。この部分の動きの柔らかさも相まって妙な迫力が出ましたね。

当時はデザイン、モデル、リグ制作、アニメーションまで全部作ったのも、良い情熱の思い出。

ひび割れのエフェクトが良い感じに蜘蛛の巣要素を演出してもらえたり、プログラムでの動きも良い感じに生き生きとした制御。

異界遷宮で通常ウェーブで出て来た時のインパクトは必見です。

■15th Round: The Great Boss of Mixed-Up Dryness! The Drought Spirit

This was one I had uploaded rough sketches of as a boss from the very earliest stages, and it turned out exactly as I had envisioned as an enemy. For the great boss's setup, drawing from the image of drought, I went through associations like dryness → cracked ground → spiderweb-like → spider..., and made the face more human-like rather than animalistic, with a beastly feel when it opens, giving an impression like a mix of a cow demon and a prophetic beast.

Originally, I hadn't thought about the part that serves as a tail, but there were opinions that it might be necessary for clarity between front and back, and to give the impression of a vulnerability in the rear, so I added a highly mobile tail that looks like it could shoot out spider threads. Combined with the softness of movement in this part, it ended up creating a strangely compelling intensity.

Back then, making everything from the design, modeling, rigging, to animation was a fond memory of passionate effort.

The crack effects nicely brought out the spiderweb elements, and the programming for its movements was controlled in a way that made it vividly lively.

The impact when it appears in a normal wave in the Otherworldly Migration is a must-see.

Plaque Lore:

人が増えれば増えるほど様々な穢けがれを呼び込こむ。人が人を忌いみ嫌きらい、妬ねたみなどを向け呪のろいをかける。その昔、自分の土地よりも豊かに土地を実らせた人々を妬ねたむ村人がいた。その村人はついには家畜かちくの死体を使い、人々を呪のろってしまったという。呪のろいの力は凄すさまじく、山の一部をすべて干上がらせてしまった。魃ばつとは呪のろいをかけたその村人が変貌へんぼうした姿とも言われている。

Humans and defilement increase in equal parts, curses born from humanity's disdain and envy. Long ago, a man who was envious of those with more abundant fields used the carcasses of livestock to cast a curse upon the land. Legend states that the curse was so potent it dried out the entire side of the mountain and transformed the envious man into a frightening beast.

Kunitsu-Gami Game Design Commentary 14: Hidarugami(ヒダル神がみ)

■第14回　両面フロントの憑き物、ヒダル神！
村人達の力と同じ様に、逆の力に作用するお面として考案。
お面だけだと、インパクトに欠けるので、お面から人の身体が生えているイメージへ。
頭をすっぽり覆って二人羽織状態になって操る！背中は無く両方前として作っています。… pic.twitter.com/hXYjyIjjhQ

— 【公式】 祇（くにつがみ）：Path of the Goddess (@Kunitsu_Gami_JP) May 18, 2026

■第14回　両面フロントの憑き物、ヒダル神！

村人達の力と同じ様に、逆の力に作用するお面として考案。

お面だけだと、インパクトに欠けるので、お面から人の身体が生えているイメージへ。

頭をすっぽり覆って二人羽織状態になって操る！背中は無く両方前として作っています。

村人の手足を奪い、操り人形的に考えていたので手足自体は触手、軟体感が出るようにしました。

二人羽織はIK等、非常に大変になりそうな空気と取り憑かれている状態が視認し辛いかも？を察知したので、シンプルに顔だけに取り憑いて、上に上る印象になって分かり易くなり解決。

■14th Round: The Possession of the Double-Fronted Hidarugami!

Conceived as a mask that exerts an opposing force in the same way as the villagers' power.

Since a mask alone lacked impact, we shifted to an image where a human body sprouts from the mask.

It covers the head completely, creating a two-person costume state where it manipulates! The back is absent, designed with both sides as fronts.

Since we were thinking of it as seizing the villagers' limbs and treating them like puppets, the limbs themselves are made into tentacles to give a soft, invertebrate feel.

We sensed that the two-person costume would be extremely challenging with IK and such, and the state of possession might be hard to visualize, so we simplified it to just possessing the face, giving an impression of rising upward, which made it clearer and solved the issue.

Plaque Lore:

人間に憑依ひょういし極度の疲労感ひろうかんや空腹感を与あたえて憑とりつくとされる畏哭いこく。ヒダル神がみの正体はかつて同じくヒダル神がみに憑とりつかれた人間であるとされ、憑依ひょういされた者の周囲では徐々じょじょに生気を奪うばわれるといった現象が発生する。これは自身が味わった苦しみを他人にも味わわせたいという人間の悪性が顕現けんげんしたものとする説もある。

The Hidarugami will possess humans, inflicting them with severe hunger and fatigue. Legend states that they are born from humans whose life force was completely drained by another Hidarugami. But some believe that they are actually the manifestation of unfortunate humans who wished for others to experience the same suffering.

So the way it looks when possessing Yoshiro the first time was the original idea for it?

Kunitsu-Gami Game Design Commentary 13: Tsurube-otoshi(つるべ落おとし)

■第13回　時間があると盛ってしまう！つるべ落とし… pic.twitter.com/AfCIYC0ZVR

— 【公式】 祇（くにつがみ）：Path of the Goddess (@Kunitsu_Gami_JP) May 15, 2026

■第13回　時間があると盛ってしまう！つるべ落とし

空から落ちて来て、人を食べるを解釈して、空で大きく丸っこい幽体が泳いでいて、落ちてくる。落ちて来たものは実は口で開くと、今まで食べられたであろう者たちの顔が見える、発光のテクスチャで泣いてるようにしました。開発初期にデザイン。最初はザコとして考えていたにも関わらず、内容を盛り込んだ物になってました。

元はひとうばんのポジションで扱う予定でしたが、仮モデルでもポリゴン数も骨も多くなってしまい、これは大量に数出せないかもと。

少し小さめでしたので口中の顔群も細かいので見え辛かったので、思い切って巨大にしてつるべ落としに相応しい大きさへ。

船のステージで乗り物になっているのが面白いです。

■13th Round: When I Have Time, I Overdo It! Tsurube Otoshi

It falls from the sky, interpreting "eats people"—a large, roundish ghostly form swims in the air and comes falling down. The thing that falls is actually a mouth that opens, revealing the faces of those it has presumably eaten before, made with a glowing texture as if they are crying. A design from the early development phase. Even though I initially thought of it as a small fry enemy, it ended up being something packed with content.

Originally, it was planned to be handled as a one-pattern enemy, but even the provisional model had too many polygons and bones, so I thought, "This might not be something I can produce in large numbers."

Since it was a bit small, the cluster of faces inside the mouth was detailed but hard to see, so I boldly made it huge to fit a size appropriate for a tsurube otoshi.

It's interesting how it becomes a vehicle in the ship stage.

Plaque Lore:

人間の頭上を狙ねらって執拗しつように落ちてくる畏哭いこく。その姿はオタマジャクシ、あるいは人の口のようだとも伝えられる。 口を開けた中には人の顔のような集まり、苦悶くもんの表情が見られる。かつて水辺で仕事をしていた際に不慮ふりょの事故によって失われた村人たちの訴うったえなのかもしれないと言われている。

The Tsurube-otoshi aims to relentlessly crush humans from above. Some say it looks like a tadpole, while others say it is a human mouth. When it opens its great maw, many humans faces in great anguish are revealed within. Legend states that it was born from the humans who were lost to unforeseen water-related accidents.

Kunitsu-Gami Game Design Commentary 12: Enenra(煙々羅えんえんら)

■第12回　顔をリロード！！えんえんら
遠くから呪詛を唱えて、プレイヤーからNPCへの干渉を塞ぐ。という機能をまず考える。
ゲームとしては、接敵しにくくなるから分かり易くしないと。ミーティングの中でラフ画と共にお焚き上げと言うワードが出現。… pic.twitter.com/TnLswcpt0m

— 【公式】 祇（くにつがみ）：Path of the Goddess (@Kunitsu_Gami_JP) May 13, 2026

■第12回　顔をリロード！！えんえんら

遠くから呪詛を唱えて、プレイヤーからNPCへの干渉を塞ぐ。という機能をまず考える。

ゲームとしては、接敵しにくくなるから分かり易くしないと。ミーティングの中でラフ画と共にお焚き上げと言うワードが出現。

それだ！頭から延々と煙が出ている。近所の神社で節分の時に神社で見るあの感じ。

罪人の顔を模したものを頭に装填して燃やす！顔自体は”受け皿や襟”に見立て高尚な雰囲気に見える様に造形。

リロードする素材は腰にぶら下げてて、大事そうに他の手で押さえている。顔が装填されると見た目的には完成。

独特な舞が非常にかっこ良い。

■Round 12: Reload the Face!! Enenra

Chant curses from afar to block interference from players to NPCs. First, let's think about that function.

As a game, it makes it harder to engage enemies, so it needs to be visually clear. During the meeting, the word "offering to the fire" came up along with rough sketches.

That's it! Smoke endlessly billowing from the head. Like the sight at the local shrine during Setsubun.

Load a likeness of the sinner's face onto the head and burn it! The face itself is shaped to resemble a "receptacle or collar," giving it a refined atmosphere.

The reload material is dangling from the waist, carefully held in place by the other hand. Once the face is loaded, it looks complete visually.

The unique dance is incredibly cool.

Plaque Lore:

大勢のお経の音と共に現れる。 身体の周りには蛇へびのように巻き付けた経典、腰こしには生前に仏門で悪事を働いた坊主ぼうずたちを模した呪面じゅめんをぶら下げており、その呪面じゅめんからは不気味な念仏が唱えられ続けるという。 呪面じゅめんから発せられる煙けむりは宗そうと仮面の力を抑おさえ込こむ力を持ち、煙けむりが消えると腰こしにぶらさげた呪面じゅめんと取り換かえることで再び煙けむりを発するようになる。

The Enenra have snakelike sutras coiling around their bodies, and the cursed heads of Buddhist monks who committed evil acts during their lifetime hanging from their waists. The heads chant ominous sutras, which can be heard as the Enenra approach, and produce a cursed smoke that suppresses both Soh's own powers and the powers granted through Soh's mask. If one head extinguishes, an Enenra can replace it with a fresh one hanging from its waist.

When we're in Defiled State, we can't guide the villagers or change occupations. The Command screen is unavailable. 

But it says it 'suppresses Soh's own power and the power granted through Soh's mask'.

We bestow power using the mask but suppressing Soh's own power...must be the inability to control the villagers. Which is said to be Yoshiro's power.

When I pasted Soh's plaque into Google Translate App, this came out:

A messenger of the Mountain Deity, an entity that, across the generations, has guided and watched over a world steeped in chaos. Descending into the realm of mortals, it has bestowed guidance upon each successive generation, and, through the lineage, granted power via the medium of a mask.

It's not translating Soh's or Yoshiro's names yet doesn't this make perfect sense in the context of the game?

Each Yoshiro is guided by Soh and through Soh's mask, she grants powers of the masks upon the villagers.

But what 'own power' of Soh's is being suppressed?

Kunitsu-Gami Game Design Commentary 11: Gotaimen(五体面ごたいめん)

■第11回　擬態で出落ちのはずが・・・の、ごたいめん
当初擬態が中心としてデザイン。穢れに擬態して、出てくるとデカい顔！デカい顔と言えば五体面。
手の平に逆さまの顔がついている、穢れに擬態しているので指には腐生植物的なアレンジを入れ、… pic.twitter.com/Y16NJfLoWw

— 【公式】 祇（くにつがみ）：Path of the Goddess (@Kunitsu_Gami_JP) May 11, 2026

■第11回　擬態で出落ちのはずが・・・の、ごたいめん

当初擬態が中心としてデザイン。穢れに擬態して、出てくるとデカい顔！デカい顔と言えば五体面。

手の平に逆さまの顔がついている、穢れに擬態しているので指には腐生植物的なアレンジを入れ、

その指が折りたたまれて顎になり、閉じると顔に見えるけど実は、そこから小さな畏哭が出てくる！だったんです。

ゲーム的にも敵の進軍が大切なので止まって待つは無いなとなり、ゲーム内での役割は固定砲台に変更。

派手に動きまる様になり、敵として擬態よりは強い砲台として脅威になる良い働きをしてくれました。

■11th Round: The Camouflage That Was Supposed to Be a Quick Exit... Turns Out to Be a Five-Faced Horror

Originally designed with camouflage as the central theme. It camouflages as filth, and when it emerges, it reveals a massive face! And when it comes to massive faces, it's a five-faced one.

An upside-down face is attached to the palm, and since it's camouflaged as filth, the fingers have a decay-plant-like arrangement added to them.

Those fingers fold up to form the jaw, and when closed, it looks like a face—but actually, from there, a small Fear-Weeper emerges! That's what it was supposed to be.

From a game perspective, the enemy's advance is crucial, so it couldn't just sit and wait; thus, its role in the game was changed to a fixed turret.

It became something that moves around dramatically, and rather than as a camouflaged enemy, it serves well as a powerful turret that becomes a real threat to the player.

Plaque Lore:

人の顔が逆さまに付いているような姿をした畏哭いこく。 胴体どうたいを引きずりながら動き、大口を開けて穢けがれの塊かたまりを吐はきつけてくる。普段は森の中で息をひそめて隠かくれているとされる。 とある村では親が子を躾しつける際に「不思議な光る玉を見つけても決して触ふれてはいけない、五体面ごたいめんにのまれるぞ」と言い聞かせて躾しつける風習があると伝えられている。

The Gotaimen have the appearance of upturned human faces. They drag themselves across the ground as they vomit defilement from a gaping maw. They are typically found in forests, where they obscure themselves as they lie in wait for their next victim. Parents tell their children the cautionary tale of the Gotaimen when they venture out, warning their kin to never touch the mysterious glowing orb, lest they be swallowed whole.

Kunitsu-Gami Game Design Commentary 10: Hozukime (鬼灯目ほおずきめ)

■第10回　範囲攻撃＝爆発！？鬼灯目
モチーフより、機能から！
役割としては各職業を固めて置いておくと痛い目に会うかもよ？という存在。これを、”範囲攻撃と抽象化した敵デザイン”での表現を目指しました。記号としては分かり易くなっている思います。… pic.twitter.com/N25AB7pxaA

— 【公式】 祇（くにつがみ）：Path of the Goddess (@Kunitsu_Gami_JP) May 8, 2026

■第10回　範囲攻撃＝爆発！？鬼灯目

モチーフより、機能から！

役割としては各職業を固めて置いておくと痛い目に会うかもよ？という存在。これを、”範囲攻撃と抽象化した敵デザイン”での表現を目指しました。記号としては分かり易くなっている思います。

デザイン的には百目っぽい事をやりたいと考えていましたが、そもそも、目が無いって設定にもしたい…、どうしよう。

目の様な物に穢れが入った水風船と思い込んでデザインしたんですけど、伝わりにくいので自身のアイデアは没！！

思考を変える為に、鬼灯目にしたいんですという事だけを伝え、モデラーの方にデザインして頂きました！自分には無い路線で、一塊としてみて、両側に赤目っぽい装飾があり、顔っぽい部分が鼻。そして、亜種の土壌汚しの際には顔が伸びで亀のような見た目！！面白く仕上がりました。珍しくデザイン画も多かったキャラクター。

■10th Round: Area Attack = Explosion!? Lantern Eye

From function, rather than motif!

In terms of role, it's an entity that might make you regret locking down each class too rigidly. For this, I aimed to express it through "area attacks and abstracted enemy design." As a symbol, I think it's become quite clear and easy to understand.

In terms of design, I wanted to go for something reminiscent of a hundred-eyed creature, but at the same time, I also wanted the setting to be that it fundamentally has no eyes... What to do.

I ended up designing it by imagining a water balloon filled with filth in the shape of an eye, but it was hard to convey, so I scrapped my own idea!!

To shift my thinking, I just conveyed to the modeler that I wanted to make it a Lantern Eye, and had them design it! It went in a direction I wouldn't have thought of: viewed as a single mass, with red eye-like decorations on both sides, and the face-like part serving as the nose. And during the subspecies' soil contamination phase, the face stretches out to give it a turtle-like appearance!! It turned out really fun. Unusually for me, this character had a lot of design sketches.

Plaque Lore:

人の手によって開拓かいたくされた土地、土地を敬う心を忘れた人々、それらによって生じた穢けがれが土地を返せと嘆なげく時に姿を現す。 刺激しげきを与あたえるとその目は赤くなり、散り際に周囲に穢けがれをまき散らす。 その様が人々から鬼灯ほおずきのようだと言われている。

Humans have forgotten their place as they till, shear, and cleave the ever-giving earth, the benefactor of their very existence. The Hozukimeare born of the defiled land, lamenting its destruction. The shape of

a ground cherry, their eyes turn red when provoked, and when they are destroyed, the defilement within their bodies returns to the earth.

Kunitsu-Gami Game Design Commentary 9: Kamaitachi(かまいたち)

■第9回　”網切”or”かまいたち”か…
当初は網切で考えてたんですけど、分かり易い方が良いってことで”かまいたち”として再考、ボディ自体は網切の名残がありますね。完成版は網切とかまいたちのハイブリッドです。… pic.twitter.com/GL5oqzV9Tv

— 【公式】 祇（くにつがみ）：Path of the Goddess (@Kunitsu_Gami_JP) May 6, 2026

■第9回　”網切”or”かまいたち”か…

当初は網切で考えてたんですけど、分かり易い方が良いってことで”かまいたち”として再考、ボディ自体は網切の名残がありますね。完成版は網切とかまいたちのハイブリッドです。

所謂かまいたちの動物っぽいデザインは良く見るので、そこは外す。畏哭の設定から人っぽさが重要なので、腕を遠くでも分かる大鎌へ。

手が鎌だと色々不便だな、何か生活大変そう…からの泣いている様な顔が面白いんじゃないかと思い意図反映。

背中の小さな顔は色々と試行錯誤したなれの果てです。中盤以降にザコとしても出すとの事で、そんな複雑な事もさせられないって事で攻撃はオミット。結果、背中のオブジェクトはデザインの装飾としての意味も強かったので、動きの演出となり、派手さが増し中ボスとして活躍も果たせています。

■Round 9: "Net Cutter" or "Kamaitachi"...

Originally, I was thinking of it as Net Cutter, but for better clarity, I reconsidered it as "Kamaitachi," though the body itself still bears remnants of the Net Cutter concept. The final version is a hybrid of Net Cutter and Kamaitachi.

The so-called Kamaitachi's animal-like design is something you see a lot, so I decided to steer clear of that. Given the settings for Fearful Cry, human-like qualities are important, so I changed the arms to large scythes that are recognizable even from afar.

If the hands are scythes, it'd be inconvenient in all sorts of ways—life would seem pretty tough... and from there, I thought it might be fun to give it a face that looks like it's crying, so I incorporated that idea.

The small face on the back is the end result of a lot of trial and error. It was mentioned that it'd appear as a small fry enemy from the mid-game onward, so I figured we couldn't make it too complex for that, and ended up omitting the attack function. As a result, since the back object was already strong as a decorative design element, it became a motion effect instead, adding more flair and allowing it to shine as a mid-boss.

Plaque Lore

森林の伐採ばっさいによりどこからともなく嘆なげく声が聞こえるという。 腕うでには大きな鎌かま、眷属けんぞくたちの魂たましいを背負ったような見た目をしているとされ、自分たちがやられたことを仕返しに帰って来るという。 人だけではなく人の作りだした物や建物までもが切断されてしまうといい、かまいたちが出没しゅつぼつした村では凄惨せいさんな光景が広がるという。

Distraught wails emanate from the desolate remains of deforestation. Armed with a sickle and carrying the souls of their fallen brethren, the Kamaitachi seek revenge upon the humans that eradicated their homes. Be it humankind or human-made, they will demolish everything, leaving behind nothing but destitution in their wake.

Name Cards: Soh & Cursed Soh. (Lotus & Water Lily?)

Cursed Soh

Soh

Cursed Soh has lotus leaves on hers. But why?

I thought it had to do with lotus's booming in muddy waters. (defilement)

I asked ChatGPT to see what it says.

In Kunitsu-Gami: Path of the Goddess, that contrast feels very intentional symbolically.

A lone lotus blossom on Soh’s normal name card suggests an idealized or purified state:

• spiritual clarity,
• devotion to the Maiden,
• transcendence above corruption,
• a singular sacred purpose.

When the “Cursed Soh” version includes lotus leaves around the flower, it changes the symbolism from a pure emblem into part of a living pond ecosystem. Lotus leaves are closer to the muddy water the lotus grows from, so visually they can imply:

• connection to impurity or the earthly realm,
• being surrounded by corruption instead of rising above it,
• a return to origin or instinct,
• spiritual burden rather than pure transcendence.

Because lotus leaves are broad, shadowing, and rooted to the water surface, they also create a more enclosed feeling. The flower alone feels elevated and clean; the flower with leaves feels immersed.

There’s another layer too: in Buddhist imagery, the lotus flower is often the enlightened state, while the pond/leaves/stems represent the cycle of suffering and worldly existence that enlightenment emerges from. “Cursed Soh” having both could symbolize someone pulled back into the mire instead of remaining detached from it.

Visually, it also makes Cursed Soh’s emblem feel denser and more organic — less like a sacred crest and more like something overgrown or overtaken. That fits the game’s recurring themes of defilement, transformation, and purification rituals.

Very interesting information from a robot.

The arena is also watery, which was the first thing I thought of.

Soh's flower has a stem and is shaped very slightly different to Cursed Soh's.

EDIT:

Cursed Soh's might be a Water Lily and Soh's a Lotus! It explains why Soh's has a stem. To show it's rising above water. Cursed Soh's is on the water, alongside its leaves.

This could be another 'two things which are mistaken for each other'. Another would be Cursed Soh's name which could be a reference to the Sal tree. A tree which has a substitute in Japan.

Forces. (Kunitsu-Gami GMV)

It's not lore accurate lol but I liked the idea and felt like making a shorter one too.

This is the third Forces one I made but the first I've decided to post. The very first isn't complete yet. Or rather, I'm not satisfied with it yet.

A simple thumbnail.

Making this video is actually when I noticed that when Soh's powers are stolen by Batsu, it's affecting Yoshiro too. Her silhouette 'doubles', as if she's being pulled.

I make GMVs for myself so I often sit with them for months even years, before posting them. Most times I never post them.

It's just very satisfying to see something actualized.

I hope you enjoy it.

Kunitsu-Gami Game Design Commentary 8: Mukadejoro 百足女郎むかでじょろう

■第8回　技術は凄い！が調整大変！！百足女郎　
企画から百足モチーフのボスの提案がありました。這う蟲の災のイメージ行ける！分かる、必要よね、ははっ。次の瞬間、あれ、これ作るの色々大変なのでは？どうすれば、この大型敵を上手く作れるのかな～と必死に考えながら、デザインに入りました。… pic.twitter.com/9gEz7LAlHy

— 【公式】 祇（くにつがみ）：Path of the Goddess (@Kunitsu_Gami_JP) May 4, 2026

 ■第8回　技術は凄い！が調整大変！！百足女郎　

企画から百足モチーフのボスの提案がありました。這う蟲の災のイメージ行ける！分かる、必要よね、ははっ。次の瞬間、あれ、これ作るの色々大変なのでは？どうすれば、この大型敵を上手く作れるのかな～と必死に考えながら、デザインに入りました。

本体、足（連続部分）、尻尾という感じで構成して、本体の動きに追従するように関節くっつけて、アニメーションの負担も少し減らして…等々構成を考えるの先でした。

所謂、女性を連想させるデザインは本作には少ないので良さげかなと思い意識しつつ、足は設置とか細かい事が気にならない様に、ブヨブヨで大きくし、エフェクトで良い感じにしてもらい。

全体的に垂れた塊と外骨格のコントラストをつけ完成。

その間にも技術進歩もあり、床を歩く以外にも壁にも上り、天井に張り付く等想定以上の動きを見せてくれました。

■Round 8: The Tech is Amazing! But the Adjustments Are Tough!! Centipede Lady  

There was a proposal from the planning stage for a boss with a centipede motif. The image of a crawling insect disaster works! I get it, it's necessary, right? Haha. The next moment, wait, isn't making this going to be really tough in various ways? How can we create this large enemy smoothly~? I desperately pondered that as I dove into the design.  

I structured it with the main body, legs (continuous parts), and tail, attaching joints to follow the main body's movements, slightly reducing the animation burden... and so on—that was the first step in figuring out the composition.  

Since designs evoking women are rare in this work, I thought it might be a nice change and made a conscious effort, while making the legs plump and large so that placement and fine details wouldn't be noticeable, and had effects added to make it look good.  

Overall, I created a contrast between the sagging mass and the exoskeleton to complete it.  

In the meantime, tech advancements happened too, and it showed movements beyond expectations—not just walking on the floor, but climbing walls and sticking to ceilings.

Plaque Lore:

昔々、洞窟どうくつで暮らす女がいた。 その姿を見た者の村の田畑は蟲害ちゅうがいを受けるという言い伝えがあった。 時は進み、その言い伝えを恐おそれた村人は洞窟どうくつの中にある巨大きょだいな柱を祀まつった。 その柱には人骨があり、不憫ふびんに思った村人が埋葬まいそうしようとするととても信じられないほど巨大きょだいな百足むかでの姿へと成り果てた女が現れて、 瞬またたく間に柱を登って行ってしまったという。

Long ago, there was a woman who lived in a cave. According to legend, all those who laid eyes on her would soon find their fields infested with plagues of insects. As time passed, the villagers began to fear the legitimacy behind this tale and started to worship the large pillar of fossilized bones found in her cave. Full of pity, the villagers made to lay the old bones to rest, only for a woman in the form of a tremendous centipede to scurry its way up the pillar.

Kunitsu-Gami Game Design Commentary 7: Rosokuro(ろうそく老ろう)

第7回　モーションキャプチャーの面白み！！ろうそくろう
ここまで、敵の機能が出そろえば次はバフキャラが必要。主人公サイドもレベルアップするので敵側も強く出来るような性能を考える。… pic.twitter.com/IZ7WVBtgIh

— 【公式】 祇（くにつがみ）：Path of the Goddess (@Kunitsu_Gami_JP) May 1, 2026

第7回　モーションキャプチャーの面白み！！ろうそくろう

ここまで、敵の機能が出そろえば次はバフキャラが必要。主人公サイドもレベルアップするので敵側も強く出来るような性能を考える。

ミーティング中に「火を灯して煽る感じだね」と出たので、それを元に呪詛唱えて力を与える、ロウソクで火を分け灯す感じから現在の形に落ち着く。法衣を来て、その首が伸びてシルエットはロウソクっぽく、舌が芯になり灯がともっている。喉はふいごの様に動く。

色々出来上がった後に気づく、そういえば火ふきってもの居ましたね。

モーションキャプチャー時は上の人と下の人で同時に撮影する様にデータを組んでおり、普段の撮影とは違い非常に面白味がありました。

Round 7: The Fun of Motion Capture!! Candle Row

Up to this point, once the enemy functions are all in place, next we need buffer characters. Since the protagonist side levels up, we think about performance that can make the enemy side stronger too.

During the meeting, someone said, "It's like lighting a fire and fanning the flames," so based on that, it settled into the current form of chanting curses to grant power, sharing the flame by lighting it with a candle. Wearing robes, its neck stretches out and the silhouette looks like a candle, with the tongue becoming the wick and the flame lit. The throat moves like bellows.

After everything was finished, we realized, oh right, there was this thing called a fire-breather.

For motion capture, we set up the data to shoot the upper and lower parts simultaneously with two people, and unlike regular shooting, it had a lot of interesting flavor.

Plaque Lore: 

異界について記された書物との出会いをきっかけに畏哭いこくを操る術を求めて 山中を歩く中、異界にまぎれ込こんでしまった老人の成れの果て。異界の中で念願の畏哭いこくを操る呪炎じゅえんの術を習得するが、 その姿や思念は目的に取り憑つかれた異形と化していた。 己もまた畏哭いこくへと成り果てたことに気づかないまま、 今も喜々として畏哭いこくに呪炎じゅえんを与あたえ続けているという。

There once was a man so entangled with his work, that it devoured him alive. Upon finding a tome detailing the other world, he sought for the power to control the Seethe. His chance eventually came when he was spirited away from the mountain, where he threw himself into his research in the other world. Possessed with manic ambition, he finally mastered the art of the cursed flame.

However, joyous in his newfound powers over the Seethe, he does not realize that he has become the very creature he sought to control.

The other world mentioned here is what I was hoping we'd explore in the DLC. :(