Capcom’s oddest game in ages hits Game Pass this week

Though lacking any major titles, July has already been a fantastic month for eclectic smaller games on Game Pass: The past couple of weeks have seen the release of such gems as The Case of the Golden Idol, Tchia, Neon White, and Flock.

The trend continues into the second half of the month with a trio of day one releases, all coming this week: soulslike Flintlock: The Siege of Dawn, Alpine adventure Dungeons of Hinterberg, and the truly unique Capcom action-strategy game, Kunitsu-Gami: Path of the Goddess.

And… that’s it. The curious thing about Microsoft’s latest “coming to Game Pass update,” which typically would span the whole of second half of July, is that it stops there. Just a very light month? Maybe not; “let’s stay in touch, we have another update for you soon,” said Xbox Wire. Perhaps there’s a surprise Game Pass release in store between now and the end of the month.

In any event, the pick of this week’s tempting line up is probably Kunitsu-Gami. I’ve played it (watch out for a write-up soon), and it’s a beguiling, wholly unique game that recalls one of Capcom’s most creative eras in the mid-2000s, when a crack team led by Shinji Mikami created a series of offbeat, visually diverse cult classics including Viewtiful Joe, Killer 7, and Okami. Kunitsu-Gami is all about battling bizarre demons in a setting inspired by medieval Japanese mythology; your warrior recruits villagers to protect the Maiden as she performs a purifying dance to close the demon gates. There’s nothing else quite like it.

Elsewhere, Dungeons of Hinterberg (which I’ve played a little, too) is a charming adventure set in the Austrian Alps, where the emergence of magic dungeons has become a tourist attraction for outdoor, sporty types to test themselves against. And Flintlock: The Siege of Dawn, hailing from New Zealand’s A44 Games (Ashen), is a “Souls-lite” about killing gods in rhythmic combat.

Here’s everything coming to Game Pass over the next couple of weeks — or is it?

New Game on Game Pass in July

Flintlock: The Siege of Dawn — July 18 (cloud, PC, and Xbox Series X)
Dungeons of Hinterberg — July 18 (cloud, PC, and Xbox Series X)
Kunitsu-Gami: Path of the Goddess — July 19 (cloud, console, and PC)

With these games arriving on the service, some are due to leave, too. It’s the cycle of life. You should definitely play A Short Hike and Venba while you can.