Okami

"Unleash the wolf in you!"

Male human or non-human hero that expectedly looks like a human with only altered part of the face like ears? Check. Shining sword to stab evil? Got it. Quest that has been overdone without much variety like saving damsels? Right-o. A setting that ranges from medieval to medieval forest? In here. Character rely on appeal? Oh yeah.

Ookami? Not!

After seeing many games that feature such overused themes, a new game that takes the step to give a fresh feeling. That game is Ookami. Nope, no one is having magical fairies while playing as Homo sapiens clonius and running around a lush European greenery, looking for princesses abandoned dramatically by that ignorant villain thing. If you are expecting such stuff, I suggest to not pick up the game, move away and look to the mirror. Speak, "I love overused themes."

What is something with Ookami (from now on I shall refer it as Ookami instead of Okami)? What is this wolf and flea, err sprite, have for you to actually enjoy the game they painted for you? Simple - freshness and uniqueness. Granted, not original by a broad line, but unique and fresh.

Story - 9/10
To those who drool at saving the world, then you are not going to be disappointed. The game starts with a fairly long (but not that menacingly long) introduction. Oh my, it's another save the village/town/world/country thing! But wait! Isn't that... overused? I mean, come on, an old spirit reawakened and cursed the lands again, and you, as a wolf, must save it?

Granted, it's a re-used theme, but we all know many good things out there are actually re-used only made fresh because of its recreated factor. That's right, while the genderless lupine and hisser trusted green sprite has that quest, the way it is shown in the game, as well as how the manner on how the gamer interacts with the story, makes the game fresh. No, we don't see rehashed save the world thing with little effort to change save the characters and probably the villain. No, we see a different stroke of a line.

Another factor - freshly baked characters like french bread, only they're Japanese. No, we don't see Amaterasu as a walking lady wielding a large spear or thick space armor, nor as a angsty yellow-haired dude wearing green or black clothing wielding swords of varying lengths. Amaterasu is in a form of a white wolf. It's a wolf! Finally! And they say wolves are overused characters. Yeah right! Because s/he is a wolf, Ammy (according to Issun's nicknaming) doesn't speak the human tongue! Oh no, a silent protagonist! But wait, what is this? Ammy, despite being a silent one, can actually express emotions? Wow, character development despite being silent! No more has the day of silent characters are basing themselves on other people's oral opening!

Issun, the "voice" of the wolf and animals out there, has character? Oh, so he isn't like those um... "pets" that muted heroes have which only talks without having real characterization? Amazing! As you can see, Issun doesn't serve as Ammy's voice, but also as the humor - the crack-pot peeping Tom that you'd wish you're like him.

I'd like to say more, like Susano the beast and the lazy dogs, but I'd ruin the fun. I suggest you get into the game more to see the freshly-baked characters!

Gameplay - 10/10
So yeah, you run around, explore Jap... Nippon around, removing curses and whatnot. Mind you, Nippon is big! Umm... I bet you are about to yawn! Nah, well, unless you got stuck on pointing that last star in the constellation, you'll be easily drawn into the game. Exploration, exploration, exploration is the thing of this game! From the top of the forests to the sleeping lady's room, you can actually visit many areas. Venturing is what adventures do, and because Ammy and Issun are out there adventuring, why not give the exploration more perky?

Celestial Brush then enters. By pressing the button, the whole world turns black and white, and then freezes (well, most of the time anyway) and you get locked to a scroll. With you as the controller of the brush, you get to alter the environment! But isn't it a bit hard? I mean, shouldn't it be in the DS/Wii? Unless you really have a bad thumb, the movement is easy, as it is aligned perfectly with the left analog stick. Besides, Issun is good enough to let your somewhat-angled line be a straight horizontal line anyway! But wait, the brush itself is part of the adventure, so no, you don't get the almighty OMG stroke instantly - you need to quest and find those Chinese zodiacs!

Day and night has a factor! No, unlike those gimmicky games where day and night only adds "real-time" without much purpose, the game fully utilizes it, similar to um... Radiata Stories! While you are not given a clock to tell how much "day" you have left or when it will turn night, most of the events are still driven by the passing of time. Note that you won't be needing to worry about when it will be day or night though... Blame Amaterasu and hisser brush.

Sound - 9/10
You know those background music where it is quite uppity/rock/techno that it makes the gamer high, yet it doesn't seem to blend well with the environment? Thankfully, the guys who did the music didn't go for that. Here, you are treated with music that fits the theme and environment without actually boring you! Yes, the tune of the plains area will get stuck in your head, and that when you hear that Japanese guy "howl" before a battle, you'll know for sure Ammy is in deep trouble.

Voices? Nope, he hear rumbled voices here. While it is perfectly fine to those who don't mind at all, VA-hungry people will find it a bit irritating. But at least you'll have the feeling of not having bad voice actors, which is a good thing.

Graphics - 9/10
What, I gave 9 for graphics? Ludicrous!

No, you don't see this as a game where your character is created like real. I mean, this game is about fantasy, right? Why use real graphics if you can actually use cel-shading to enhance the fantasy in the game? Come on, what were they thinking!

The way the cel-shading invoked the game as a sumi-e sort of painting will add the folklore essence in the game. Granted, the game is not 100% of the Shinto stuff (which is good, otherwise it'll be a bit unoriginal) but still... Anyway, the colors play a good deal, from being vibrant in very rich areas like the city or forest to being dark and gloomy like in battles.

The thing that bothers me is the camera (yeah, well, graphics means visual stuff, and well, camera angle is visual stuff). At some point in the game you'll find yourself irritated at certain times. It's a minor thing, but it can be buggy. But I think it's just Issun trying to make the game imperfect because it's not based on him!

Overall - 10/10
No, don't give me that "average" thing. Despite its minor flaws, the good stuff of the game outweighs them. Really, they are lighter than three Issuns combined. Seriously, cons like "gibberish may bother you" and "camera angles may be tricky" mean nothing to something like "very interactive abilities", "wide world exploration", "uniqueness and deviation from most games".

Also, despite what many people think, this is far from Zelda. Hah, comparing this because of the wallet size! Laugh to those who say this compares to it. Ookami is unique, a freshly-baked game that offers originality and creativity.

No, still no yellow-haired swordsmen wielding large blades exist here. It has an old drunkard wielding a wooden sword with a flower though, if you don't mind.

Reviewer's Score: 10/10, Originally Posted: 09/27/06