Okage: Shadow King

"Parasols and Demons"

Lately, I've been reading a lot of reviews on `Okage: Shadow King.` Although a few of the writers gave the game the recognition that it deserves, the majority of them gave it a 5/10 or lower. If you ask me, the people that give it that rating haven't played any RPG other than those in the Final Fantasy series. `Okage: Shadow King` is an excellent RPG! The game reminds me of EarthBund -- or Mother 2, as it is known in Japan -- for the SNES and NES systems. Okage, however, put a bit more humor into it. At first, I thought the game was going to be very short, considering there are only 7 `chapters`, and I beat the first two in three hours. Howver, the game gets more interesting and a bit slower in progressing as time goes on. While at first, the game is about a boy named Ari, who looks like a girl 100%, who is possessed by an Evil King named Stan in return for the saving of his sister, the game eventually gets more of a serious aura to it. Those that cut down the battle system of this game really need to think twice. It's not the best, but it screams `Final Fantasy` with every attack. The graphics of `Okage: Shadow King` are great, too. There are only two major flaws in this game to speak of, and neither of them are bad enough that would cause me to give it a lower rating. First of all, in battle, if Ari dies, you get a Game Over. Period. I don't really consider that a bad thing, but most people do. It's very challenging, if you ask me. The other `flaw` is the fact that you get to choose a lot of responses, but the same thing occurs. Hah, that's what those bad-reviewers say, but it isn't so. Your responses DO count, and they change the compatibility of you with ther party members. I'd say more, but I don't want to give anything away.

Graphics 10/10

The graphics in Okage were remarkable. I wasn't expecting much when it came to graphics at first, but I quickly changed. They were fitted with a great bit of detail, and I have absolutely no complaints.

Sound 9/10

I liked the sound, for the most part, but some of the parts that would normally be intended to be scary in a traditional RPG contained funny/happy music. Kind of like Luigi's Mansion, no? Of course, `Okage: Shadow King` isn't a traditional RPG, at all.

Storyline 10/10

This is the part that made me compare it to Earthbound -- the storyline. The storyline's aren't alike, but that of `Okage: Shadow King` remids me of Earthbound in that they both start off humorously, kind of, and they both get more serious.

Enemies: 10/10

This is another part similar to Earthbound. The enemies are downright hilarious. As in Earthbound one of the bosses was named `Shroom`, in Okage, there's a giant rat who just happens to be the Sewer Evil King.

Reviewer's Score: 10/10, Originally Posted: 02/03/02, Updated 02/03/02