Okami

"Just like the ads on this site say: It's the best game you've never played"

As the gaming industry has grown to the giant that it is today, there have been quite a few names that have established themselves as the top of the heap in gaming. Mario, Final Fantasy, Zelda, Metal Gear, Grand Theft Auto, Metroid, all of these franchises are among the tops in gaming and their sales back this up. However, there are plenty of games, such as Psychonauts, that are fantastic, but do not really sell all that well due to a lack of advertising. This was the case with Capcom's Okami as well for the Playstation 2. The game was rated very well by most reviewers, but due to a lack of advertising, it didn't sell all that well. That was thought to be one of the causes for Clover Studios to close down (also taking away the sidescroller reviver Viewtiful Joe series as well). Capcom has now allowed Ready At Dawn studios to redevelop Okami for the Wii, thus giving people who missed the game on PS2, such as myself, to give it a go. After playing through it, I want to go back in time, kick myself in the jewels, and ask myself what the hell I was thinking by not looking into this fantastic game.

Okami mixes a whole bunch of Japanese mythology and legends to weave its story. You play as the great goddess Amaterasu, who is possessing the form of a white wolf. The story tells about how said wolf helped a great hero slay the evil serpent creature Orochi, and sealed him in the sword called Tsukuyomi. 100 years later, some guy takes the sword, and unwittingly unleashes Orochi's evil onto the land. Along with her trusty, pint-sized, skirt chasing friend Issun, it's up to Amaterasu to save the world from darkness. The game starts out a bit like the ordinary, but it is anything but as you proceed. Okami has no voice acting, instead going for the text based route. The dialogue is incredibly well written, mixing serious moments perfectly with just the right amount of humor to keep things from getting too dramatic. There are also plenty of plot twists and memorable moments throughout the adventure. It is truly one of the finest stories conceived for a video game, even if it is mainly based on existing Japanese legends.

Okami plays very similarly to the Zelda series, and its progression and general layout use quite a few concepts from Zelda as well. You go through dungeons and gain new abilities which you can use to access new areas or aid you in combat. These techniques are known as Celestial Brush Techniques, and each one allows you to control the environment by painting with your brush. This includes blooming trees and flowers, blowing wind, changing night into day and vice versa, and making a large slash into something. The brush is controled by the Wii Remote and the creativity at work is very well done. There are 13 techniques, and you'll find yourself using most of them on a consistent basis. Rarely will you find yourself only using a technique once or twice.

Outside of dungeons, there is plenty for Amaterasu and Issun to do. Villagers need assistan, animals need to be fed, and trees need to be restored. As you do this, you'll accumulate praise, which you can use to upgrade Amaterasu's health, ink pots, Astral Pouches (essentially fairies), and wallet. You can also spend some money at the Dojo and learn new combat abilities for Amaterasu. There are so many tasks in Okami, that it can be easy to get sidetracked. You can easily spend about 30 hours just going through the main quest, but that can gain additional time when you factor in all the side quests. There's also a New Game+ once you've finished the game as well. You are getting quite a bit of bang for your buck, especially considering that this game goes for $40.

Combat is more of a mix between a typical RPG and Zelda. Enemies are marked by flying scrolls that you can avoid. If you decide not to, you engage in a battle and you must either fight the enemies or run away. Fighting and winning will earn you money, and if you do well in battles, you'll earn even more money. You don't have to fight many battles, but you could find that your wallet is bare if you avoid too many fights. The combat is actually pretty good though, and using each Celestial Brush Technique on enemies to find one that works is very satisfying.

Okami has been given a bit of a makeover since its PS2 iteration. While the PS2 gave Okami more of a drawn on paper look, the Wii version is cel-shaded. This allows for a lot more detail into its color, but some people may not like the effect very much. That's pretty much up in the air. The music, however, is sublime. Dramatic music sets in perfectly, there's calming music, fun music, something for everyone here. It's truly jaw dropping despite being a last-gen game.

There are only two major issues with Okami. The first is the ease of combat. Attacks are enabled by swinging the Wii Remote, but the enemies are just way too easy to dispatch. The Celestial Brush Techniques can make even the toughest looking foe look weak. Throw in plenty of healing items, and you should be able to breeze through Okami. It's actually not that major, and Zelda isn't exactly known for difficulty either, but it is a bit disappointing to people who really want a challenge.

The other issue is the execution of the Celestial Brush Techniques. Actually using them with the Wii Remote is great, and drawing is pretty easy, but sometimes the game gets confused on what you want to do. For example, to bloom a plant, you need to draw a circle around it. However, if your circle touches the sky in the background, the game can think that you want to make it daytime, and instead do that. It can get a little frustrating.

But those are minor complaints. It's really hard to explain in writing why Okami is so fantastic. It combines a winning formula for adventure games, throws in a bit of creativity, and the result is a great game. If you, like me, missed out on this classic, buy this game. It's sad that some people get to miss out on absolute works of art due to a lack of advertising. Don't let Okami suffer the same fate twice.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 05/05/08

Game Release: Okami (US, 04/15/08)