Okami

"Easily one of, if not the best, games I have ever played"

I'm just going to be blunt about this game. It is SPECTACULAR. Almost every aspect of the game is flawless and provides a very enjoyable experience for a wide variety of gamers

Many people compare this game to the Legend of Zelda series, but that doesn't do this game any justice in describing how good it really is. Oh, and before any Zelda fanboys complain to me about this, I will let you know that I am a huge Zelda fan and still I felt that this game outclasses the entire series.

Story - 10/10

The story begins 100 years before your character comes into the scene. An evil demon has taken control of the land of Nippon and placed a curse upon it, and is defeated by the great warrior Nagi and the wolf Shiranui. The world is at peace until someone breaks the seal placed on the demon 100 years later and unleashes a curse onto the world. Amaterasu, the sun goddess reincarnated from Shiranui, must travel the entire country of Nippon to restore peace and balance in the world.

This game's story is really more immersive than you would imagine. Though it may just sound like a basic "good vs. ancient evil" scenario, the plot is almost always thickening in one way or another, to form a story as worthy as any other legend or fable you might hear.

Controls and Gameplay- 9/10

The controls of this game have minimal flaws, and overall are very solid. Running around the landscapes while trying to solve many puzzles and beating many enemies is simple with the Wii's motion controls, and there is an extremely fast learning curve from my experience. Attacking is as simple as swinging the Wii Remote in time, varying with the choice of weapon, and you move with fluidity wherever you go. However, sometimes the controls can be a bit tricky in both technique and timing, particularly the brush strokes.

This is personally one of my favorite things in Okami: drawing many different symbols in order to perform different actions, but at first I had trouble doing even some of the simpler strokes. Luckily, all that is needed to perfect this is practice, and soon you'll be painting like it's a breeze!

Okami takes advantage of a unique level-up system or sorts, where completing certain tasks give you "praise", which that you can then use, when you recieve enough, to level up aspects from Health to Ink bottles. This is favorable to me actually, as it allows for players to level up whatever stat they want whenever they want should they have enough praise.

Gameplay is very enjoyable and you will soon catch on to everything. Throughout the game you will need to restore life to many trees called Guardian Saplings across Nippon to remove curses from areas, and you will have to go on several other quests as the story goes on. Interaction with other characters is essential in this game, and involves a very large cast that all provide one thing or another, from interesting facts to providing side-quests for you to complete. There is no character that doesn't in one way or another add to the game's experience.

Battling is also interesting. Instead of fighting enemies in an open field, you have to encounter Demon Scrolls that trigger a mini-arena for you to fight in with altered controls specifically for battling, though brush strokes remain the same. You are judged in these battles based on time and damage taken. There are several different kinds of these scrolls and battle locations, all with a wide variety of monsters and creatures waiting for you to kick their evil butts.

There is just so much to do in this game. It can take 25-30 hours just to complete the main plot, while doing all of the side quests nets you another 10-15 hours to add to that.

I would also like to add that, as serious as this game may seem, I found it to be hilarious at times as well, from smart-mouth comments from your companion Issun to the expressions on Ammy's face at times.

Overall, the controls in this game are simple yet effective, while going through the different tasks in the game prove to be enjoyable as well.

Music and Sound - 10/10

Honestly, if there was a single person who didn't like this game's sound track and sound effects, there must be something wrong with their head. The music is perfect in every mood and setting, from the bright upbeat music of open plains to the dark creepy music in cursed and dark areas it is to the ears as art is to the eyes. I can summarize the music in this game with one word: wow.

The sound effects are also perfect, from people talking in their garbled, yet strangely fitting voices, to everything that can be interacted with really, the sounds never seem to be off or out of place. They have somewhat of a cartoonish feel at times, while at others they are very realistic. No complaints at all about these.

Graphics and Visuals - 10/10

Honestly, this game deserves an 11/10 in the graphics department. Everything in the game I found to be breathtakingly beautiful, like a living painting. The stunning visuals of the landscape and environments and the sketches and drawings you will see throughout the course of the game help make this game more amazing than it already is. The experience given through this game's visuals can blow any competition away in terms of it's sheer artistry.

Replay Value - 9/10

This game is so enjoyable I would replay it even without the bonuses you can get with starting a new game. Trying to complete every side-quest, getting 100%, and the cool stuff you can get in a second run through make the game easily replayable at any time, and should be able to keep anyone busy for a long while and still be as enjoyable and fun as the first time. This is one of few adventure games I can actually replay over and over again, as I am sure many others can as well.

Closing Statements

Throughout this review I referred to this and that being like art, and for good reason. This game is essentially all together a work of art. From its stunning and unique visuals, to the story and music, it is quite possibly the best adventure game in gaming history, and easily one of the greatest games of all time. There is nothing about this game that can be described with anything less than "stunning".

As a message to anyone who has a Wii, BUY THIS GAME. Take my word, renting it will be a waste of money, seeing as soon as you pick up this game you will immediately want to buy it. I know I just wrote this review of how awesome this game is, but I still don't think any review could do this game justice as to how great of a game it truly is.

Overall Score - 10/10

One of very few perfect games that should never be missed out by anyone who plays video games. Okami is an instant classic by all of the standards.

Reviewer's Score: 10/10, Originally Posted: 07/30/08

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