Game: Okami

Recently having a read on video game blog Kotaku that the game Okami (which was originally for the PS2) is still not selling well despite its re-release on the extremely popular Nintendo Wii. I was going to discuss the game Chibi Robo next but instead I've decided to talk about this game because I bought it on day one of its release. It is one of the most rewarding games I've played in a long time & I can not stress enough people need to give this game a try.

Okami was developed by Capcom internal studio Clover, the same studio who brought us games such as Viewtiful Joe 2 & Godhand. It was released in 2006 for the Sony Playstation 2 just before the launch of the Playstation 3. It received extremely high acclaim from critics & received many awards as a result. In spite of this however, Okami sold poorly and Capcom closed Clover as a result.

Okami takes place during an indeterminate period of feudal Japan where the player takes control of the Shinto sun goddess Amaterasu in the form of a white wolf. As Amaterasu, the player sets out on a journey to restore the beauty of nature across the islands of Japan which have been cursed by evil forces. The game is an adventure RPG similar in structure to The Legend of Zelda games. As such, it includes familiar elements such as overworlds, towns, dungeons, health containers, side-quests, etc. The gameplay, although done very well, is nothing new. Where the game really shines is in its presentation.

Okami uses a special cell-shading technique and stylized aesthetic to make the world which the player explores look like an old Japanese wood block & water colour painting. Rich colours and thick black lines gives the impression of brush strokes having been used to create everything within the game, giving Okami a very two-dimensional look. This 2D look is an illusion however, because the strokes and colours will flow and change with Amaterasu's movements around objects to always make it look as much like a flat painting from whatever angle the player is looking. It's a really trippy thing to see for the first time.

That Okami looks like a painting also plays a very important role in the mechanics of the game because unlike Zelda games where the player receives a new piece of equipment to aide in the adventure, Okami gives the player new spells which are executed by painting brush strokes on screen. With Amaterasu's "celestial brush" the player can attack enemies, change the weather, change the time, create special items, create plants, reach new locations and much more. This mechanic was a bit slow although still easy enough to perform on the Sony PS2 but the brush mechanic seemed like such a natural fit on the the Nintendo Wii's motion sensitive controller that it seemed like only a matter of time before it received a port of the original. In 2008 the Wii got its port which was handled by Ready at Dawn Studios who are the experts in recreating games by other teams such as the Ratchet & Clank and God of War games for the PSP.

The music is also excellent. Making use of alot of flutes, drums, shamisens and other traditional Japanese instruments it further creates the illusion that a classical Japanese painting has come to life. The peaceful melodies & ambient tunes of the fields & forests will quickly change into pounding rhythms when Amaterasu encounters a demon scroll floating around - triggering a fight sequence. There's no voice acting in Okami, rather it uses a sort of gibberish sound for the voices of the characters. Each character has their own unique voice so it really doesn't bother me that there's no voice acting. There's been many times that an otherwise great game has been ruined by horrible English dubbing (Shenmue II Xbox, I'm looking at you), so I'm fine with just reading even if it is a text heavy game like this.

The story is also very well crafted. There's too many plot threads to go into detail about any particular one of them but it includes romance, redemption, prophecies, conspiracies and even some aliens thrown in for good measure. By the end of the game, I really felt that I cared about the characters. Aside from the main storylines there is of course, many sidequests and subplots to explore as well. The game is supposed to be only 30 hours or so but I spent twice that amount of time finding everything I could. Every time a plot thread is completed, the player will recieve praise from the people of Japan which can be used to upgrade Amaterasu's powers. There's lots of other ways to collect praise as well, such as casting spells on trees to make them bloom or clearing an area of a curse, so be sure to collect as much praise as possible.

If you are a fan of adventure RPGs, Japanese folklore or are just looking looking for something different and you own a PS2 or Wii, then there is no excuse for you not to own this game. If people continue to ignore brilliant games like this then video game companies will stop making them. They're businesses and they need to make money, so cough it up or more companies like Clover will disappear. Oh, if you're wondering what ever happened to the people who worked for Clover, a bunch of them started an independent studio and named it Seeds which has been renamed Platnium Games and is set to release the amazing looking black and white brawler Madworld for the Nintendo Wii - which I suggest you look up as well.