Okami is the 2006 PS2 game from Clover Studios, a sadly now defunct
developer that turned out one of the best games of last year. Okami is
basically a Zelda game, but rather than play as an elf-child, you play
as Amaterasu, the reincarnated wolf-god in Japan, or, as she is known
to the game's other deities: "Origin of all that is good and mother to
us all". The plot of the game is fairy simple: for centuries, the evil
demon Orochi would fire an arrow into the local village, and the
resident of the unlucky house it landed on would have to be sacrificed,
lest the village invoke said demon's wrath. 100 years prior to the
game's beginning, Amaterasu wiped out the demon with the help of a
local hero and some magical sake. But, the demon wasn't killed, only
imprisoned, and at the game's outset has been revived and is a little
upset. So, kill the demon snake-lord with eight heads. You know,
standard video game stuff.
What sets Okami apart from other
adventure games is the painting. The art style of the game is based on
Japanese watercolor and it is one of the prettiest games I've ever
played. Aside from that, the player is actually required to 'paint' on
the screen to cast the game's magic. Throughout the story Amaterasu
must recover the '13 Celestial Brush Techniques', which are basically
patterns you draw on the screen to do various things. You can slash,
create cherry bombs, transport elements, and regrow vegetation. By
drawing a circle on an accursed area, a wave of life flows across the
land, renewing the once-dead flora and fauna. It's one of the most
satisfying moments of any game.
The gameplay will seem very
familiar to Zelda fans. Get the item, item unlocks new area, solve
dungeons, fight boss, repeat. My few gripes against Okami are in this
area. The game is far too easy, I think I only died once during the 30
or so hours it took to beat, and the dungeons are not labyrinthine
enough. What I love about Zelda games is the satisfaction of solving
the mazes, but here there is seldom a time when more than one path is
an option. Still, the levels are fun to play, and the boss fights are
creative and entertaining.
One last minor gripe is that the
game is far too focused on dialogue and story, when the simplest
motivations will suffice. There are many instances of LONG text
passages that cannot be sped up, and the dialogue is uttered in this
bizarre game gibberish that becomes incredibly irritating, especially
coming from your sidekick in the game, a little green man named Issun.
But these sections are few enough, and Okami is a great game
regardless, and would serve as an excellent introduction to these types
of adventures. Play this, then move on to a Zelda game for a more
significant challenge.
