It's easy to see the unique art styIe of Okami, but what's behind its pretty face is what makes it truly shine.

User Rating: 9.5 | Okami (French) PS2
Pros:
+ great length, at least 30 hours from start to finish with side quests that extend the length even further
+ beautiful graphics and outstanding soundtrack suck you into the world
+ lovable characters and well-written dialogue make the tale charming and interesting
+ exploration and puzzles are satisfying
+ Celestial Brush is a brilliant, one-of-a-kind gameplay element
+ different divine weapons adds variety to combat

Cons:
- combat is on the easy side
- extremely rare hiccups in framerate are jarring

Video games often give their first impression through their graphics. The action adventure game Okami is certainly no exception. The first thing you'll notice about the Clover Studio-developed PlayStation 2 title is its beautiful Japanese watercolor art styIe. Fortunately, stunning visuals is only one of the many remarkable features Okami has to offer. Its wonderful soundtrack, intriguing story and characters, and brilliant gameplay mesh to create a distinct mood that makes the game such a memorable experience.

Okami's story is based on the Japanese legend of Amaterasu, the sun goddess. Without knowing a fragment of Japanese mythology, anyone with an optimistic attitude and an open mind can enjoy the tale. Amaterasu is summoned and reborn in the form of a white wolf to rid an evil curse that has swept the land of Nippon caused by the eight-headed serpent Orochi. Orochi had been defeated exactly 100 years ago and has waited to be reawakened. Will Orochi best Amaterasu in his second attempt to wreak havoc on the land of mortals?

In the beginning of the game, the inch-high, spunky, wise-cracking Issun joins Amaterasu and dubs her as "Ammy." He'll do all the talking for the two of them on their journey of purging evil and rejuvenating the land. He acts as Ammy's guide through Nippon and as her delightfully funny (and somewhat perverted) companion. He gives the story a much more lighthearted and inviting tone. Issun is one of the best characters in Okami, and you're likely to become attached to the little guy.

The true charm of Okami's story comes from the subplots of different characters throughout the game that are linked to the main plot. Most of these characters are bursting with personality that makes the dialogue much more interesting. Speaking of dialogue, you're going to be reading plenty of it. Thankfully, most of it is well-written and very entertaining. Instead of full English voice-overs all the characters speak in a slightly awkward gibberish sound that may remind of an attempt you once made trying to speak in Japanese.

Facing Orochi is not the only dangerous task you must complete in Okami. Others are retrieving a boy's dog who was lost in dangerous ruins, stopping a water dragon from running amok on the coast of Nippon, and ridding a sickness that has plagued an entire city to name a few. These tasks make the game very long; it'll take you at least 30 hours from start to finish. Because of an abundance and variety of things to, there's never a dull moment. Plenty of side quests add even more value to the already huge game.

Ammy's ability known as the Celestial Brush plays a huge part in Okami's gameplay and serves as one of its unique trademarks. Pressing and holding R1 causes the game's world to appear on a canvas, and a brush resembling Ammy's tail is used to manipulate your surroundings in a variety of ways. You'll learn 13 brush techniques from fellow gods throughout the adventure. All you need to do is draw simple shapes or lines to put these techniques into effect. For example, painting a straight line slashes objects and enemies, drawing a circle around bare trees cause them to bloom, drawing a line from a torch to a block of ice will melt it, and many, many more. Amaterasu can even change the night to day by drawing a circle in the sky. The Celestial Brush is used in clever ways in both exploration and combat, and Okami wouldn't be quite as special without it.

On your journey to acquire these techniques, you'll be traversing through beautiful fields and forests, talking to many different people (in some cases animals) you come across, exploring dungeons, completing puzzles, and fighting off Orochi's demonic henchmen. This makes much of the game feel very much like a Legend of Zelda game. Because of the many secrets, places, people, puzzles, and enemies, exploring through Nippon is always exciting. There are just so many things to be done that Okami is always compelling.

In combat, you face a variety of hideous, butt-ugly demons and monsters while enclosed in a small arena. You can equip two weapons, a main weapon and a sub weapon, to exorcise your revolting foes. There are three types of weapons: Reflectors, Rosaries, and Glaives (swords). Reflectors are used as a shield when equipped as a sub weapon, Rosaries allow you to attack rapidly, and Glaives can be charged to unleash a stronger slash. You will eventually develop a favorite combination of weapons to equip, although it may be easier to take down some enemies with certain weapons because of range and maneuverability. The fast-paced combat is fluid, allowing you to lash out combos at enemies, finish off with a Celestial Brush attack, and move on to the next demon. Boss battles are handed similarly, although a specific brush technique must be used to weaken the evil being before you damage it. This specific technique is usually obtained in the dungeon prior to the boss. All of these battles are inventive and very enjoyable, but why one boss needs to be defeated three different times is beyond me.

Overall, the combat is very entertaining but simply too easy at times. In fact, I did not die once in my playthrough. This is because of the many cheap power-ups you can stock up on. These items can heal Ammy, increase her attack power and defense, reflect enemy attacks, or damage enemies. These items make defeating seemingly deadly foes a cinch. However, Okami's great length and some challenging puzzles and platforming sections outweigh this problem to some extent.

Throughout the game you'll come across many opportunities to earn "praise." Much of the praise is earned by caring for nature in ways such as feeding different animals and blooming withered vegetation. It can also be obtained by doing other good deeds and purging evil brought forth by Devil Gates. You can spend the praise you receive on upgrading Amaterasu's divine powers. A lot of the praise-earning tasks are optional, but the upgradeable powers give you a very good reason to complete them along with other fun side quests.

Like I said before, Okami's visuals have a beautiful Japanese watercolor art styIe. Simply sprinting across the vast countryside can leave you awe-struck because of its vivid colors and great details. All of the environments but the ones where evil is afoot are vibrant and filled with life, setting the mood for this wonderful legend. All of the character and enemy designs are inspired and creative, and the frequent cutscenes are smoothly animated. However, the very rare but grating slow downs of the framerate while traversing through certain sections of some of the environments did not go unnoticed. Overall, Okami is one of the best looking games on the PS2 and one of the most artistically inspired to date.

Much like the graphics, Okami's audio is superb. While the sound effects rock, it's the music that pleases your ears the most. All of the tunes, which perfectly fit with the rest of the game, are played on traditional Japanese instruments. They can be as relaxing as walking on the beach or as hectic as a rough sea. The catchy and memorable themes add more novelty to the already extraordinary experience.

There is no game quite like Okami. Its unusual setting, styIe, and gameplay elements craft an endearing and engrossing experience if you give it a chance. This unforgettable masterpiece is something not to be missed out on. It turns out to be much more than your typical action adventure game in the end. If you delve into Okami expecting something great, you may find it to be something even more special.

Score: 9.7/10