Okami Feature Preview

What would you do if you were a god who has come back to earth after a lengthy absence? Would you be benevolent and use your powers to help everyone around you? Or, would you start laying down the law and making sure you were treated like royalty? Capcom's Clover Studios offers one potential career path for a god who's recently reentering the workforce with Okami, a striking third-person action game for the PlayStation 2 that casts you in the role of Amaterasu, a sun goddess who has been summoned back to earth to fight an ancient evil that has returned to plague the world. The game was released earlier this year in Japan to much critical acclaim--notoriously tough Famitsu gave it nearly perfect scores across the board--and is now poised for a stateside release. We got our hands on a localized version of the game to see how it has come together.

As you can guess from our brief plot synopsis above, Okami is a very Japanese game. The story of Amaterasu is taken from Japanese mythology, although some dramatic liberties have obviously been taken to offer a proper game experience, and you'll encounter a who's who of deities from the Shinto pantheon. Whether you're familiar with Japanese mythology or not, the game's story remains accessible. The nice thing about myths is that they aren't big on shades of grey; as such, you'll be able to tell the good guys from the bad guys without much trouble. Although, we should note that we've heard from mythology aficionados that knowledge of the various myths might actually give you an edge during some of the boss fights, as your mythological foes will carry their traditional weaknesses. (This perhaps marks the first time a book on ancient Japanese mythology could be considered a "strategy guide.")

The game's main plot casts you in the role of Amaterasu, a sun goddess who comes to earth in the form of a wolf. The first time she appears, she comes to the aid of a warrior named Nagi who faces off against Orochi, a multiheaded serpent who's kept sated by sacrifices offered up by the nearby village of Kamiki. When Nagi's special lady is teed up to be the latest hors d'oeuvre for the villainous Orochi, he risks life and limb to save her. You can probably guess that a battle between one man and a massive demon won't end well, and Nagi does indeed seem destined to be a stain on the ground until Amaterasu comes to his aid and, after a lengthy battle, defeats Orochi--imprisoning it in the ground.

With peace restored to the land, the sun goddess heads off for a good rest. Unfortunately, this is just the beginning of the story, as years later, a careless mortal accidentally frees Orochi, who is eager to pick up where it left off. With the darkness spreading across the land and threatening to smother man and nature, Amaterasu is called back to earth to save it from Orochi. Sadly, the passage of time has seen a number of changes take place that will make Amaterasu's smacking down of evil much more challenging than the first time she faced Orochi. The upside is that while it might be tough for the furry goddess, it's gameplay gold for players.

Okami's gameplay is best described as an action role-playing game. You'll start the game with a smattering of your original godly powers and must trek all over the land to collect them and build yourself up to your former glory. As you prepare for this comeback, you'll interact with the locals, both human and animal, and restore their faith in you in a number of ways. Talking to non-player characters will invariably send you on quests that will help them, or the world at large, out. For example, human NPCs will need you to run errands or help out with other mortal problems. Supernatural NPC's, such as Sakuya the wood sprite, will offer you big-picture tasks such as ridding the land of darkness and restoring nature. Finally, animal NPCs are considerably more low maintenance, often just requiring some chow to worship. Performing any of the above will yield praise that you'll absorb into a point stock, which can then be used to increase various attributes.

Combat is straightforward, though flashy looking. When confronted by foes, you'll be stuck in an area bordered by mystical energy. Once you've defeated your foes, by melee attack or using some of your godly powers, the defeated will drop loot and the barrier will fall, letting you be about your business. Boss fights differ considerably, as your evil foes aren't pushovers, and more often than not, nowhere near as small as you. You'll have to use every wit and ability you have to expose and exploit their weak spots. The battles are very cool, dramatic affairs that will pull you into the action.

One of Okami's coolest gameplay features is the celestial-brush mechanic, which lets you "paint" the environment and interact with the world in a variety of ways. You'll be able to do everything from raising the sun to creating constellations to making gusts of wind to making bombs, and these are just a few of the techniques you'll learn. All told, you'll learn 12 techniques from assorted deities over the course of the adventure. You'll also pick up a variety of other useful stuff along the way, such as new skills and weapons, all of which will come in handy as you solve the various puzzles that you'll come across during the adventure. More important than all of that, though, is how vital the various abilities you'll gain will be to winning the ultimate battle at the end of the game. Beyond all of the above, you'll find a host of collectibles that you'll be able to barter with or sell at shops located throughout the world.

If all of this sounds a bit Zelda-esque, it's not that far of a stretch to make the comparison. Amaterasu will even be accompanied by a tiny fairylike creature named Issun, who's an aspiring painter that knows a good thing when he sees it after witnessing Amaterasu's prowess with the celestial brush. And even though he's really just along for the ride to scope out all of Amaterasu's painting skills, he winds up being a handy sidekick who's chock-full of information and wisecracks. The nice thing is that rather than feeling like a derivative knockoff of Nintendo's classic franchise, what we've played so far gives Okami an assured handling that positions it more as a contemporary. One thing that helps this is the game's localization, which while not quite as polished as what we've seen in Nintendo's gems, is quite good and involving. The humorous bits we've seen so far work well and don't fall flat, as is often the case with import games that have such a strong Japanese flavor.

Much praise has been heaped on Okami's graphics, as much for its artistic flair as its technical wizardry. The more than five-year-old PlayStation 2 manages to surprise us yet again with a funky-looking title that runs smoothly. You'll be hard pressed to find many PlayStation 2 titles that balance art and tech so well. The game has a cel-shaded look that's taken even further than Clover's previous efforts in Viewtiful Joe, thanks to its watercolor aesthetic. A host of different filters and effects are tapped to make the visuals look like they're playing out in a massive watercolor sketchbook. Better still is the dazzling animation you'll see throughout. Not only does Amaterasu and the sizable cast of characters move with an almost eerily fluid movement, everything around you in the world does, as well. You'll see motion lines for wind, as well as hunks of cloud and spikes of fire, all on generous display in the adventure. The layer of polish these elements bring to the experience is incredibly impressive.

The audio in the game paints a surreal soundscape that's a perfect match for the game's visuals. Characters in the game are given unique voices through unintelligible mutterings--along the lines of the adult speak in Charlie Brown or Kenny's ramblings in South Park. The tonality and inflections of the gibberish are surprisingly effective at giving each of the speakers you encounter clear and distinct personalities. The soundtrack is a lush, atmospheric collection of tunes that are heavily influenced by traditional Japanese music. Everything we've heard so far skillfully walks the line between styles creating a great soundtrack that you'll likely want to pick up (provided the two-CD soundtrack for the game that's currently available in Japan ever sees an official release here).

Based on what we played, Okami has all the makings of a special game. Its rich story, stunning style, and unique gameplay seem to be clicking in all the right ways. The adventure has an epic feel that's a great fit, and Clover Studio's top-notch art and tech wizardry have created a world that's both dazzling to look at and rewarding to explore. Anyone looking for a nice, meaty action adventure game with some style would do well to keep an eye out for Okami when it ships next month.