Okami is an instant classic and is great in the way it puts art, sound and the whole adventure gaming experience.
The most incredible and noticeably different thing about this game is the visual display. The visual display mirrors the era and setting of the game which is based in the first century of Japan, this is shown through the graphics which all appear to be from Japanese style paintings. In addition to the graphics Amaterasu power is to control the celestial brush, this brush allows you to paint things on the screen which then appear in the game, for instance filling over a river creates a bridge or painting a straight line through an enemy will cut them in half. This power heightens the sense that the game is a mythical story drawn and told on Japanese art. The 2D style is beautifully portrayed in a 3D world.
The visual display is greatly complimented by an excellent Japanese soundtrack and soundboard. For such a great game there is actually no dialogue instead characters talk in a banjo kazooie style where the character mumbles in his/her tone and subtitles are written and read. When fighting the beating drums and gongs hype you into an ecstasy of attack. From the gentles sounds of whistles and harps within the fields to the deadly loud drums and gongs while fighting the music sets the mood for the whole adventure.
There are dozens of characters each with there own problems and agenda's, as the story unfolds its fun to see how people's lives are so connected even though they live so far apart. Not only to see how Amaterasu's life originated but also the story of Issun and his family. Some of the most enjoyable parts of the games are when you're working with these characters. Trying not to give too much away but the story is like a village myth come to life and how each town's myths join together to form a charming story.
There are several large dungeons and bosses, the dungeons are intricately designed with a series of puzzles, obstacles and minibosses to complete before taking on the main bosses. The bosses each have there own elements and techniques to fight, some require you to slow time down to attack them (because they are very fast) or even tie there legs to plants before attacking them.
Amaterasu is very agile and can do a lot more then an ordinary wolf ever could, it is rather fun playing as a wolf in a world of humans, Issun talks to all the people (and hits on all the girls which never grows old) on behalf of Amaterasu. The games is not to hard but then again it is far from a piece of cake, although dying does occur only a few times in the game you are never to far from a save point to respawn, unless you feel brave enough to skip save points the game will never feel dull or listless. The only part that may become tiring and repetitive would be fighting demons around the dungeons and fields especially if you are in a hurry to get somewhere. Although these guys can often be avoided by simply running around them.
It is a great action adventure game that will take you 30 – 40 hours to complete first time through, and you can add another 10 hours if you wish to complete all the side quests and collect all the extra items by trading demon horns. The actual world and setting is large, but you can travel quickly from one part to another by running at top speed, or unlocking a warp tunnel later in the game. If you are looking for a game that will really suck you into the story this is one you must play. While you're playing you get to a point where you think you are finishing the game but really you are only just beginning this is a major pull in when it has you thinking what else could possibly happen and you play from sunset to sunrise trying to unfold the story. This game would have to be one of the greatest games available on the ps2 and would even rival many releases on its big brother the ps3. If you are looking for a game well worth investing in Okami is an excellent choice I would say it is a must have for anyone who enjoys an adventure game, and would even be a treat for someone who only plays there ps2 once and a while.