This magical, storybook-like adventure game is beautiful and charming at its best.
Okami takes place in a fantasy world, based on the oldest and most important Japanese myths and legends. You play as the sun god Amaterasu, in a form of a wolf, who is tasked to restore the land of Nippon from the evil curse that spreads across the entire country. Amaterasu must also face the dreaded, eight-headed serpent, Orochi, who is the cause of the curse's outbreak. It sounds like a daunting task for one wolf-god, but she is not alone on this perilous journey.
Amaterasu is joined by Issun, the one-inch Poncle (humanoid bug), and also a traveling artist. Besides saving the world from evil, both Amaterasu and Issun must journey across Nippon to recover the lost 13 Celestial Brush techniques. These brush techniques are very essential to Amaterasu's quest, and play a huge role in restoring Nippon to its original form, as well as bringing back the people's faith, while dealing with the evil plague that engulfs the land.
This magical fairy tale has a Japanese children's storybook feel to it, portraying the game's plot somewhat in a textbook action-type of fashion. That being said, the story is told well, providing much information on the game's events and its unique characters. Most of the characters are based on real Japanese legends and myths. The character Nagi is based on Izanagi, while Susano is based on Susano-o, the Shinto god of the storms. It's nice to experience these legendary characters come to life because Okami's plot is dull without them. Plus, it sounds nice get to know a little bit more about Japanese culture.
Besides Okami's story generally being about saving the world from evil, every character Amaterasu meets have their personal demons to tackle. Every character has an obstacle that they must face, but are too afraid to confront it. It is up to the player to help them overcome their weaknesses, and find their true strength. Susano can be described as the bumbling idiot who has no motivation to fight evil, let alone the skill and the bravery to do so from the start, because of the fear of living in the shadow of his ancestor. But he eventually redeems himself and becomes a hero to the people, and of course, his love. The game touches on moral values, and did a good job doing so. The story also shares its funny moments, with its main characters providing the game's light-hearted tone. Open-minded and somewhat-perverted, Issun provides much comedy that makes him one of the most memorable characters in the game.
The game is also pretty lengthy, and would take the average player to finish it in 30 hours or so, though I was kind of disappointed it wasn't much longer than that. I have limited knowledge of the Japanese legends, but I feel that there could have been more places to explore, more evil spirits to exorcise, and more characters to interact with. But overall, it's a satisfying story from beginning to end, never faltering from its general nature, good-versus-evil theme.
Okami's game play focuses mostly on the Celestial Brush techniques. Although the game states that there are 13 in all, there are actually 15 that the player finds as the game progresses. Brush techniques are executed when the player draws certain shapes and lines that represent the techniques' symbols. The Celestial Brush is initiated by pressing a certain button, and the screen changes to a canvas-like appearance. This enables the player to draw brush techniques on the canvas. When the player is done executing a brush technique, the game changes back to real time, and the technique that the player drew on the canvas takes effect on the real world. For example, the "Sunshine" brush technique enables Amaterasu to call out the glowing power of the sun. Simply focus the camera on the sky, change into the canvas screen, and draw a circle. After you're done drawing, send it back to real-time, and a sun magically appears on the sky. These Celestial Brush techniques can only be executed in certain places, by the way. As I mentioned the Sunshine brush technique earlier, it can obviously be executed only in the sky.
Celestial Brush has other many uses. The player can use the brush's techniques effectively in combat, restoring trees back to life or when the player wants to turn day into night instantly, and vice versa. Puzzles are solved also by using the brush. These puzzles are easy to figure out, since the player just has to use his/her common sense. A good example is a constellation. Constellations that appear in the sky contain a lost brush technique, and it only requires the player to connect the dots to restore its original form.
Other examples include a broken bridge. Since you can't fly, what do you do to solve the broken bridge problem? Simple. Just shade the area of the broken bridge, and witness its restoration right before your eyes. How do you get past a rock that's blocking your path? Draw a straight line and watch it get cut in half. What do you do when a character has caught fire? Find a body of water, draw a line from the water to the character, and watch as you magically extinguish the flame. The game does a great job in throwing hints to the player, highlighting them in a different color from the general text so they won't get lost.
Let's talk about combat now. Most of Okami's general game play is button mashing, but sometimes forces you to utilize other tactics when necessary. As you progress through the game, the enemies obviously get stronger. Fighting enemies isn't just attack-attack-attack. If that's your only strategy, it's not going to be enough. Enemies can also be a threat to the player, and believe me; they can deal an exceptional amount of damage when you're not careful. When you suddenly can't block an incoming attack, you can choose to evade the blow. You can also block attacks with the sub-weapon, but it depends on what weapon you equip for that slot (more on that later). Don't forget you can jump too.
Game play also gives the player the option of using the brush techniques in combat. You can draw a bomb to eliminate surrounding enemies, slash an opponent in mid-air when you can't reach them from the ground, or even draw lightning from the sky and redirect it to your enemies, giving them a shocking taste of the awesome power of the Celestial Brush. Though it lets you feel like a powerful god, majority of the game's combat is pretty much a cakewalk. The brush makes you so powerful, it makes Okami extremely easy. Although this is the case, boss fights are the ones that contain the challenge that the game occasionally offers. Some boss battles require a little bit of strategy to deal with them effectively, and the game makes you use your surroundings, getting nature to fight for you when the situation calls for it.
There are other moves Amaterasu can learn besides the Celestial Brush techniques. In the game, there are dojos that the player can go to if they want to learn more moves. These dojos contain moves that vary from extending combo hits, to acquiring higher jumping ability. Each of these moves cost a massive amount of yen though, so it takes time to acquire them all at once. The more moves you learn, the more hidden paths can be unlocked, and the more places that seem unreachable at first can finally be accessible to the player.
Of course, in order to defeat the forces of evil in the world of Okami, you need weapons. Amaterasu can wield multiple weapons with surprising proficiency (for a wolf). Amaterasu can use reflectors, rosaries, and even glaives / swords in battle. The player can equip two weapons in combat. The main weapon is used for the majority of combat, while the sub-weapon can be used for a follow up after a combo executed from using the main weapon.
You can even equip sub-weapons for defense. When an enemy is about to strike, you can use the sub weapon to block the attack at the just right time to initiate a counter-attack move, dealing massive damage to the enemy. But as I mentioned earlier, it depends on the weapon you put in the sub-weapon slot. Reflectors are weapons that can be used to defend when necessary, while the rosaries are more for offense and follow-up combos. Equipping different weapons back and forth for both weapon slots enables the player to initiate different styles of combos, and how much damage the player can deal towards the enemy. There are many weapons to choose from, so you won't be bored from using the same ones over and over again, giving you some variety on what kind of muscle you prefer in combat.
Although Okami is considered an action adventure game, it also has an action role-playing feel to it, with the addition of random encounters and status improvement. Amaterasu isn't so immortal in the living world, and her powers also have limits. Extending these limits can help her endure more damage from enemies, and be able to perform more brush techniques for longer periods of time. To accomplish that, the player can raise Amaterasu's health, increase ink slots for more Celestial brush usage, or extend Yen count by acquiring praise.
Praise can be earned by restoring trees back to life, helping people with their everyday problems or even feeding animals all over Nippon. Praise is highly essential in Amaterasu's mission to restore the natural world from the evil curse, and the more people Amaterasu helps out, the more praise and benefits she gets. Okami also has plenty of side-quests and mini games to give you plenty of fun, if you feel that the main story isn't enough.
Amaterasu can also use various kinds of items to help her in any way possible. Holy bones restore Amaterasu's health, and different kinds of sake temporarily improve her defense or attack power. Vengeance slips deal up to small or massive damage to enemies if they prove to be too dangerous to deal with. Other items provide an upgrade to weapons, food can be used to feed other animals, and valuable items can be sold for lots of money.
Okami's artistic graphics are amazing. It's incredibly well-done, and the game feels like I'm watching a watercolor painting magically come alive right before my eyes. The stylish look of every character, animal, and the game's natural scenery fits Amaterasu's quest in restoring the world to what it should be, as well as her deep connection with nature itself. Although Okami's world is all paint and watercolor, its environment moves in a fluid, realistic motion. Animals are quite interactive, and they have their own preset actions on the environment around them. They eat, move around, even sleep when it's necessary. People go about their activities, daily chores, and even perform some of their occasional dances and poses. Okami also has a day and night cycle to let you know the game constantly goes forward, and does not sit still. It makes you feel like the whole game is radiant, alive, and never dull.
Sound and music are no exceptions either. Okami's soundtrack is heavily-based on classic Japanese harmonies and melodies, giving the game its Asian-style ambience. It's pretty catchy to listen to, and makes you feel that ancient, legendary Japanese experience we seldom come across. It may seem that dialogue is rarely present in the game, but the voice acting is actually mixed-up speech. It makes dialogue pretty weird, but it doesn't ruin the game's flow much. Despite the awkward approach in dialogue, every voice actor fits their characters well. Amaterasu's barks, growls, and victory howls give the character life and emotion, so she doesn't stray too far from the other animals in the game.
Magical and wonderful at its best, Okami is an adventure game that will charm both the young and old alike. Game play may be child's play, but its special Celestial Brush feature lets the player get more involved with the game's artistic action. With its stylish watercolor graphics, Asian-influenced music, and characters that are both humorous and memorable, it's hard not to fall in love with this unique Japanese storybook-like game come to life.