Okami is a very stunning RPG game that I recently got addicted to. In the game you play the Sun Goddess Amaterasu, whose spirit has been reincarnated into the body of a wolf that once saved ancient Japan from the wrath of an evil monster. Utilizing the Wii remote as well as the nunchuck, you control Amaterasu as she travels around ancient Japan, helping people and animals, fighting monsters, and searching for the “Celestial Brush Techniques” which she must master in order to restore the world to its natural peace and beauty. It sounds like a typical RPG but Okami has very unique aspects…
Plot/Story
The basic plot of Okami is for Amaterasu to travel around the different regions of ancient Japan in order to dispel the monsters and evil energy that have taken over. In order to do this, she must find the “Brush Gods” who are hidden as constellations in the night skies all over Japan, and master the “Celestial Brush Technique” which each of them possess. Using the Celestial Ink and her tail that acts as a calligraphy brush, Amaterasu can “paint” over the world around her to restore nature, battle enemies, and travel more easily. The story starts with the revival of the horrible monster Orochi who threatened Japan 100 years ago until he was defeated by the warrior Nagi and the wolf Shiranui (who is later reincarnated as Amaterasu). The first half of the game involves Amaterasu and her little spirit companion Issun as they search out and defeat Orochi while helping people and completing other tasks along the way. Since there are still monsters and evil in Japan even after Orochi’s defeat, the second half of the game continues the journey to find the true source of the evil aura. While searching out Orochi and the other evil sources, Amaterasu encounters all sorts of people, from villagers and priests to samurai and fisherman, and helps them with various problems and tasks. As Amaterasu restores nature, helps the people, and even feeds animals along the way, she receives praise which makes her stronger. The ultimate goal of the game is to vanquish the evil monsters from Japan, find and master all the Celestial Brush Techniques, and bring peace back to the people, animals, and nature.
Gameplay
I’m not a big RPG player since most of them take a lot of time, skill, and motivation in order to do well in them. The Pokemon games are the only RPG series I continually play but I’ve never really had much interest in playing other popular titles such as Zelda and Final Fantasy. The amount of items, attacks, people, places, enemies, and other things that you need to keep track of in most RPGs is too mind-numbing and time-consuming for me. However, I find in Okami the perfect balance of complex, RPG fantasy goodness while still being fairly simple and not requiring a ton of dedication. While Amaterasu does grow stronger with the items she collects and the praise she receives from helping others, you don’t have to worry about “leveling up” in Okami; while the enemies get progressively harder in the game, the key to defeating them lies in your skill with using Amaterasu’s brush and weapons rather reaching high levels or raising stats. You can use the praise that Amaterasu receives any way you like, for example, to increase her HP or the amount of Celestial Ink she has. The number of items you can find on your journey or buy from merchants is also well balanced; adequate but not so many that it’s hard to keep track of what each one does. In addition to traveling around and fighting monsters, there are also little mini-games throughout the journey, such as fishing, digging, and learning skills at the dojo. And like most RPGs, Okami offers a menu where you can view things such as maps, item information, how to use each of Amaterasu’s brush techniques, and a journal with clues of where to go next should you get stuck at any point in the game. So basically, for someone who’s not into really complicated RPGs, Okami is a perfect blend of RPG elements without making them too overwhelming.
The controls in Okami are also very innovative. The nunchuck is used to control Amaterasu’s movements while the Wii remote is used mostly for the brush techniques. Using the Wii remote like a calligraphy brush, each brush technique will trigger something different, for example, drawing a circle around a withered tree will cause it to burst into bloom, drawing a straight line up from a pool of water will cause a geyser to shoot up, a circle in the sky will become a shining sun, and a curly brush line in the air will cause a gust of wind to blow. In battle, a sharp straight brush line acts like a slash on an enemy and dots of ink act as bullets. Most of the challenges in the game come from trying to figure out which brush techniques to use in certain situations both on the field and in battle. However, one of Okami’s bad points is that it’s sometimes difficult getting certain brush techniques right, mostly because the Wii remote isn’t perfect. For example, it usually takes a bunch of tries before I can get the bloom circle shape or the half moon shape right, and it can get kind of frustrating sometimes. But I think this is the game’s only flaw really ^^,,,
Interaction in Okami is typical RPG style; you talk to people for information and tasks to do, you must continuously return to places you’ve been to before, there are different save points to save your progress, and of course, Okami has its fair share of cut-scenes. But I’m one of those people who watches every single cut-scene and reads every line of dialog that every character says because I like my games to be stories as well as games ^_^ And since the art in Okami is a joy to look at, the cut-scenes are always welcome. The characters in Okami such as the cowardly swordsman Susano, the kind sake brewer Kushi, the eccentric prophet Waka, and of course Amaterasu’s feisty partner Issun, are all fairly amusing and likable. Another thing that makes Okami unique is that the character you play, Amaterasu, is an animal rather than a human-like character, giving the game a refreshing perspective. Okami is also heavily Shinto-centered and draws on ancient Japanese culture and folklore, which again makes for a fascinating gameplay experience. I did notice a few translations issues in the English dialog, one being Waka’s use of French, which really doesn’t make sense in ancient Japan! XP But more or less, the dialog fits well, even if they do use some English expressions and idioms.
Graphics
I’m sure anyone who’s seen this game even a little bit will agree that one of its best features is its incredible art style. Okami offers a breathtaking blend of ancient Japanese woodblock painting art together with more stylized cartoon art. The result is an extremely unique style that can’t really be described in words…you’ll just have to see it yourself. The designs of the characters are also unique; they’re not anime-style but they have very subtle anime attributes…they look like more stylized, modern versions of the old Japanese art. The designs of the different places like the villages, forests, caves, shrines, etc., are all gorgeous. It’s a thrill watching Amaterasu run up the stairs of a shrine while cherry blossoms fall all around her and calligraphy-like wisps of wind blow in the background. There are many awesome cut-scenes where, after Amaterasu revives one of the old cherry blossom trees and lifts the curse over a certain area, the entire area will burst into fields of flowers, trees will spring up, and water will flow all over. Okami has many beautiful “nature” scenes like this, so if you’re a nature lover like me, or if you just like pretty Japanese art, this game definitely doesn’t disappoint ^^
Conclusion
To sum things up, Okami offers a fun and unique RPG adventure that’s not too challenging but not too complicated either. It has enough RPG elements to make it enjoyable without going overboard, and the skill required with the Wii remote and brush techniques are also fun to master. But probably its main appeal is its amazing art and its setting of the ancient Japanese Shinto-centered world. So if you’re looking for a fantasy adventure that’s not too easy nor too hard, and that’s set in the gorgeous natural beauty of old Japan, then Okami would be your best bet. It’s definitely become one of my favorite games =D
My rating for this game: 4.5 out of 5
Ups: -Fun controls and gameplay tasks
– Gorgeous graphics and art style as well as unique playable character
– RPG elements are not too difficult but not too easy either
Downs: – Sometimes difficult to use Wii remote properly
– Minor translation issues
– Could be boring for fans of really complex, hardcore RPGs
I thought it was awesome but I played it on my ps2 instead of a Wii! Using that analog stick to draw/paint was a real challenge! xD
Okami is indeed a great game. Too bad the credits and epilogue that were present in the PS2 version were completely omitted in the Wii version. But you can simply watch them on youtube or something when you finish the game. :/
I loved Okami too. But just to point it out, Amaterasu is a female.
Oh, I couldn’t tell that she was female XD I don’t think there’s any dialog in the game that makes it clear until way later. But anyway, I edited the post to reflect that =)
In the orginal japanese version she is referred as a female and if you look at the legend of Amaterasu she is female, and creepy enough her brother is Susano.
i love the game so bad hope they make a sequel im sad coz i broke it by acident it broke my heart lolzz