OKAMI (Wii)
Developer: ReadyAtDawn
Publisher: Capcom
Year: 2008
For the Wii release of Okami, Capcom billed it as "The best game you've never played", and while it may not be THE best game you've never played, it certainly is one of them.
Okami is a Zelda-like adventure game, whose plot is based on traditional Japanese mythology. You play as the wolf incarnation of the Japanese sun goddess Amaterasu. The game's story revolves around the dreaded nine headed beast Orochi, who 100 years ago before the start of the game terrorised Kamiki Village by choosing a maiden from the village to dine upon. But Orochi was defeated by the sun goddess, who gave up her life to save the village. 100 years later however, Orochi rises once more and spreads a veil of darkness over Nippon; cursing the land and killing off all of its natural beauty. just before Kamiki Village was truly taken, the wood sprite of the village's cherry blossom tree awakens Amaterasu from an old statue, and thus the game begins.
One of the strongest points about Okami is its traditional Japanese art style; making it a gorgeous game to look at, even though the Wii has very limited graphical power (very similar to the original PS2 version). The colours are crisp, with the image being very vivid on the screen.
The music is a joy to listen to as well. Traditional Japanese themes accompany you as you wander the land, and main characters have their own distinct themes. The ending song: (which you must shift through the Jukebox in the extras for) "Reset" ,sung by Ayaka Hirahara, is a very heartwarming song which makes you feel like you have reached the endpoint of a journey.
So you've got a good story, good art, and good music; but does it play well? The answer is yes. For the most part, Okami is an easy game, and most experienced gamers should have no bother, even with the final few bosses. The core element of the game; the Celestial brush, which you use to activate techniques learned throughout the game, is used to great effect, and is the most accessible weapon and tool in the game.
However, this is where the strain starts to show on developer ReadyAtDawn; the game often struggles with the Wii Remote controls, failing to recognise what you have drawn on the screen, even if you have done it perfectly. This is mainly found on techniques such as cherry bomb, bloom, and crescent. I myself had particular trouble with crescent, as to activate it I found a squiggle worked best and not a crescent shape.
Apart from this, the Wii controls are used to good measure and are easy to master; flicking the Remote will make Amaterasu perform a dash, which can be used to clear things in your way, or speed up when going though an area. Also, a flick of the Nunchuck will perform a dodge in battle once you have learned the Fleetfoot technique.
Enemies are shown as "demon scrolls" in the main area, where if you touch them, you are enclosed in an arena for battle. Each demon has a certain weakness to a celestial brush technique, and this weakness proves to be useful when you want to quickly move through areas in later stages of the game. Boss battles are a Zelda like affair, where you are confined to a certain room in a dungeon and face off against a giant monster. However, once you know the strategy for beating a boss, they become all too easy.
Usually, defeating a boss will provide you with a new weapon, of which there are three types; reflectors (mirrors to bash enemies with), rosary beads (long distance weapon), and glaives (big meaty swords). You can have a main weapon and a secondary weapon equipped at a single time, with each type offering different attacks depending on where you have them equipped.
You can also upgrade Amaterasu's abilities within the game by completing certain tasks which award you with Praise. When you have accumulated enough praise, you can upgrade your health, ink (so you can draw things more often), and astral pouches (lives). You can also upgrade your weapons with a specific item.
Just like any adventure game, there's also a collect-a-thon element with the Stray Beads. These beads are hidden in certain locations and when you have found them all will give you a special technique. However, I feel that the stray beads are there just to lengthen out the game slightly.
Overall, I think ReadyAtDawn done a pretty good job converting Clover Studios masterpeice. the only thing stopping this game from getting full marks is the controls,and the sad lack of the game's credits at the end, which had to be removed as they featured Clover Studios' logo and they were not part of the development for the Wii port. Which is a shame for the credits are beautiful, especially with "Reset" as the ending song. Thankfully, the song is included in the extras when you beat the game, and you can easily find the credits on YouTube.
I still highly recommend this though; it's a beautiful game with an epic story, and it deserves a place on every gamer's shelf.
+ Excellent story
+ Art, graphics and sound are phenomenal
+ Plenty to do
- Celestial brush controls are slightly broke
- Too easy for the seasoned gamer
- No end credits
Rating: 8/10
