Despite this issue, I found the adventure fun and interesting, full of missions, side quests, characters, items to purchase, weapons, food, etc. There's a menu that shows you the quest log, the items you have, the animals you've met, the combat techniques you've learned, the map, etc. This was all very helpful and makes it a very complete adventure that's easy to follow. The gameplay is not entirely linear, and you may wonder where to go a few times, but it's not hard to figure out thanks to the quest log and the map. The side quests will help you build up the character. People will give you praise when you do things for them, which can be cashed in for extra health, ink, etc.

Amaterasu's powers rely mostly on the Celestial Brush. As any other wolf, she can attack with different combat moves, jumps, etc. The weapons she obtains make her stronger, but nothing equals the Celestial Brush. Sadly, her abilities were lost when she was just a mere statue, so she'll have to go all over and recover the different Brush Powers, held by other gods that were turned into constellations. You'll enter the Celestial Brush Screen by pushing the B button at any time; everything will freeze and turn into a black and white picture. By pressing A you'll be able to draw strokes, and by holding the Z button you'll draw perfect lines. Different drawing techniques allow you to draw the sun, fix broken objects, change the weather, break objects, and attack enemies, etc. This works pretty well with the Wii remote: you'll hold it like a paintbrush and draw with ease, as long as you keep a steady hand; sometimes I felt as if my drawings didn't translate properly into action, but it didn't happen too often.

On the other hand, the standard combat is terrible. Fighting the enemies and even most bosses was easy; they're not very challenging at all, which saves the game from being almost unplayable. However, the motion controls haven't been implemented properly, and you'll feel they're unresponsive at times. Timing your moves is important, as incessantly shaking the Wii-mote won't give you proper results; even keeping this in mind, Amaterasu looks rather clumsy when performing attacks, and many of your moves won't happen as planned. Your main attack is achieved by moving the Wii-mote from side to side, and you can evade attacks by swinging the Nunchuk in your chosen direction. Amaterasu should just roll away in the direction you choose; however, this is not accurate either. If the enemies weren't so weak, fighting them would just be a real pain. I'd say stick to the PS2 version for this very reason.

The camera would be easier to control with an analog stick as well instead of the D-pad, but we know that's not possible with the Wii because it only has one control stick and not two. Other than these control issues, I didn't find any other complaints. The stunning visuals, rich story, pleasant and inspiring background music, and unique gameplay make up for the lack of precision in the controls department. If only they had taken some more time to polish it, they would have built an A+ experience.

I recommend those who've played the game before to just stick to the PS2 version and enjoy it as it was originally made. The Wii version doesn't have anything new to offer, and the control issues detract from a perfect experience. However, if you've never played this game before, enjoy adventure games, don't mind all the reading, and only have a Wii, you've got to experience the title anyways, because it's a one-of-a-kind game you'll never forget.

By Maria Montoro
CCC Site Director