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Okami Review for the Nintendo Wii

Okami Review for the Nintendo Wii

Who said there’s nothing like The Legend of Zelda? On the most part, that’s a true statement. However, Okami has gotten close to Nintendo’s glorious series by using its awe-inspiring visuals, engaging story, and unique gameplay as a vehicle to success. Capcom should be proud to have put together such a solid adventure game, and hopefully this accomplishment will get them inspired enough to create an amazing sequel and turn Okami into a much-wanted franchise. I can’t help but think they missed out on something here; they should have released a sequel to the game for the Wii, instead of just porting the original PS2 game launched back in 2006.

Okami screenshot

Okami is particularly unique because of its visuals. They’re such a key element of the game that I feel I have to tell you about them before we jump into everything else. Let’s put it this way: Okami is like a canvas come to life; it appears entirely tridimensional, yet it looks like a rich and vibrant oil painting inspired in old art traditions from the Country of the Rising Sun (If there was any doubt, you’ll clear it quickly by just looking at the bright red sun drawn in the game’s box art). Thick black lines define the fairytale environments, the characters, and the bucolic architecture found throughout the game. Every element and space is filled with vibrant swatches of color that make Okami a mix between a Van Gogh, a Hiroshige, and a Manet. The characters represent cute Japanese stereotypes of old merchants, peasants, and other townsfolk; the landscapes will take you right into the heart of Japan, with cute little villages, forests, secret caves, rivers, and bridges everywhere, and much more. It looks a bit fuzzy on a big screen though, which reminds you this is no next-gen title.

The Japanese art style is definitely what makes the game so special, but the success wouldn’t have been possible without a long and engaging story that will draw players to the end of the adventure, just like a Legend of Zelda game would. In fact, that’s the best example of what the game is like; if you enjoy Zelda and other adventure games, you should feel right at home when playing Okami.

Okami screenshot

The game starts with a lengthy introduction to the story displayed in simple and mostly unanimated drawings. You’ll learn about a warrior named Nagi and a powerful, white-as-snow wolf named Shiranui (Okami). Together they managed to defeat the fearsome and multi-headed dragon Orochi and saved the town from misery. A statue of the wolf was built to remember his courageous and selfless act. One hundred years later, Orochi is resurrected and Kamiki Village is under threat. Sakuya, the wood sprite that was protecting the town, feels desperate. She knows that there’s only one being that can save the town from desolation: Okami, who’s no other than the ancient god Amaterasu.

The god is brought to life once more in the shape of a beautiful wolf with dazzling white fur. You’ll be controlling Amaterasu throughout the adventure with the mission to bring life, light, and color back to the darkened lands near Kamiki Village. Issun, a tiny, bug-sized creature, will become your sidekick and help you as much as possible…by talking, especially. The game is full of rich and humorous dialogue; unfortunately it all has to be read because the characters aren’t any more intelligible than the ones in Animal Crossing; it’s pure Gibberish. I found it a bit tiresome to go through the dialogue by just pressing A, especially when there are no cutscenes or animations accompanying most of the sequences. In my opinion, they should have cut down a little on dialogue or at least allowed you to go through it faster. Instead, they give you the option to skip everything, which means it’s all or nothing. If you want to follow the story, you have no choice but to read everything at the provided speed.

Okami screenshot

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.

Okami screenshot

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.

Okami screenshot

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.

RATING OUT OF 5 RATING DESCRIPTION 4.0 Graphics
Beautiful and artistic graphics. The visuals in Okami are absolutely unique and inspiring: it’s like a canvas brought to life. They look slightly fuzzy for next-gen though. 3.0 Control
You’ll hold the Celestial Brush right in your hands with the Wii remote – this aspect has been improved from the PS2 version. Unfortunately, the combat controls don’t work too well and harm the gameplay. 4.3 Music / Sound FX / Voice Acting
The background music is pleasant and inspiring. The Japanese influence is obvious and sends players directly into the Okami world. Characters speak Gibberish, which is “hard to understand” and a little annoying. 4.5

Play Value
If you’ve never played it, you should; you’ll learn that there’s a whole new way to tell a story and get you right into the action. It’s a beautiful and lengthy adventure that will be worth your time, as long as you can deal with the control issues. It might be better to just play it on the PS2 though, since it’s exactly the same.

3.9 Overall Rating – Good
Not an average. See Rating legend above for a final score breakdown.

Game Features:

  • Innovative gameplay and control scheme optimized for the Wii – Defeating monsters requires both motion-controlled physical attacks, but also use of the Wii Remote as Amaterasu’s ‘Celestial Brush’ to paint the desired powers for decimating enemies and solving puzzles.
  • The same amazing gameplay and story found in the award-winning PlayStation 2 version of the game, which received much critical acclaim including: “Game of the Year” from Associated Press, PSM, and Village Voice; “Game of the Month” from EGM, Game Informer, OPM and Play Magazine.
  • Create and Destroy at Will – Play as a god to re-establish order and beauty to a world laid barren by evil.
  • Intense action-packed battles – Rooted in Japanese folklore, fight against a diverse line-up of demons and monsters.
  • Utilize Various Gameplay Styles – In addition to the Celestial Brush, Amaterasu wields three types of offensive weaponry, each with their own unique abilities and effects.
  • Depending on how a weapon is equipped, it can be used as the main or sub weapon: Reflectors – These well-balanced weapons are suited for close range combat; Rosaries – Sacred magatama beads are great for quick long range attacks; Glaives – These can be charged up to unleash powerful close range attacks.
  • Intriguing Main Character – Assume the role of the sun god, Amaterasu, who descends upon the earth in the form of a wolf. The Japanese translation of the word wolf is “Okami.”
  • Original Visuals and Revolutionary Design – Vibrant and inspiring graphics, reminiscent of traditional Japanese art created on paper scrolls, produce a large variety of stages with a watercolor-esque appearance.
  • Interact with a unique and dynamic cast of characters.
  • Screen Resolution: Up to 480p (Progressive Scan, Widescreen).

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