Okami

Game'scover

About the Game

Okami is an action adventure game developed by Clover Studios. Clover studio was a small team of Capcom developers who decided on creating their small inner team within Capcom. Their goal was to be given access into creating bigger more creative games than the same games over and over or sequels to existing IPs. Their work was mainly Viewtidul Joe. They released 4 games, some of them being ports and in 2006 they release their own work. Okami and God Hand. The games although re being praised two decades later, back in 2006 were met with average reviews. As a result the company was requested to rejoin back to Capcom and become a part of them once again. The majority of the studio didnt want to merge back and thus they left the company in 2007. Thats not where the devs story ends, as after shutting Clover Studios and leaving the Capcom family they went and created Platinum Games which till this day creates bangers such as Bayonetta, Metal gear Rising, Nier and others. They also colabbed/ work for massive studios like Nintendo, Square Enix, Sega, Activision and others.

On this review we will be looking at Okami 2017 release for the Playstation. As mentioned the original game was developed by Clover studios and was published by Capcom. The Ps4 port was released by Capcom and HexaDrive after creating a high definition port and remastering the graphics of the game. As mentioned before, the game was amazing and very creative which was unfortunately not shown in 2006. Nevertheless since 2012 the game is consider a gem and a Must play and thus all the consecutive ports from Capcom. Its also worth metnioning how the giant collosseus Sony also acknowledge the game and thus it was placed under under Sony's "Greatest Hits" in Japan. The new release only saw the possitives of the game and thus it was well received and critically aclaimed. The game through all its version releases was always nominated for different awards and the sales only perform better with each release.

Story of the Game

The plot of the game is simple and very straight forward. The game takes place in Japan and its based on Japanese folklore from a 100 years ago. The oppening act describes the story of a pale white wolf name Shiranui and a swordsman named Nagi who fought hard and seal an eight headed demon Orochi in a cave, saving both the Kamiki Village, Nagi's maiden Nami and pretty much all of Japan. Then on to the present, Susano, a self proclaimed greatest warrior of Japan, refuses to believe the story of his ancestor Nagi and in an act of disbelief he pulls out Nagis Sword from its place breaking the seal that held back Orochi. Orochi's aura is then released in Japan, cursing everything and sucking the life out of the land. The only safe place left was the Kamiki Village. Sakuya(goddess of Mount Fuji and all Volcanoes in Japan legends) use her powers to summon Amaterasu, the reincarnation of Shiranui and asks her to help lift the curse of Japan and restore Japan to its former glory. In her journey amaterasu is joined by Issun(another Japanese folklore creature) who wanted to see Amaterasu's journey and acts as our new narrator who interacts in with NPC and translates our Wolfs barks.
Game's character

Amaterasu the mohter of all was just reincarnated thus her powers are not fully restored and she cannot take the fight to Orochi. Instead of recklessly attacking the being of pure darkness she decides to visit her children and guardian spirits/ celestial Gods. Each time a constellation is restore, the Gods entrust Amaterasu with their powers and duty in hopes that she will bring Orochi down. The citizens of Kamiki village are also very excited to see the pale white wolf back but they know Japan is in deep trouble for the wold to make her appearance. Susano on the other hand who realizes all the legends were true, wants to do everything he can in order to take down Orochi just like his ancestor once did. The journey both the heroes take is different but the goal is there.

Will Amaterasu and Sussano live up to the legend of Nagi and Shiranui or Will japan fall to the curse of Orochi?

Thoughts on the story

I personally found the story of the game very interesting. What can i say i am a nerd when it comes down to Japansese folklore and Onis. The Whole stpry mode is presented in a unique artstyle and the designs of each hero are unique. The oppening scene did a fantastic job introducing us to this universe and it's past. The presentation of Orochi reappearing and cursing Japan was done briliantly and the whole idea of two heroes taking a different path that keeps interconnecting shows the built up and keeps things realistic. The inlusion of legendary characters like Amaterasu, Sakuya, Orochi, Shiranui and many others is a clever inclusion done well. You dont know if the NPCs is a mythical figure or a random NPC placed there. Seing the world changes as you progress makes the story feel more interactive.

Amaterasu and Sussano

Gameplay

Okami is an action adventure game where the players get control of Amaterasu the white wolf and mother of all and Issun. Issun is not a playable hero but he does ride Amaterasu. The gameply allows the players to move freely in the land however they re usually prevented by powerfull spirits and cant proceed into the level. In order to progress Amaterasu is required certain skills and certain maturity in terms of power ups. Those power ups can be used to platform around the world and to also be used in puzzle solving. Amaterasu is powerfull being that can use its normal fangs and claws againts all the yokai.

On her back, Amaterasu is carrying two Divine instruments. These divines instruments are her powerfull weapons that can only be obtain by defeating enemy bosses and by purchasing them from the store. It is also worth mentioning that all the divine instruments are based on legendary japanese treasures known as Japanese Imperial Regalia. All the weapons have their unique attack patterns and animations. There are blocking mechanicks but the best form of defence is dodging. When entering combat a shadow force field appears that traps all the participants inside. Dodging and attacking can be easy but sometimes with the wall limit can cause minor problems. At the end of each encounter currency and items will be rewarded to the players.

Another form of combat is the Celestial brush, a unique mechanic introduced in the game. Amaterasu is goddess who can affect everything in her part and she does that with her brush. Using the Ps4 controller's touchpad the player's can draw shapes that will appear on screen or have significant effects. For example, drawing a circle can spawn bombs which amaterasu can throw towards the enemies, slashing onto them will throw ink at them making them lose focus and can even cause damage. The Brush can even be used in the world to help the players solve puzzles. They can create the bombs to break rocks, make vines to swing through, create lily pups to platform on water and even change the day night cycle. Using the brush wastes ink and so the player cannot be spamming it. Ink is slowly regenerated and also obtained from combat and from the freeland.

Game's character

Thoughts on the Gameplay

Honestly the game in terms of its core it does feel like a ps2 title. The combat, the platforming and the puzzles are all simplistic but given its 2006 oritigns it makes perfect sense. The mechanic of the celestial brush till this day feels very unique and fresh. Not many games took advantage of the PS4 controller's capabilities and those that did with very few exceptions (such as Tearaway and Concrete Genie ) didnt do well. The movement is fluent and the puzzles although creative its easy. It's an overall pleasant experience.

Post Game Content

Side content wasnt a big thing back then and so Okami doesnt have much to it. Its worth saying that once the main plot finishes, the game will be done itself. There wont be time for the players to do the finish tasks nor return back for the task left behind. During the game, some NPCs will require some favors from Amaterasu. Some are small fetch quests, others are defeat the enemies and free a specific area and others combine multiple things. Another form of side content is collecting all the treassure chests with all the ancient astrefacts. Around the world the player will come around some small animals. The player can always feed them showcasing her love to the every animal, big or small. Last but not least Okami can take a break and fish in the lake for different items.

Amaterasu looking at fireworks

Sound and Graphics

Upon a first glimpse, the game has a unique art style that everyone can recognise upon gazing at it. Everything in the game, Characters, backrounds and in game effects are looking like woodcut, watercolor style that look like Japanese ink illustrations. Combinations of Kanji characters appearing left and right. This watercolor ink graphics are not usually found in games and thus gives Okami that unique look. All the characters have unique designs that are heavily inspired Japanese Folklore. The environment interacts with Amaterasu in a nice way. Amaterasu is giving life to the Japan despite Orochis attack, when walking around flora can be seen appearing where She walks and everytime she sprints hand drawn wind animations appear. Every time Amaterasu defeats an enemy an gains powers she barks and different flora appear that change the dead misery backround into a colorful flowerfull area.

The audio department of the game is heavily inspired by Classical Japanese Works. The credid song even included a famaous Japanese pop Singer Ayaka Hirahara. The game even won various of Music awards indicating that its music was too good. Capcom recognised that the audio department made an amazing job and thus the game has multiple CDs and Vinyls on sale for people to purchase seperated from the game. Those who finish the game can also access the JukeBox in the game and can play all the songs.

Game's character

Final Thoughts

In conclusion Okami HD is a blast from the past. Its a Ps2 title that aged like fine wine and that Sony knew what they were doing when they placed it under Sony's greatest hit. The story takes place in ancient Japan and its mythological creatures trying to stop the doom of Japan. It tells a story of return and the will to fight againts all odds, that hope never dies. The plot is seperted in three parts, the act of collecting her power, the act of going againts Orochi and the chase of the cursed pieces around Japan. The gameplay combines platforming with action fighting and a newly made mechanic with the celestial brush. The puzzles around the world are relatively easy and simple but then again to some others it might come out as harder. The combat of the game is creative but also simplistic. It doesnt have much post content and neither does a new Game plus. The graphics are quite unique that empahize in water ink coloring in every frame of the game. It combines traditional hand drawn animations with plenty of watercoloring. Te audio is also heavily inspired from Japanese music that keeps the game closer to its roots. Despite all that its a game worth experiencing in 2024 despite being made in 2007.

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