Information
Reviewed On: Wii
Available On: Wii
Players: 1
Rating: M
Genre: Adventure
Developer: Ready At Dawn / Clover Studios
Distributor: Red-Ant
Release: 27th June 2008
In Short...
"An absolutely beautiful gaming experience in every way. Zelda fans will love it."
Okami
Last generation, it was GCN Capcom games being ported from Nintendo’s purple box to the PS2 because they weren’t selling enough. Funnily enough, Okami is now ported from the PS2 to Nintendo’s white wonder with waggle (alliteration is fun, kiddies!) because, even though it was a critical darling, it simply didn’t sell. This title definitely deserves a wider audience because, despite being heavily influenced by the Zelda series, it is simply a beautiful game in every way.
While fighting, Ammy didn't notice the pothole.
While fighting, Ammy didn't notice the pothole.
You play as Sun God Okami Amaterasu who has taken the shape of a wolf. Evil has washed over the land of Nippon, and together with sidekick Issun (*cough* Navi *cough*), you must defeat the evil Orochi and restore the land to its former beauty.
For those unfamiliar with Okami, this was now-defunct Clover Studios’ attempt at a Zelda-style game. The Zelda influences are many and flagrant, but once you get past this, you simply enjoy the game for what it is, rather than worrying about how much it’s ripped off. Needless to say, if you don’t enjoy Zelda’s style of gameplay, you won’t find much to like here. Puzzles are generally well thought out, if a tad straight-forward, boss battles are suitably epic and combat is fast passed and fun.
The first thing to hit you about Okami is the unique cel-shaded visual style. It is simply strikingly beautiful. Ammy herself is easily the highlight, and her animation is a treat to watch time and time again. The screenshots do it better justice than my words, so I’ll leave the visuals at that. Music is also quite brilliant, while sound is a bit lacking – full character voice acting would be nice, instead were treating to irritating noises and scrolling text ala Banjo-Kazooie whenever anyone is speaking.
Screenshots don't do the words justice: Okami is a work of art.
The Celestial Brush is a hugely important, and quite unique, ingredient to the game. Its distinctive abilities (such as making the sun rise, controlling the elements or slicing the environment) are activated by drawing symbols on the screen using the wiimote, and have use both in puzzle solving and combat. It can be frustrating drawing at times, since the game can be a bit arbitrary about what constitutes a correct drawing and what doesn’t (my best circle ever doesn’t count as a circle, but my shitty oval thing does?), but these moments get less frequent the more you play. Finding the appropriate technique to defeat enemies is really quite fun, and combat never seems to drag.
Screenshots don't do the words justice: Okami is a work of art.
Speaking of combat, the controls are quite similar to those found in Twilight Princess. Ammy attacks when you shake the wiimote, with combos being possible if you time the shakes correctly. While initially frustrating and hard to get the hang of, you do get used to it and it helps stop combat degenerating into wrist-damaging waggle fits. Dodging, on the other hand, is completely broken. To dodge, you must shake the nunchuk in the direction you want to move, however it is almost impossible to do this consistently. Luckily, the combat in Okami is rarely difficult, and you will never really need to use the move. Throughout the game, Ammy will pick up several weapons, each falling into three main types which are quite different to each other. You can also help out the denizens of the game for Praise, a kinda of currency that Ammy can use to upgrade her abilities.
If you’ve played through Okami on PS2, you aren’t really missing anything here. The Wii version brings new controls, shorter loading times and 16:9 progressive scan support, but removes the end credits and epilogue found on the PS2 version. If you’re new to Okami, this is probably the version to pick up, if only because it’s a lot quicker to draw with the wiimote than an analogue stick.
There is just something special about this game. Something that sucks you in and doesn’t let you go throughout the 30-40 hour playtime. The gameplay may be heavily inspired by the Zelda games, but that isn’t necessarily a bad thing and the Celestial Brush, in addition to the beautiful art direction, help give the game enough unique elements to differentiate itself. It’s a shame that it has been given only a limited PAL release. Give it a go, if you can find it!
By watchers_eye
The Verdict
Graphics: A+ Who said games couldn't be art?Sound: A- Generally well done, great music, but voice acting would be nice.
Gameplay: A Pure fun from beginning to end. A real treat.
An absolutely beautiful gaming experience in every way. Zelda fans will love it.