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Game Review: Okami
Every once in a while, there comes a game that's really and truly unique, not just in theme but in gameplay and tone, as well. I think the last one I played that really fit into this category was Katamari Damacy. I would put Ultima IV into this category, too. Both of these games were such dramatic divergences from just about every other game out there at the time that they're in a class by themselves. Okami is one of those games.
In Okami, a great evil, long thought subdued and bound away, is inadvertently released. As darkness and corruption sweeps the land, a wood sprite calls upon the sun goddess Amaterasu to aid the world in this time of need. Amaterasu responds, awakening and coming forth in the body of a wolf which had protected a small, remote village a century before. You play Okami Amaterasu, and this is an adventure game unlike any other out there.
Let's start with the most obvious thing about Okami. This game is simply nothing less than jaw-droppingly gorgeous. This goes beyond merely well-done cel-shading. The entire art style is stylized and drawn from and based off of traditional Japanese art styles. This lends it a tone that is both mildly surreal and yet extremely attractive. The music is likewise excellent, very emotive and suiting the moments wonderfully. Seriously, I'm going to run out of positive adjectives in this review, so please bear with me. The character designs are likewise stylized, and remind be very strongly of Yoshitaka Amano. (Seriously, one of the characters is a dead ringer for Cid from FF4.) This shouldn't be surprising, I guess; Yoshitaka's work is very strongly inspired by traditional Japanese watercolor art, which Okami is itself based upon. In some of the themes and visuals there's also some influence from Mononoke Hime. For example, when Okami Amaterasu runs, plants and flowers and grass bloom and then fade in his wake. Okami is unabashedly Japanese in it's culture.
Gameplay looks complex but you get the hang of it very quickly. Paging through the book shows a very highly context-sensitve series of commands; it looked a little overwhelming. But you learn quickly, and there's a tutorial that runs through all the commands you'll need at first. If I were to categorize Okami, then I would say that it is a puzzle game vaguely similar to the Mario games: various levels you go around, solve puzzles in, and fight enemies in. But there are so many more elements to it than just running and jumping. I'll start with what's one of the more unusual things about it: a gesture-based 'magic' system. In short, you control a "cosmic brush" with which you can "paint" context-specific gestures into the game world and cause effects to happen. These brush strokes are divided into thirteen techniques, which you learn throughout the course of the game. The first two are critical to the major goals of Okami Amaterasu: One lets you recreate things that are missing, "painting" them back into the world, while the other is a "slash" effect. Done right, and at the right time, you basically cut things in twain.
I mentioned the goals of Okami. Of course the ultimate goal is to re-bind the evil force that was released and bring peace back to the lands. There's fighting involved, against a variety of demons that fit some traditional Japanese patterns. But you win not by fighting demons. Or rather, fighting is not the means to an end, though there is fighting. Rather, through the course of puzzle solving, you're restoring the land to it's natural glory. (And what glory it is! Again, the art style is beautiful and Clover Studios does some amazing work with visuals and music.) Doing that pushes back the evil which has infected the land.
It sounds a little trite and touchy-feely... and maybe it is. But in a way so was Ultima IV. I harp on U4 because it was one of the first games to introduce a goal of, not defeating some evil foe, but rather bettering one's self to be an example for others. So far that's what I've seen of Okami. Sure, there's fighting demons, but that's not primary to the goals.
Another thing which I found interesting about Okami is that, as a god(dess; the NA release refers to Okami Amaterasu as a god, though in Japanese mythology Amaterasu was female,) Amaterasu has been sleeping for 100 years, and has lost much of her power. By doing good works and little things for the people you encounter, you gain Praise, which helps to increase your abilities. You get Praise from completing the stages of the game, of course... but you also get it from those "little things" I mentioned, like giving food to animals. This triggered some interesting questions regarding what divinity means; however, the Shinto concepts of divinity are much different from more Western theologies. Still, this might be fodder for a future brainstream. =)
One thing I noticed, which may sound odd: the game is humble. While it's visually beautiful, it doesn't try to beat you over the head with it. It simply is beautiful, and leaves it at that. There are enough doses of humor that the game doesn't take itself too seriously, while not diminishing the importance of the goals. It sells for $10 less than other PS2 games. There was no media blitz that I noticed. Some sort of franchise isn't being rammed down your throat. The game just is and it's wonderful for that.
I haven't gotten too far into the game, so keep in mind a lot of things can still change dramatically. It's also past midnight so heavens know what my mind is wandering into. So far, though, this is a wonderful game, and if you have a PS2 then I recommend this game unreservedly. If you are a little wary of it, at least rent it and give it a whirl.
Not much else right now. My DSL is still out but I expect to have some sort of information tomorrow; I doubt they'll actually do anything tomorrow with it, or Sunday. Pax.
In Okami, a great evil, long thought subdued and bound away, is inadvertently released. As darkness and corruption sweeps the land, a wood sprite calls upon the sun goddess Amaterasu to aid the world in this time of need. Amaterasu responds, awakening and coming forth in the body of a wolf which had protected a small, remote village a century before. You play Okami Amaterasu, and this is an adventure game unlike any other out there.
Let's start with the most obvious thing about Okami. This game is simply nothing less than jaw-droppingly gorgeous. This goes beyond merely well-done cel-shading. The entire art style is stylized and drawn from and based off of traditional Japanese art styles. This lends it a tone that is both mildly surreal and yet extremely attractive. The music is likewise excellent, very emotive and suiting the moments wonderfully. Seriously, I'm going to run out of positive adjectives in this review, so please bear with me. The character designs are likewise stylized, and remind be very strongly of Yoshitaka Amano. (Seriously, one of the characters is a dead ringer for Cid from FF4.) This shouldn't be surprising, I guess; Yoshitaka's work is very strongly inspired by traditional Japanese watercolor art, which Okami is itself based upon. In some of the themes and visuals there's also some influence from Mononoke Hime. For example, when Okami Amaterasu runs, plants and flowers and grass bloom and then fade in his wake. Okami is unabashedly Japanese in it's culture.
Gameplay looks complex but you get the hang of it very quickly. Paging through the book shows a very highly context-sensitve series of commands; it looked a little overwhelming. But you learn quickly, and there's a tutorial that runs through all the commands you'll need at first. If I were to categorize Okami, then I would say that it is a puzzle game vaguely similar to the Mario games: various levels you go around, solve puzzles in, and fight enemies in. But there are so many more elements to it than just running and jumping. I'll start with what's one of the more unusual things about it: a gesture-based 'magic' system. In short, you control a "cosmic brush" with which you can "paint" context-specific gestures into the game world and cause effects to happen. These brush strokes are divided into thirteen techniques, which you learn throughout the course of the game. The first two are critical to the major goals of Okami Amaterasu: One lets you recreate things that are missing, "painting" them back into the world, while the other is a "slash" effect. Done right, and at the right time, you basically cut things in twain.
I mentioned the goals of Okami. Of course the ultimate goal is to re-bind the evil force that was released and bring peace back to the lands. There's fighting involved, against a variety of demons that fit some traditional Japanese patterns. But you win not by fighting demons. Or rather, fighting is not the means to an end, though there is fighting. Rather, through the course of puzzle solving, you're restoring the land to it's natural glory. (And what glory it is! Again, the art style is beautiful and Clover Studios does some amazing work with visuals and music.) Doing that pushes back the evil which has infected the land.
It sounds a little trite and touchy-feely... and maybe it is. But in a way so was Ultima IV. I harp on U4 because it was one of the first games to introduce a goal of, not defeating some evil foe, but rather bettering one's self to be an example for others. So far that's what I've seen of Okami. Sure, there's fighting demons, but that's not primary to the goals.
Another thing which I found interesting about Okami is that, as a god(dess; the NA release refers to Okami Amaterasu as a god, though in Japanese mythology Amaterasu was female,) Amaterasu has been sleeping for 100 years, and has lost much of her power. By doing good works and little things for the people you encounter, you gain Praise, which helps to increase your abilities. You get Praise from completing the stages of the game, of course... but you also get it from those "little things" I mentioned, like giving food to animals. This triggered some interesting questions regarding what divinity means; however, the Shinto concepts of divinity are much different from more Western theologies. Still, this might be fodder for a future brainstream. =)
One thing I noticed, which may sound odd: the game is humble. While it's visually beautiful, it doesn't try to beat you over the head with it. It simply is beautiful, and leaves it at that. There are enough doses of humor that the game doesn't take itself too seriously, while not diminishing the importance of the goals. It sells for $10 less than other PS2 games. There was no media blitz that I noticed. Some sort of franchise isn't being rammed down your throat. The game just is and it's wonderful for that.
I haven't gotten too far into the game, so keep in mind a lot of things can still change dramatically. It's also past midnight so heavens know what my mind is wandering into. So far, though, this is a wonderful game, and if you have a PS2 then I recommend this game unreservedly. If you are a little wary of it, at least rent it and give it a whirl.
Not much else right now. My DSL is still out but I expect to have some sort of information tomorrow; I doubt they'll actually do anything tomorrow with it, or Sunday. Pax.