I finished playing the game over the holidays and decided to write an in-depth review/recommendation for people who are curious about the game but haven't played it yet. My intent in the review was to include background information and smaller details rather than spoil any major plot point. Despite the length of this, most of the details you can get in the first few hours of gameplay. Still, if you're the type of person who doesn't want to know anything about a game before playing it except the title, this is not the review for you.
Story
Amaterasu ("Ammy" from here on out) has an epic journey. She's the sun goddess who takes the form of a white wolf, who awakens after 100 years and seeks to regain her powers and save the world from evil. What really impressed me was how well everything tied together at the end of the game. Each arc had a nice resolution and there were several genuinely heartfelt moments. The story stood well on its own, but many things did relate back to Japanese mythology, so there's even more to explore there for the curious.
However, there is a lot of story delivered via cut scenes. It took me 20 minutes to watch the introduction the first time. That's probably the lengthiest, but it's an illustration of how integral they are to the overall plot. There are also one or two places where "skipping" should have been allowed, seeing as it was annoying to mess up a part of the game and have to watch the entire scene again (most of them are skippable, however.) That being said, many of the cut scenes were quite enjoyable. So if you like them, you probably won't mind Okami's.
There is a nice twist at the end that I won't spoil, but it will make you look at the replay in a whole new light.
Characters
There are a wide variety of characters you meet along the way. Ammy is quite likable - she may be a sun goddess, but she predominately acts like an animal, wagging her tail when she meets characters, barking, etc. The major characters have a lot of depth and backstory, especially if you make it a point to really explore and talk to everyone. I also liked the way that many of the minor characters had personality. One artistic type could have been one-note but I laughed a lot when he marveled that one creation was so amazing that he wondered if it was even real.
There is a "sidekick" that is probably a love-or-hate character. He serves a story purpose though (since Ammy can't talk, he does) and he shows nice character growth over the course of the game. He won't make
my list of favorites, but I still enjoyed following his story arc.
The areas are also extremely well-populated. The cities and villages feel like they have inhabitants, as compared to feeling empty, and even the sparser areas, like fields, have characters such as fisherman, guards, or merchants.
Graphics and Music
I already mentioned this in my first post, though if I elaborate, I run the risk of gushing. Suffice to say that in the "Should Video Games Be Art?" debate, Okami's a strong argument for the pro side. And both are inspired by traditional Japanese forms, which provides even more areas to research afterward if you're so inclined.
Localization
Okami is a Japanese game. And by that I don't just mean the makers - everything from the setting to story is infused with Japanese culture. The land itself is even called "Nippon" (a native name for Japan.) The localization team wisely realized that was one of its strengths and that it would be impossible to change everything. The largest difference is that some names have been shortened. For example, "Kushinada" became "Kushi." Otherwise, everything cultural was left well enough alone. There's even kanji throughout the game. (Those of you who have seen bad anime dubs will understand why I found this positive enough to note.)
My only complaint, actually, isn't cultural, but against the port to the Wii. I'm curious who in their right mind thought it was a good idea to leave the credits off this version. It's not an issue of their being in Japanese; they're still on the PS2 version. It's probably due to some reason that only makes sense to company higher-ups and not to the developers or fans of the game.
Overworld
Huge, but astonishingly full. It's got a variety of terrain, from field to coast to mountain. Run far enough, and Ammy has the option to sprint. And to get from one area to another, there are a variety of warping options, one available as early as the first quarter of the game. The various areas are well designed. There are a multitude of ways and reasons to explore each area, and I liked that at times it was possible to explore the world vertically as well. One aspect I really liked was the ability to dig up "treasure." There was no real purpose to these items other than the ability to sell them for money. But there were many different kinds, and if you collect a lot, the cash
did come in useful later in the game.
Little details
I love little details in games, which is why I gave this its own subsection. The characters and animals react to your actions. You're able to examine a lot of plot-irrelevant things and your sidekick will have conversational dialogue about them. The dialogue is also pretty good about being sensitive of where you are in the game, and changes according to context. There is also a lot of variety in everything - even the foods that Ammy can eat (about thirty different kinds). This is one of those games that I look forward to replaying in order to discover things I missed the first time.
Items
Okami has multiple choices of items. Three types of weapons that can be equipped as a main or sub weapon, and they each have several upgrades. Various battle aides that increase strength and defense or cause damage. I found I didn't have to use a lot of the battle items until later in the game, but there are plenty of ways to earn money (and spend it) if you choose to use them earlier. There are also a few equipabble items that give you abilities you wouldn't have otherwise. My favorite - though you can't get it until late in the game - was one that allowed Ammy to walk on water.
Side Quests
They are numerous. The stray beads - 100 of them - provide the largest quest, but it takes a
lot to 100% this game. You can also feed the various animals you encounter in fields & forest, and there's also a fish journal. The submenu keeps track of your collections so that you will know if you have fed or caught everything. Completing the game will involve challenges from racing, battling, or simply exploring every nook and cranny of the world. There are also various things throughout the world that you can "bloom" (more on that in a moment). That is one thing that the submenu doesn't keep track of, and I wish it did for one item, but it still presents a challenge for the explorer.
The game does have a "New Game+" option once you beat the game, which carries over almost everything from the first quest. So if you don't collect everything the first time around, you can finish on another file.
Gameplay
The most notable thing about the gameplay is the celestial brushstrokes that Ammy learns over the course of her journey. When you use one, everything on screen will pause long enough for you to draw a symbol. Each symbol will give an effect - for example, a basic slash is a "power slash." This is useful for cutting down everything from grass to monsters. Another is "bloom", which can restore withered parts of nature. There are 13 brush strokes in all, involving multiple elements, and a few of them have optional upgrades. This provides a variety of ways to defeat enemies. While some brush strokes are fairly powerful, by the end of the game the enemies also have a lot of health and often immunities to certain elements. There is also an ink gauge, like with health, and each stroke uses a certain amount of ink.
The game is a mix of battling, exploring, and completing "dungeon" areas. Some of the earliest areas are a bit easy. The ones in the second half of the game, however, really step up the length and puzzles, perhaps because you know a lot more brush strokes by then. One of the later dungeons is actually right up there with Zelda dungeons in terms of my personal favorites.
Regarding difficulty, for me, the game picked up after the first dungeon, though I would understand if the ease the game began with put off an experienced player. Difficulty does increase by the end of the game, both in terms of enemy difficulty to puzzle complexity, but I would prefer if the first half of the game were more like the second.
One side note that is frustrating is that the game will occasionally freeze. It happens most often in the places with a lot of battling. I largely avoided this in my second playthrough by only going to monster-heavy zones after I'd given the game a "break" to cool down, and tackled those in one save segment.
Controls
This is available on the PS2 and Wii, and I have only played the latter. The concept of the brush strokes was made for a system such as the Wii. Unfortunately - especially for some of the later brush strokes - they are a hair short of precise. It's not a gamebreaker for me, but it can get annoying when you are trying to "bloom" something to accidentally make the sun rise instead. Battle techniques are also okay, mostly involving wrist movement, though one (optional) challenge might put a strain on your wrist.
Overall Recommendation
The biggest drawbacks, to me, are the lack of difficulty and the length of time it takes to get into the story. I would understand if someone decided these were deal breakers. There's only so much time and money a person wants to invest in a game, and that will vary for everyone. In that sense, Okami is not for everyone.
While every game will have its positives and negatives, I found that personally, the first greatly outweighed the second. Players who like story-driven games with many side quests, and who are willing to put in the hours to get to the heart of the quest, will find themselves rewarded with a deep and beautiful gaming experience in Okami. If that applies to you, I can recommend this game wholeheartedly.
