Okami HD reviews

An epic, gorgeous Action-Adventure game. When on sale, you can get it for the price of a frappuccino. It is a classic, and you should play it. It is a tale of Amaterasu, the goddess of sun in Japanese mythology, who in the game reincarnates as a white wolf. 100 years before the start, she battled an evil eight-headed serpent named Orochi (who requires a sacrificial maiden every year) with the help of a Chosen human named Nagi. When the battle was done, Orochi was sealed away, the wolf died, and Nagi was a hero. But as you expect from “100 years” and “sealed away”, someone just removed the seal, Orochi is back, the land of Nippon is cursed again. So dormant Amaterasu gets revived and, accompanied by a talkative sprite named Issun, is in charge of restoring the land and defeating Orochi once again. (Random thought: how does a tiny hamlet provide an evil God with a maiden every year?) Art style: outstanding. The land is colorful (especially when restored) and character designs are simple but expressive. The cell-shaded style really survived the times, and everything in the presentation reinforces the idea that you are living an old folkloric Japanese tale, down to tiny nearly irrelevant details. Animations: the wolf you control moves graciously leaving a trail of flowers, leaps into the air in believable ways (for a wolf god, that is) and controls like a dream. When you beat your enemies, they don’t just die – they perform a fluid death dance, and then turn into a flowery blooming explosion of joy. Whenever you cure key trees, you are rewarded with a uplifting “wave of land restoration”, full of flowers, cherry tree leaves, confetti and other sparkling things just for the hell of it. It is very joyful, and gorgeously impressive, and it never gets old. Soundtrack: more Japanese than usual (I cannot recognize some of the instruments), but my western ears were impressed and very pleased anyway. Most of them scream grand adventure, but there are also some nice calmer tunes and a few very eery ones. Great stuff, very memorable and a perfect fit for the game. Gameplay: You run around, if you collide with a demon scroll (or pass through a special gate), you initiate a fight: you are surrounded by a “force field” and you have to fight a few enemies (usually 3 or 4). There are 3 kinds of weapons you can equip: Reflectors (roundish mirror-like that can attack as well as defend), Rosaries (whip-like and weaker, but can hit at a distance) and Glaives (strong swords), and each comes in a few different types for extra power. You can dash and parry, but that is only useful in the toughest battles. Enemies: varied and creative. There are many imps, dead fish, umbrella-wearing turkey-like monsters, wheels attached to ears... Some can just be bashed to death, some require the use of special magic-like techniques from your “Celestial Brush”. Celestial Brush: at any time during the game you can press a button which stops time, turns the screen sepia, and a painting brush appears. Depending on the shape you draw with the brush, you can strike an enemy, create cherry bombs, manipulate wind, fire, water, ice, and so on. Each stroke costs one or more ink bottles, but these do replenish in due time. It is an amazing mechanic that ties well with the characters, the story and the mood of the game. It feels godly (you can turn night into day, for example), it feels like painting a storybook, and it works surprisingly well with a joystick (only rarely the game wouldn’t detect my shapes, and usually because I suck at drawing). And it is not just about fighting – the brush also solves many of the environmental puzzles in the game. World building: rich. Many characters and enemies are rooted in Japanese mythology. Storytelling: the game is too chatty at times. But you can press “B” to speed up most of the dialogue. So, in summary, Okami is an epic journey, and a gorgeous looking and great sounding game that no one should…