It's very rare that a game manages to charm the pants off me.
Firstly, it takes a lot of admirable qualities to undo the belt as well as the absence of a lot of other less than admirable aspects to apply the necessary downwards force to remove the pants from my hips.
Now that you've received some gripping imagery of an inanimate game disc removing my trousers, let me explain Okami and its relevance to my pants-dropping.
<img src="http://i39.tinypic.com/501kpk.jpg" width=400>
Okami will grab your foremost attention with its rich sense of traditional style
A story may be defined as 'an account or recital of an event or a series of events, either true or fictitious.'
I define Okami as a living-breathing story book primarily, lending its auxiliary function to a platform-adventure game.
Okamis primary function exudes its purpose brilliantly.
The story itself is beautiful, enchanted and charming in every sense of the word. The unfolding of the plot, albeit a little traditional, is paced eloquently and delivered in the form of inspired traditional Japanese art as well as text-dialogue via the games many characters. That the main characters manage to grow on you in such a short span of time is testament to a masterful implementation of style and words.
To some - the amount of cut scenes and text may seem a little over-bearing and you'd be right to feel encumbered by it in some instances, but overall you have to remember that Okami is a story primarily and is leading you through the pages of a book.
The auxiliary function of Okami (being a platform-adventure game) by no means breaks any ground - though the challenges are fun and the levels compelling and rich, there's almost a sense of inadequacy throughout the game that such a beautiful story could be less than matched through the medium of gameplay.
<img src="http://i43.tinypic.com/hugfmh.jpg" width=400>
Powerful works of art accompany the story as well as maintaining the style and pacing seamlessly
To illuminate this polarisation between the harmony of story Vs. gameplay I will explain to you the simplest and foremost examples.
The introduction coupled with the beginning of a new game is lengthy and recounts the legend of Amaterasu (save a few growls and howls, it is our silent wolf protagonist) and its fierce battle with a Demon named Orochi (I'm labelling Amaterasu as 'It' for Amaterasu is a God).
This charming story is unfurled on-screen before the player with the previously mentioned traditional Japanese artworks, which personally I found to be very captivating and a solid opening point for the game.
After the opening scene I was switched into gameplay mode and allowed to control Okami.
Movement is fluid, slick and satisfying. Amaterasu moves like a wolf, has a sense of weighted presence and conveys a real feeling of power.
Nonetheless, all that glitters is not gold and this old saying was sadly put to the test after a bit of jumping aro-BAM!... Invisible walls.
Now I can understand and appreciate where invisible walls might have held their place in the past; i.e limitations on processing power//memory, even laziness I'm sure would have contributed to the usage of invisible walls, perhaps these walls still rightfully hold their place in some modern childrens' games or the like.
What I don't appreciate is the implementation of this feature in what is obviously a high-end and otherwise stunningly presented piece of entertainment.
Invisible walls detract from the overall immersion and impose a forced linearity upon the players experience.
<img src="http://i41.tinypic.com/dd4dv.jpg" width=400>
Every enemy has its very own dedicated description and accompanying artwork
So, invisible walls aside, I'd probably have a hard time picking any more problems with the presentation of the Okami World - the settings and landscapes are lush and captivating.
Cherry blossoms pave the road in charming villages that are bursting with rich character and interesting individuals all with their own story, whilst impressive sunsets envelop massive fields that stretch out before you, coated thick with activity and just pleading to be explored.
Come to think of it, It's been a long time since any game has given me the amount of visual satisfaction that Okami brings to the plate, I'd go as far as calling it an artwork in its own league.
Okamis' cel-shaded environments and characters are gorgeously stylised and the whole experience feels about as unique and immersive as you'll get relative to any of the current generation games.
Thick edgy outlines, humble earth-toned colours and minimalistic background design manage to blend so incredibly aptly with the setting of the game and as I said before, Okami truly is a living-breathing story book.
<img src="http://i40.tinypic.com/33ym3hf.jpg" width=400>
A story first and foremost, Okami flirts with visual perfection and a sense of artistic poetry
Graphically I'm willing to say that Okami is perfect at what it does (you can quote me on that and I'll stand by it forever).
Though there's a pretty average draw-distance on the Wii version (I've heard it's somewhat better on PS2) and trees as well as some of the finer details will not be visible until you approach them reasonably closely - I will admit though, it never adversely affects gameplay.
Okami further impressed me when it managed to implement coherent and entertaining use of the Wii-mote (believe it or not).
Within the first few minutes of play you'll be introduced to the 'Celestial Brush' and one of its many techniques.
Plainly put - a brush technique is a pattern you draw on screen, using the Wii-mote as a paintbrush of sorts. Firstly, you will stop time by holding the 'Z' trigger and the world will be frozen in a sepia tone. In this timeless area of static peach and black, you pan around the camera freely on a spherical axis and are to indicate what type of attack//action you'd like to call upon by 'painting' a pre-defined symbol onto the field of play.
Methods such as a quick swipe to the side with the Wii-mote will cut in half any obstacle or enemy in its path much like a sword. Similarly, you can paint a thick line over chasms or water to summon a bridge that will allow you to cross.
In terms of real-time manipulation, you can paint a circle in the sky you can call upon the birth of a new day and the Sun will rise where ever you spawned the circle. These are 3 of the earlier brush techniques you unlock out of the possible 13 and each one is required, at some point, to progress your way through the game.
<img src="http://i42.tinypic.com/33uq2cl.jpg" width=400>
Manipulation of the Sun and Moon, standard in any Gods repertoire
Now I feel I need to call out the flaws in not only the 'paint' camera but just the camera in general, which you probably won't notice initially as the camera's shortcoming lies in the more confined areas you'll experience during the later stages of the game.
There are 2 camera distance settings - a 3rd person//close-up view which I tend to never use in these type of games and then there's the panned-out view which is zoomed much further out from the former.
Firstly, you'll notice that your camera preference is defaulted back to the 3rd person//close-up view after every cut-scene and level advancement.
-1 point for camera.
Secondly, I've noticed the camera can become 'stuck' in some corners and this really does get on my nerves in the more pedantic platforming areas wherein the camera may decide to adjust itself from a nice overhead view to a more 'close and personal' view of Ammy's behind.
-2 points for camera.
Though this ailment is not isolated to Okami and is prevalent in many of the platform genres kin, I feel that the developers could've tweaked the camera much more competently.
It's a shame that through my 20+ years of gaming, the only evidence of perfect cameras are in 2-D side scrollers.
One day, someone's going to make the perfect 3-D camera, I just hope me or my kin are there to see it.
<img src="http://i39.tinypic.com/280oyhi.jpg" width=400>
Okamis level design encourages exploration and rewards it accordingly
All this talk about platforming is making me hungry so I'll get onto Okamis level design.
Short story - Brilliant.
Long story - You'll witness a beautiful balance between puzzles and exploration, the puzzles are never too perplexing yet you are required to use your brain on a majority of them. Don't expect many brain sapping instalments (think Myst, Monkey Island, Zak and Wiki etc.) but you'll definitely have to fire up the grey matter more often than not.
The balance between puzzle solving and platforming shifts and widens as you acquire more moves and brush techniques but there is a predominantly larger emphasis on puzzles.
Activities included in Okamis' puzzles are endemically themed to suit their environment and will usually involve Ammy and his pint-sized sidekick, Issun -The wandering artist, helping out village-folk or fellow flora and fauna, in turn - completing these quests warrants you with a proportionally reflected amount of 'Belief'. This 'Belief' system is an adapted form of the 'XP - Experience Points' system and with enough belief you can upgrade 1 of 4 attributes. Not the most technical attributes system but compelling enough to warrant you going out of your way for an extra quest or 2.
Okamis battles are fun and intuitive.
You may get by on hack'n'slash for the first few enemy types but eventually you'll have to start studying your enemies. Each opponent houses different strengths and weaknesses and it's upto Ammy's celestial paint techniques and his equipped weaponry to learn and exploit these weaknesses whilst respecting the strengths.
Boss battles are epic and account for a good deal of the previously mentioned puzzle-solving. I suspect Okami pays silent homage to a couple of Zelda boss battles as I noticed some distinct similarities in structure and design but when coupled with the breathtaking scale of art and style, it all feels fresh and fun.
<img src="http://i41.tinypic.com/25svcz4.jpg" width=400>
Battles range from entertaining to intense, starting off humbly and evolving along with the players skills
Enemy design is unique as far as I can tell, I'm not upto speed on my Japanese mythology but I'd take a guess that some of the bad guys are inspired by ancient Japanese demonology. Imps, Incognito kettles, Fiery wheels with hateful eyeballs - there's all that and plenty more. The difficulty curve is never a problem, once you determine an enemies weakness, the fights become more like a graceful dance than a volley of attacks from both ends of the arena.
Aurally, Okami continues its high-end trend and is no less than brilliantly orchestrated.
Sound effects are fresh, vibrant and inviting. It's almost therapeutic to stop by a lake and watch cherry blossoms dance around in the breeze as you listen to the wind rustle neighbouring trees and birds sing your praise.
On the flipside, battle sounds are equally as impressive, thundering war drums signify the entrance of a new opponent into a battle arena and the furiousness of Ammy's weapons are appropriately conveyed via audio through punches, whips and cracks of ferocity.
Okamis accompanying background music matches the traditional air of the art - utilising the plucky, bright tones of Japanese Shamisen's, harmonic and emotive backings of Kotos and a full arsenal of other orchestral additions - Okami makes for an invitingly authentic listen and I've half a mind to purchase the OST.
In my opinion, audio is just another piece of the Okami puzzle that slides in seamlessly.
<img src="http://i42.tinypic.com/zn807l.jpg" width=350>
Much to the dismay of some household pets, Okami evidently plays host to a cult following
I'm going to go ahead and make the sweepingly collective statement - Everyone needs to play this game.
Not just because some man on the internet said so, not just because Okami is perfect at what it does. The reason I insist you Play Okami is to remind and re-educate yourself of what a game is meant to be and further still to appreciate a truly beautiful story that will stay with you.
Games like Okami come along too far and few in between nowadays and to deny yourself Okamis graces is to deny yourself a chance to live a truly unique and worthy experience.
Firstly, it takes a lot of admirable qualities to undo the belt as well as the absence of a lot of other less than admirable aspects to apply the necessary downwards force to remove the pants from my hips.
Now that you've received some gripping imagery of an inanimate game disc removing my trousers, let me explain Okami and its relevance to my pants-dropping.
<img src="http://i39.tinypic.com/501kpk.jpg" width=400>
Okami will grab your foremost attention with its rich sense of traditional style
A story may be defined as 'an account or recital of an event or a series of events, either true or fictitious.'
I define Okami as a living-breathing story book primarily, lending its auxiliary function to a platform-adventure game.
Okamis primary function exudes its purpose brilliantly.
The story itself is beautiful, enchanted and charming in every sense of the word. The unfolding of the plot, albeit a little traditional, is paced eloquently and delivered in the form of inspired traditional Japanese art as well as text-dialogue via the games many characters. That the main characters manage to grow on you in such a short span of time is testament to a masterful implementation of style and words.
To some - the amount of cut scenes and text may seem a little over-bearing and you'd be right to feel encumbered by it in some instances, but overall you have to remember that Okami is a story primarily and is leading you through the pages of a book.
The auxiliary function of Okami (being a platform-adventure game) by no means breaks any ground - though the challenges are fun and the levels compelling and rich, there's almost a sense of inadequacy throughout the game that such a beautiful story could be less than matched through the medium of gameplay.
<img src="http://i43.tinypic.com/hugfmh.jpg" width=400>
Powerful works of art accompany the story as well as maintaining the style and pacing seamlessly
To illuminate this polarisation between the harmony of story Vs. gameplay I will explain to you the simplest and foremost examples.
The introduction coupled with the beginning of a new game is lengthy and recounts the legend of Amaterasu (save a few growls and howls, it is our silent wolf protagonist) and its fierce battle with a Demon named Orochi (I'm labelling Amaterasu as 'It' for Amaterasu is a God).
This charming story is unfurled on-screen before the player with the previously mentioned traditional Japanese artworks, which personally I found to be very captivating and a solid opening point for the game.
After the opening scene I was switched into gameplay mode and allowed to control Okami.
Movement is fluid, slick and satisfying. Amaterasu moves like a wolf, has a sense of weighted presence and conveys a real feeling of power.
Nonetheless, all that glitters is not gold and this old saying was sadly put to the test after a bit of jumping aro-BAM!... Invisible walls.
Now I can understand and appreciate where invisible walls might have held their place in the past; i.e limitations on processing power//memory, even laziness I'm sure would have contributed to the usage of invisible walls, perhaps these walls still rightfully hold their place in some modern childrens' games or the like.
What I don't appreciate is the implementation of this feature in what is obviously a high-end and otherwise stunningly presented piece of entertainment.
Invisible walls detract from the overall immersion and impose a forced linearity upon the players experience.
<img src="http://i41.tinypic.com/dd4dv.jpg" width=400>
Every enemy has its very own dedicated description and accompanying artwork
So, invisible walls aside, I'd probably have a hard time picking any more problems with the presentation of the Okami World - the settings and landscapes are lush and captivating.
Cherry blossoms pave the road in charming villages that are bursting with rich character and interesting individuals all with their own story, whilst impressive sunsets envelop massive fields that stretch out before you, coated thick with activity and just pleading to be explored.
Come to think of it, It's been a long time since any game has given me the amount of visual satisfaction that Okami brings to the plate, I'd go as far as calling it an artwork in its own league.
Okamis' cel-shaded environments and characters are gorgeously stylised and the whole experience feels about as unique and immersive as you'll get relative to any of the current generation games.
Thick edgy outlines, humble earth-toned colours and minimalistic background design manage to blend so incredibly aptly with the setting of the game and as I said before, Okami truly is a living-breathing story book.
<img src="http://i40.tinypic.com/33ym3hf.jpg" width=400>
A story first and foremost, Okami flirts with visual perfection and a sense of artistic poetry
Graphically I'm willing to say that Okami is perfect at what it does (you can quote me on that and I'll stand by it forever).
Though there's a pretty average draw-distance on the Wii version (I've heard it's somewhat better on PS2) and trees as well as some of the finer details will not be visible until you approach them reasonably closely - I will admit though, it never adversely affects gameplay.
Okami further impressed me when it managed to implement coherent and entertaining use of the Wii-mote (believe it or not).
Within the first few minutes of play you'll be introduced to the 'Celestial Brush' and one of its many techniques.
Plainly put - a brush technique is a pattern you draw on screen, using the Wii-mote as a paintbrush of sorts. Firstly, you will stop time by holding the 'Z' trigger and the world will be frozen in a sepia tone. In this timeless area of static peach and black, you pan around the camera freely on a spherical axis and are to indicate what type of attack//action you'd like to call upon by 'painting' a pre-defined symbol onto the field of play.
Methods such as a quick swipe to the side with the Wii-mote will cut in half any obstacle or enemy in its path much like a sword. Similarly, you can paint a thick line over chasms or water to summon a bridge that will allow you to cross.
In terms of real-time manipulation, you can paint a circle in the sky you can call upon the birth of a new day and the Sun will rise where ever you spawned the circle. These are 3 of the earlier brush techniques you unlock out of the possible 13 and each one is required, at some point, to progress your way through the game.
<img src="http://i42.tinypic.com/33uq2cl.jpg" width=400>
Manipulation of the Sun and Moon, standard in any Gods repertoire
Now I feel I need to call out the flaws in not only the 'paint' camera but just the camera in general, which you probably won't notice initially as the camera's shortcoming lies in the more confined areas you'll experience during the later stages of the game.
There are 2 camera distance settings - a 3rd person//close-up view which I tend to never use in these type of games and then there's the panned-out view which is zoomed much further out from the former.
Firstly, you'll notice that your camera preference is defaulted back to the 3rd person//close-up view after every cut-scene and level advancement.
-1 point for camera.
Secondly, I've noticed the camera can become 'stuck' in some corners and this really does get on my nerves in the more pedantic platforming areas wherein the camera may decide to adjust itself from a nice overhead view to a more 'close and personal' view of Ammy's behind.
-2 points for camera.
Though this ailment is not isolated to Okami and is prevalent in many of the platform genres kin, I feel that the developers could've tweaked the camera much more competently.
It's a shame that through my 20+ years of gaming, the only evidence of perfect cameras are in 2-D side scrollers.
One day, someone's going to make the perfect 3-D camera, I just hope me or my kin are there to see it.
<img src="http://i39.tinypic.com/280oyhi.jpg" width=400>
Okamis level design encourages exploration and rewards it accordingly
All this talk about platforming is making me hungry so I'll get onto Okamis level design.
Short story - Brilliant.
Long story - You'll witness a beautiful balance between puzzles and exploration, the puzzles are never too perplexing yet you are required to use your brain on a majority of them. Don't expect many brain sapping instalments (think Myst, Monkey Island, Zak and Wiki etc.) but you'll definitely have to fire up the grey matter more often than not.
The balance between puzzle solving and platforming shifts and widens as you acquire more moves and brush techniques but there is a predominantly larger emphasis on puzzles.
Activities included in Okamis' puzzles are endemically themed to suit their environment and will usually involve Ammy and his pint-sized sidekick, Issun -The wandering artist, helping out village-folk or fellow flora and fauna, in turn - completing these quests warrants you with a proportionally reflected amount of 'Belief'. This 'Belief' system is an adapted form of the 'XP - Experience Points' system and with enough belief you can upgrade 1 of 4 attributes. Not the most technical attributes system but compelling enough to warrant you going out of your way for an extra quest or 2.
Okamis battles are fun and intuitive.
You may get by on hack'n'slash for the first few enemy types but eventually you'll have to start studying your enemies. Each opponent houses different strengths and weaknesses and it's upto Ammy's celestial paint techniques and his equipped weaponry to learn and exploit these weaknesses whilst respecting the strengths.
Boss battles are epic and account for a good deal of the previously mentioned puzzle-solving. I suspect Okami pays silent homage to a couple of Zelda boss battles as I noticed some distinct similarities in structure and design but when coupled with the breathtaking scale of art and style, it all feels fresh and fun.
<img src="http://i41.tinypic.com/25svcz4.jpg" width=400>
Battles range from entertaining to intense, starting off humbly and evolving along with the players skills
Enemy design is unique as far as I can tell, I'm not upto speed on my Japanese mythology but I'd take a guess that some of the bad guys are inspired by ancient Japanese demonology. Imps, Incognito kettles, Fiery wheels with hateful eyeballs - there's all that and plenty more. The difficulty curve is never a problem, once you determine an enemies weakness, the fights become more like a graceful dance than a volley of attacks from both ends of the arena.
Aurally, Okami continues its high-end trend and is no less than brilliantly orchestrated.
Sound effects are fresh, vibrant and inviting. It's almost therapeutic to stop by a lake and watch cherry blossoms dance around in the breeze as you listen to the wind rustle neighbouring trees and birds sing your praise.
On the flipside, battle sounds are equally as impressive, thundering war drums signify the entrance of a new opponent into a battle arena and the furiousness of Ammy's weapons are appropriately conveyed via audio through punches, whips and cracks of ferocity.
Okamis accompanying background music matches the traditional air of the art - utilising the plucky, bright tones of Japanese Shamisen's, harmonic and emotive backings of Kotos and a full arsenal of other orchestral additions - Okami makes for an invitingly authentic listen and I've half a mind to purchase the OST.
In my opinion, audio is just another piece of the Okami puzzle that slides in seamlessly.
<img src="http://i42.tinypic.com/zn807l.jpg" width=350>
Much to the dismay of some household pets, Okami evidently plays host to a cult following
I'm going to go ahead and make the sweepingly collective statement - Everyone needs to play this game.
Not just because some man on the internet said so, not just because Okami is perfect at what it does. The reason I insist you Play Okami is to remind and re-educate yourself of what a game is meant to be and further still to appreciate a truly beautiful story that will stay with you.
Games like Okami come along too far and few in between nowadays and to deny yourself Okamis graces is to deny yourself a chance to live a truly unique and worthy experience.
