Okami (Wii) - Review by Chris

Introduction

As far as adventure games go, the Zelda titles have pretty much been the staple unit in that department for many years, with the odd occasion where something else comes along and challenges what those titles do. This is one of those occasions. Okami was originally released on the Playstation 2 back in 2006 and after hearing the fans cry, Capcom finally decided to bring it to the Wii. The title is based upon the premise of you taking control of the sun Goddess Okami Amaterasu who has returned to the region of Nippon to defeat the great evil Orochi and free the land from his tyranny, through the use of divine powers and the mystical Celestial Brush.

Gameplay

As an adventure title, Okami is straight away going to draw comparisons between itself and the Zelda titles. The game uses the basic template used in those games: a large overworld area to roam around in with dungeons, towns, and a city for further exploration. You will control Amaterasu right from the off and begin the long journey of restoring not only your lost Celestial Brush techniques but also the land to its former glory. The game lets you do whatever you wish, be it just exploring the environments or battling against enemies for demon fangs to buy rare items. However, like all adventure games, not all areas are accessible from the beginning and so that playtime in and around the fields of Nippon will have to become work time if you wish to explore the other regions and of course, get the better weapons and items which will make those dungeons that little bit easier. The dungeons are laid out in a similar vain to the ones in the Zelda games whereby your overall objective will be to obtain the boss key and enter into battle with the dungeon's boss. All of the dungeons work similar to this with some offers different ways to obtain the key (such as Orochi's where you have to collect the necessary ingredients for his meal to get access to his chambers).

Along with the main adventure of stopping Orochi, there are many side quests which will yield great rewards and praise, something that is collected by helping people or restoring plants and fauna to their original state or flourish and can be used via the fan menu to increase health and other attributes. For example, some of the side quests will present you with a list of monsters which you have to kill. Others can be like the digging mini-game which runs on a 2d plane whereby you must get yourself and another individual to the bottom of the level before the time runs out and dig up what it is they are looking for. These create a small distraction from the main story and as you're not racing against time to stop Orochi, you'll find yourself undertaking these to get the full experience of the game.

Controls

Controlling Okami is done by the use of the analogue stick on the nunchuk with the Wiimote being used for attacking. Movement is easily achieved and very precise while the attacking is undertaken by swinging the Wiimote. For the most part it works incredibly well; however, there are times when it doesn't recognise the motions. The Celestial Brush controls are spot on with you holding down the B button and pressing the A button and motioning to do the techniques. Many of them are similar in what you have to do however it doesn't really matter as they are all used in different ways and for different things (e.g. fire, ice, and lightning).

Graphics

This is where the game really shines. Who cares about photo-realism when a game looks this spectacular? I don't. The game looks fantastic with a water colouring/cel-shading effect never seen before in gaming. The overworld looks beautiful as do the cut scenes from using the brush techniques (the bloom technique is particularly beautiful). The character design is typically Japanese to fit in with the style of game, as are the menus, and they all look great, with particular mention going to Amaterasu's character model at the end of the game. The game runs smoothly as well with only a slight bit of slow down which has come as a result of the porting over from the PS2.

Sound

Again, the game does great in this department. While the music isn't overly special, its simplicity combined with the style of the game and its looks works perfectly. It's your typical Japanese affair but it's just perfect sitting alongside the main game.

Final comments

Unfortunately for Okami, not many people bought it on the PS2 and not any more are likely to buy it on the Wii which is a shame as they will be missing out on what is surely one of, if not, the best adventure games on the Wii and on any console, period. The game truly is a masterpiece and with it sitting in at a weighty 30 hours to finish the main game without side quests, there is plenty on offer here.

Pro: Beautiful Graphics and Music. Good duration. Controls work well.
Con: Occasional unrecognising of motions of the Wiimote. It has to end.
Final score: 9.4

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