Amazingly enough I had no concrete idea what I was buying when I plopped down my well worn debit card at the local game store. I knew I had to have it. I knew I had been following it lustfully for the past nigh-on two years. Somehow I never bothered to find out what precise genre of game Ōkami happened to be. Was it 2D action game? A 3D platformer? Some sort of Pokemon wannabe? I hadn’t read any reviews, nor had anyone recommended it to me. The strength of the visual style was sufficient on its own to open my wallet.
Here’s my one word review: Wow!
Ōkami is an example of the finest video gaming has to offer, in this or any other generation. It demonstrates a level of polish and care few games approach. Nearly every aspect has been honed to perfection. Care went into this game and it shows. The controls are responsive and intuitive. The sense of accomplishment and discovery is addictive. And, oh! the visuals!
The game makes use of cel-shading to present a fluid and vibrant landscape remiscent of ukiyo-e prints. While not unique — the technique was famously used in The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker and Capcom’s own Viewtiful Joe — it feels all the more appropriate given the story and central game mechanic. As the sun god Amaterasu (reincarnated as a wolf) you have the power to create with a paintbrush. Draw a circle in the sky to cause the sun to rise. A quick line cuts trees, rocks, and enemies in half. Lazy loop-de-loops summon fierce gusts of wind.
Essentially this boils down to a replacement for the items and tools one might find in a Zelda game. Instead of carrying bombs in a bag, you draw them onscreen by making a quick upside-down capital Q. Where Link might carry a hookshot, Amaterasu uses her paintbrush to draw vines that zip her from place to place. This is a nifty little system that works in conjunction with the chosen style.
The staff at Clover Studio have clearly studied The Legend of Zelda: The Ocarina of Time like a master’s text and they are very good students. Everything from the well-meaning yet oblivious cast of wacky townspeople to the colossal and gruesome dungeon bosses is so very similar to any of the recent Zelda games without feeling derivative.
Yet my favorite part of the game thus far is one of the most basic. It’s just a joy to go to one of the game’s more open areas and just run. Playing as a wolf capable of considerable speed makes going from one destination to another pure joy. When Ammy puts those four legs in motion it feels like few other games out there. It’s a bit like when you first rescue Epona from the cruel Ingo in Ocarina of Time only you get to do it all the time. And once you really start moving a trail of colorful flowers erupts from the ground behind you, growing ever more vivid as you accelerate. It’s beautiful and it never seems to grow old.
