Game Review: Okami
Fun: Fictional Asian folklore is welcome narrative substance; melding of traditional and modern mechanics and gameplay styles; elegant, inspired Japanese watercolor design.
Unfun: Shaking the controller to attack can get tiresome; drawing mechanic doesn't always detect shapes correctly; re-release doesn't come with added content; dense art and design doesn't always support short gaming sessions.
Are video games art? Your college professor might hesitate to praise Pac-Man's value as an artful outlet, but hey. The platform-hopping, princess-saving antics of Mario probably don't need to measure up to the likes of Hitchcock, Poe or Picasso, and like any other medium, games have their pop art counterparts, fairy tales, experimental works, B-movies and ill-advised crossovers.
And in an industry where gamers get enough sequels to spur a petition for some new Roman numerals, "Okami" stands out as a one-shot masterpiece, a rare effort of outright originality by a now-defunct art house gaming studio. Funded by Capcom in 2004, Clover crafted "Okami" as one of its last releases on the PlayStation 2, and the game ages well on the Wii with added motion controls and widescreen-compatible display being the main additions.
Most action-adventure games have you taking up the sword of a young hero -- "Okami" casts a white wolf goddess named Amaterasu and her faerie companion Issun to save ancient Japan from a demon scourge. It's a premise that's accessible enough for children, but "Okami" oozes adult appeal with classical storytelling and design. A host of great characters evolve across its 30-hour tale: your spritely sidekick Issun's becomes a playful partner, and Amaterasu's ability to characterize herself without speech demonstrates the characters' appealing design.
Otherwise, "Okami" owes some hat-tipping to the Legend of Zelda titles and other role-playing games, divvying your time between navigating dungeons, exploring towns and ancient forests, puzzle-solving, item-gathering and chatting up the residents of little villages (not to mention undertaking a range of side quests and add-ins like fishing and feeding wild animals). The Celestial Brush, a calligraphy tool players can use at any time to pause the game and ink shapes on screen, serves as the centerpiece behind most of Okami's design, as it's used for puzzles (a circle summons the sun), combat (etch a slash to do the same to enemies), and interact with the environment (fill in an empty valley to spawn a river, or repair plants to earn Praise Points from friendly villagers).
This inventive, motion-controlled artistry was meant for the Wii, but the mechanic is where the game's one issue crops up. In the porting process from the PlayStation 2, Ready at Dawn Studios, the talented developer that recently brought the "God of War" franchise to the PSP, may have gotten a little overexcited in converting basic mechanics into motion-controlled counterparts. The analog movement works comfortably, but the same can't be said for some of the drawing and combat controls. Painting lines and circles with the analog stick was a slower, somewhat tedious affair on the PS2, but it rarely judged symbols incorrectly. With the Wiimote, some simple actions don't get recognized; drawing a horizontal line can cause a headache for even the steadiest hand.
Luckily, "Okami"'s elegant Japanese watercolor world thankfully makes the transition to Wii not only intact, but improved. It looks better than ever in widescreen format, coloring cherry blossoms and animating windy plains brilliantly with a papery graphical filter. The unique art style will urge you onward to the next area, decorating any gameplay lulls with an attention-grabbing aesthetic. Every edge of the environment feels handcrafted; bouncing bosses and annoying basic enemies alike present their own unique visual designs.
Slightly shoehorned motion controls are the only thing that might hold "Okami" on Wii from being the ideal version of an incredible game. If you didn't catch it on the PS2, it might seem like a challenging experience due to the controls, but with the emphasis on vibrant colors and detailed design, the game displays well in widescreen on Wii. A creatively-stimulating experience from start to finish, "Okami" is an opportunity for gamers that grew up with Zelda to revisit a refreshing, elegant mythical journey.
Okami
Platforms: Wii
Developer: Clover/Ready At Dawn
Publisher: Capcom
Genre: Action-adventure
Rating: 3.5 / 4