Retrospective: Okami
Uncompromising.
Everything about Okami can be characterised with that one word.
The uncompromising length, coming in at 35 hours.
The uncompromising vision, with plenty of references to Japanese Shinto that go straight over Western gamers' heads.
The uncompromising artwork, mimicking and featuring Japanese scroll art.
It is nothing short of a masterpiece: the product of giving immensely talented game designers a blank cheque and absolute creative freedom. And it is why the game didn't appeal to the mass-market, in either it's PS2 or Wii incarnation.
It was too long, and too "niche". Currently, niche in the West means anything not sports, movie licenses, or grey and brown bloody shooters. Of course the market has room for games as wonderful as Okami, but whether those games will ever regain their development costs is another matter. And Okami didn't, leaving only a bitter taste in the mouth, and a studio ready to shut its doors.
For those that can appreciate it, it is wonderful. An enchanting narrative, that doesn't let up during those 35 hours, wonderfully eccentric characters surround Amaterasu herself, providing emotional meaning to her quests (something the Zelda series does very poorly). There are certain points in the game where the supporting cast show such steely will in the face of mortal danger, that you can't help but want to honour them by standing beside them in battle. I honestly can't think of a game that has so successfully encouraged this sort of emotional response. The narrative's expert use of foreshadowing makes you determined to discover whether it is possible to change fate itself.
Amateratsu feels graceful and agile, small touches like the way she speeds up to a breath-taking sprint through the fields remind you of the power that lies underneath her coat.
As I've spoken about before, the dungeon structure and puzzles are far more pleasing than the Zelda games, with far less illogical puzzles and a life-affirming tone. The game rewards the player with a floral firework explosion, littering the land with cherry-blossom and daisies. It constantly reminds you of the righteousness of your work, and wills you to perform even the smallest tasks (like making trees bloom) in order to see just how beautiful the world of Nippon can become.
If there is a flaw to be found, it lies in the fairly throwaway combat; a mixture of hammering square, memorising attack patterns and using your special Celestial Powers (like wind, fire, water) to perform some obvious trick (use fire to melt the ice!) A more substantive combat system might have made the encounters more entertaining, but this is not to say there isn't some joy in a good button-mash.
The game is still available for the PS2, and is now out for the Wii. It is worth every penny of your money, and every minute of your time. There aren't many games I recommend that strongly.
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