Okami Review

Okami was one of those games that had a unique art style and was steeped in legend and lore, which really meant that this game was either going to succeed or fail, there was going to be no middle ground. I'm just happy to say that this game did succeed. You play as a white wolf, a god brought back to life, and you have to defeat the evil that is plaguing the world. You even get to do a little time traveling to make sure that the evil stays dead.

The style that the studio decided to go with was cell shading, but with the use of very rich like fuedal japan color scheme. I know that most of the characters in the game were not the most attractive looking people, but they all had true character to them.The levels were done well, and I really can't complain about the look of the game.

The feel of the game really was the thing that made this game succeed. You not only had to navigate through levels, jump, and attack, but you also had to paint when necessary. The painting feature, which you use to do several different actions throughout the game, felt like a feature that belong there and not one of those many features that was added to try to make something unique.

The other thing is that the game had length to it, but not so much that you felt like you were dragging at the end to finish the game. The story kept you drawn in, and, for me at least, it did not let go until you beat it.

I also like the fact that there were different weapons that your wolf could use, yes I know they kind of spun off his back at the enemy and magically came back, but this is a fantasy game and that kind of stuff happens all the time.

I also like having to work to unlock the different painting techniques. You had to go after them to help your green little friend, that for the most part was a green dustball, at least that's what he looked like, regain his masterful genius as an artist.

This game has since come out for the Wii, a console that I feel probably makes the painting feel even more like it belongs there with the use of motion control. I'm sad to think that the studio that made such a title has already closed shop, but I'm happy to see that they will be remembered for this game. If you don't own this game you need to get it and try it out, its worth it, and to solidify its worth I give it a 9.3 out of 10.

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