REVIEW – Okami, without any beating around the bushes, is a 10/10 game. It’s not earning this rating because of perfection (no game is perfect), but because it is a masterpiece by Hideki Kamiya. Even the Wii port would get the 10; the PS3 would receive a 9. How well did the port of the PlayStation 3 port fare?

Okami is by the creator of Resident Evil 2, Devil May Cry, Viewtiful Joe, Bayonetta, and The Wonderful 101 (as well as Scalebound, which was canceled by Microsoft), and I’d be hard-pressed to name just ONE bad game from this list. This unique, cel-shaded puzzle/RPG, which launched in the autumn of 2006 on PS2, featuring Amaterasu, a mythical sun goddess in the shape of a white wolf, is a creation even today that everyone should experience at least once.

Artistic

With that term, I didn’t just describe the game’s visuals (and while I’m here, I’ll quickly deal with the technicalities: the game runs on thirty frames per second everywhere, and the PlayStation 4 Pro is capable of displaying Okami HD at a 4K resolution), but the gameplay as well. You’re going to receive a brush (the Celestial Brush) that can help you create things that are missing from the scenery, or even get rid of obstacles to help Amaterasu progress. On paper, it does sound weird, but you can learn thirteen different painting techniques throughout the 35-40 hour experience (or trip), and the time stops for you while you create.

Did I just write 35-40 hours? Oh yes, I did. You can easily plonk that much time into Okami HD (especially if you go for that Platinum trophy), because there are side missions, play one of the two mini-games on the loading screen, look around for secret treasures, or even learn more about Japanese mythologic characters… if you want to do so. There are a lot of possibilities. Okami HD isn’t the type of game that you buy and then get rid of it in one day (unless you just stream for money and then drop the game after one day due to low attention…) – but it’s not for everyone. It’s not something that your average gamer with their CoDs would enjoy.

Not perfect

Let me quickly mention what the game’s negatives are. So it’s not a title that everyone will rate highly. It’s obscure, especially in 2018 (but it doesn’t dock points off its rating). After the PlayStation 3 port, the support for the PlayStation Move has been taken out. I don’t know why it was removed; it should have been kept. (For example, if you have a PlayStation VR, you are likely to own those „ice cream cones,” too!)

I don’t understand Capcom‘s decision. Also, the frame rate is still 30 FPS. Probably the developers didn’t want to reprogram the game (they went for a re-release… Resident Evil 4, 5, 6, Dead Rising 1, 2, and these are just titles moved over from the previous console generation…), although I would have been curious to see how the game’s dynamics (supported by the soundtrack) would have worked on a double frame rate. I believe all platforms (PlayStation 4 (Pro) / Xbox One S (X) / PC) would have been capable of it. Maybe (!) I would also say that the camera controls aren’t always perfect.

It belongs on your shelf!

Okami is still a 9 out of 10 title in 2018. I was discussing the rating before writing the review because I firmly believe that the game is outstanding. This Japanese story provides an entertaining, creative, and relaxing experience that I would recommend to take on during a few sunny weekend afternoons. It could be easily called Hideki Kamiya’s Zelda. It has such a vibe that it can get you, and when it happens, there is no stopping. Even Issun (the little character that follows you everywhere, providing some humorous commentary) doesn’t take away from your experience. The soundtrack is nice, too. Have a listen:

So Okami is a wonderful game. I’m not ashamed to give it a 9 out of 10 – if it had had Move-support, I would have easily awarded it a 9.5. It’s a fun experience for those that believe in Okami.

-V-

Publisher: Capcom

Developer: Capcom (originally Clover Studio)

Genre: RPG, adventure

Release date: December 12, 2017