The dreaded dragon Orochi has been set loose upon Japan, plunging the world into darkness and sapping the life from Nippon. The Shinto sun goddess, Amaterasu is then awakened from her slumber in the form of a white wolf to restore peace and tranquility. Accompanied by the warrior artist Issun, Amaterasu begins to restore the land. Throughout her journey, Amaterasu locates several Celestial Gods hidden in constellations and slowly regains her power. She aids those in need and eventually returns to the Celestial Plain, determined to rebuild the land of the gods.
The world of Ōkami is undoubtedly that of classical Japan. Emperors rule, and mystical forces play an active role in the lives of its people. Over the course of your journey you will visit many unconventional locales, such as the Emperor's stomach or an underwater kingdom, and meet many unconventional people like the shapeshifting hero Oki, or Princess Fuse who commands five warrior dogs. There is an abundance of lovable characters and slapstick. Even Amaterasu herself, despite being a powerful goddess capable of altering the world with a single brushstroke, possesses a delightful levity and is often found digging for buried treasure or goofing off. Ōkami is bright, vibrant and bursting with color; it's upbeat, lighthearted and euphoric. The game celebrates life, benevolence, faith and resolve.
One of the most unique aspects of Ōkami's gameplay is the Celestial Brush. Players can bring the game to a pause and draw objects into existence using the controller's analog stick. This feature is used in combat, to solve puzzles and as a general gameplay mechanic. Blooming trees I found to be especially fun and emotionally rewarding; watching an arid land suddenly burst with life and color. The brush skills are even used to move the heavens, turning night into day, altering the tide.
Sometimes a brush stroke never registered or the wrong power was triggered, but overall I found them easy to use with either a controller or Wii mote. The Wii mote was by far the better option. Although I found the brush techniques easy to master I know this is not the case for everyone. Due to the unusual way the controller is being utilized, some individuals may have a harder time adapting to the unconventional control scheme.
Traditional Japanese culture, folklore, myths, music and art are evident in every aspect of Ōkami. It was one of the most beautiful and visually distinct games on the PlayStation 2, having since been ported to the Wii, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC. It has become a classic game title and a prime example of artistic expression within a video game. In fact, it was one of the games on display at "The Art of Video Games" exhibition held by the Smithsonian American Art Museum back in 2012.
Ōkami is one of my all time favorite games. I enjoy the flashy gameplay, silly characters, beautiful art direction, and its overall upbeat tone and positivity. If I had to nit-pick, it would be the loading screens. They pop up just about every time you enter or leave and area, breaking up the experience. Otherwise this is a title I highly recommend.
The game has gotten sharper and cleaner with each port; partly due to the watercolor paper texture, which was prevalent in the original PlayStation 2 release, being almost non-existent in the ports. On the downside, only the original release has the ending credits along with the song "Reset". The ending credits were removed in their entirety from the Wii port, and were altered for the PlayStation 4 release. The loading screen mini-game has also come and gone with each new release.
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