Okami (Wii Review) by Link-NM
Okami
Publisher: Capcom
Developer: Ready at Dawn
System: Wii
Release: April 15, 2008 (US)
April, 2008 - Story
Okami features a story based on Japanese mythology. During some time in the past in the land of Nippon, someone has broken the curse of the demon, Orochi, which had been sealed for 100 years. Sakuya calls you, Amaterasu, the sun goddess and reincarnation of the white wolf Shiranui, and asks you to remove the curse that covers the land.
Sound 15/15
The soundtrack of Okami is pretty good. The music also has some classical Japanese style into it, but is used properly in each and every situation of the game. The sound effects are good and fit properly into what is happening in the game. The game supports Surround sound which is always nice and welcomed.
Graphics 18/20
Okami supports widescreen and 480p. The game looks really nice with it's unique graphic style that simulates old Japanese drawings achieved through cell-shading. It runs at full 60 frames per second all of the time without any slowdown. The animation of the characters have also recieved enough detail and look natural.
Appeal 24/25
The game is basically an adventure game. You get to explore the land of Nippon, solve puzzles and get through dungeons. It is a long and good adventure. You'll meet people and other creatures, and beat different kinds of enemies and bosses. You also have several subquests which you have to complete to get rewards which could be items or money or points to level up your skills.
Gameplay 38/40
To play the game you use the Nunchuk combo, and the controls actually work pretty well. Doing the basic attack, which is assigned to shaking the Wii Remote, can be a bit troublesome at first. It doesn't work like the Wii version of Twilight Princess in which you could just randomly shake the remote. In Okami, you need to time your shakes to execute combos properly. There's also a subweapon which can be used by pressing a button on the nunchuk. This slot can be used as either a sheild or a long-ranged weapon. There is also another weapon which is the innovative idea I mentioned at the start, the "Celestial Brush". By pressing the B button on your Wii Remote, you'll be able to use this weapon which will freeze most things on the screen and lets you draw special commands by pressing the A button and pointing at the screen. This is where the Wii version shines since on the PS2 version you had to draw using the analog stick. It's sad, though that in rare occasions, the game won't detect the drawing you made and count it as if you didn't do anything.
Overall95/100
Okami is a great adventure game from Capcom. With it's unique graphic style, interesting story, nice soundtrack, and innovation in gameplay, it's highly enjoyable and a must-buy title.