Sure, there have been games influenced by Zelda – Beyond Good and Evil and the lesser known Sphinx spring to mind, plus some action platformers have evolved to include adventure elements. Many would say Shadow of the Colossus plays much like a series of Zelda-esque boss encounters, but there’s nothing with enough of the series' groundbreaking features to be outright called a 'Zelda clone'. Not until now, anyway. From the minds behind Viewtiful Joe, the recently closed down Clover Studios, comes Capcom's take on the genre in Okami.
For those not familiar with the story of Okami, let us fill you in. Long ago, the world was terrorised by the eight-headed demon Orochi. Izanagi, a brave warrior, sealed away this evil threat with the help of the valiant sacrifice by a white wolf named Shiranui, who summoned the mystical sword Tsukiyomi - the only weapon capable of sealing the demon. The game begins in Kamiki Village where the shrine created in Shiranui’s honour lies. Life continued peacefully, until one day when someone removed Tsukiyomi from the shrine where the demon lay buried, waking the revengeful Orochi who began draining the land of life and plunging the world into darkness. The protector of Kamiki Village, Sakuya-hime, summons the sun goddess Amaterasu into the statue of Shiranui and begs that she restore the land. With the aid of a sprite Issun, master of the all-important Celestial Brush, the pair set off on their epic journey.
The game begins with a gameplay disguised tutorial where you get your first chance to control Amaterasu. As you would expect, you move her with the stick (with three different speeds of running available), X jumps, Triangle digs the ground, and Circle interacts with people/objects. As you move through the almost dream-like world you learn your first ability, which is how to jump up walls. It's simple stuff, with only a swift double tap needed to see the wolf scale high platforms with ease. In the following area, you come across a broken bridge which is where your most important power is demonstrated – the Celestial Brush. By holding the R1 button, the screen you were once looking at becomes a canvas in an instant. Using the stick you can now physically ‘paint’ onto the surrounding environment. By splashing ink onto the broken bridge it’ll magically appear undamaged within seconds. Continue further and you’ll be cutting wooden bars, drawing in a missing sword on a broken statue and even painting in star constellations in the sky - all with the power of the paintbrush.
Didn't Ozzy Osbourne sing about this?
Painting can also be used during combat and is essential for defeating certain enemies. Not only can the wolf use traditional dash and weapon attacks via the square button, but you can actually cut enemies by using the Celestial Brush and drawing quick slashes with the brush across the screen. There are additional weapons to put up along the way, but that cannot hide the fact that the combat in Okami is somewhat on the simplistic side of things and the array of combos that are produced through random button-bashing will see you safely through the large majority of the battles that await. It’s satisfying, and visually it’s rarely anything less than spectacular, but it’s just a pity there wasn’t a bit more depth to it, especially given the Viewtiful Joe-esque scoring card that pops up after each battle.
Upon exiting the tutorial you end up back at the tree. Here you can use your newly acquired painting skills to cut down an ominous looking fruit from its branches. On doing so, the world explodes with dazzling colour and brightness as life returns to the surrounding environment. Now the game has a real Zelda feel to it. There’s a village to explore filled with people, each with their own problem to solve. Here you learn further ways to use your brush. Helping a family fix a broken water wheel, creating a washing line for an old woman to hang her wet clothes on, and then drawing a sun to help dry them - the amount of possibilities that start running through your head at this stage of the game is mouth-watering.
These kind of activities within the overworld of the game are mostly optional, but they do serve a purpose. You see, whenever you help a person in need of aid, feed some wild animals or even magically restore cursed grasslands, you will be justly rewarded with some praise points. These come in handy, as they can be used to upgrade certain aspects of Amaterasu, be it her health gauge, extra inkpot storage or even a bigger wallet for all the cash you’ll come across.
As you progress there are further brush-themed abilities to master. For instance, by obtaining Cherry Bomb you’ll be able to create bombs at will by simply drawing a circle and adding a line coming out of the top of it to represent the fuse. Seemingly useless plants become quite the opposite when you can travel between them after gaining the ‘Vine’ ability to hook onto them clawshot-style, while making a loop with your brush in the water creates lilypads for you to stand on and travel safely through previously unreachable areas.
In this respect, Okami does a fine job of following the blueprint laid down by Zelda and Metroid (and, to some extent, even Mega Man), whereby obtaining one new item opens up whole new areas you never knew existed. Much in the vain of those aforementioned games, the Celestial Brush is also key to getting through each of the ‘dungeon’ areas and, ultimately, the boss fights. Much of the challenge comes from finding the right skill for the task, but there’s still plenty of good ideas here to sink your teeth into.
Okami: water-way to have a good time.
Much like that Nintendo game we’ve already mentioned too many times, Okami prefers text over voice-acting, but the disappointment ends as soon as you appreciate how superb the music is. Relying on traditional Japanese instruments and rhythms, the sound of each area fits the visuals with perfection. Often soothing and consistently atmospheric, Capcom has created another memorable soundtrack that’ll soon leave you frustrated that game soundtracks aren’t common outside of Japan.
Of course, it’s Okami's visuals above all else that make this stand out from the crowd. Graphically, the game is in a league of its own. Its canvas-inspired approach looks utterly unique and is consistently beautiful throughout the game. The vivid colours, the striking art style and the imaginative game world make it hard to believe this is running on a PS2. Screenshots don’t even begin to do justice to how it all looks in motion, with the animation of the wolf especially never failing to impress. She runs with elegance, leaps without fear and should you leave her for a few seconds, licks her paws and curls up to sleep. She’s full of character and you can’t help adore the way she digs the ground or playfully barks to passers-by.
It’s easy to say that graphics don’t make a good game, but in Okami’s case they make it a special one. Without its jaw-dropping looks, it just wouldn’t have anywhere near the same effect. It’s a game that heavily relies on single moments to reward the player, and seeing a once dark, gloomy forest turned into a bright, blossoming haven is all the reward a person needs after a gruelling boss battle. You’ll want to stop and take the time to restore some life to a cursed pond area, just so you can see it all spring to life seconds later. The visuals make Okami a world you want to visit, such is the beauty of, say, the coastal area around sunset. You’ll often find yourself drawing a new sun in the sky just so you can wait for the sun to set again and soak in some of the richest and most hypnotic oranges and reds in gaming.
Sure: it’s not perfect. It’s not the hardest game in the world, and it doesn’t quite match Zelda in depth when it comes to puzzles and combat, but it’s a beautiful game, it’s lengthy, it’s packed full with fresh ideas and, most of all, it’s an unforgettable experience that should be experienced by as many people as possible. We recommend putting this on the shopping list ASAP.
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