Ōkami

This is the first game I’ve ever bought at launch and I am so happy I did. There is one word to describe Ōkami, and that word is masterpiece. Let me make something very clear: this game is honestly, literally beautiful. It far transcends any previous example of cel-shading technique in creating a visual that pays homage to Japanese ink brush techniques of both illustration and kanji (language characters). The heavy black outlines of in-game objects and backgrounds not only reflect the beauty of ink, but, because they fluctuate as you change the camera view, feel almost alive, assisting with the feeling of life and nature that the game attempts to impart. This feeling is made concrete partly through the natural Japanese environment you operate in, but mostly through how you can interact with it. See, you play as Amaterasu, a goddess of life. Thus, you can manipulate life by encouraging plants to bloom, feeding animals, and instantly growing trees and lily pads. You can also manipulate wind and water, and probably other elements as well; I haven’t gotten that far in the game.

Most of your abilities are performed using the awe-inspiring Celestial Brush, which resonates with the ink-style visuals. The brush is generally easy to use: by pressing R1 you can freeze the screen into a parchment-like appearance and draw on the environment. What you draw is then put into reality, depending on which “brush technique” you used. For example, if you draw a circle in the sky, the sun will come out; if you draw a circle in some water, a lily pad will appear. Using the brush definitely takes some getting used to though. I had several troubles that I think can be pinned to the changing of a 3D environment to a 2D one; the Celestial Brush doesn’t always recognize depth. The game does everything it can to work around this problem, though, offering helpful hints for using techniques. Using these brush techniques to help people, plants, and animals will allow you to reap in faith points (you are a deity after all), which you can use to level up health and other stats.

Battles (which I didn’t quite expect when I first played, given the rather serene, almost meditative appearance of the game) are primarily hack’n’slash, but you can use various brush techniques to attack and defend. The basic brush attack can slash enemies like a sword, while the Cherry Bomb technique can blow enemies up. Various mystical artifacts also can be equipped as weapons and sub-weapons to spice up the battle when you’re not using the brush.

As if magnificent visuals and gameplay weren’t enough, Ōkami has a beautiful setting of Japanese legends and fairy tales. Amaterasu, your main character who happens to be incarnated as a white wolf, is an actual sun goddess in Shinto mythology, said to be the direct ancestor of the imperial family. The weapons you use are associated with the Amaterasu mythology. The main supporting character, Issun (a bug-sized bloke with a big mouth), is play on Issunboshi, a warrior who was one inch high but became renowned as a demon-slayer.

The quirky and playful Issun presents another angle of the game’s atmosphere: apart from being gorgeously artful and flourishing with life, much of the game is honestly humorous. Most of the world’s denizens are completely wacky, but with odd undertones of elegance. Some cutscenes, especially the slapstick scenes featuring the other deities you encounter, are just hysterical. The Cherry Bomb technique can also provide some amusement (especially when there are chickens involved) that probably isn’t very becoming of the dignified Amaterasu.

Right now I’m praying that the hugely positive critical feedback is compelling enough to attract the general public’s attention, because it would be tragic if this game ended up as overlooked as Psychonauts. Truth be told, many of the allusions to Japanese culture will probably go over the heads of Western gamers, but hopefully this will prove to be incentive to learn more about the culture and mythology rather than a basis for rejection.

Also, Sakuya’s peach themed kimono is pretty awesome. In the front AND the back. Wow.