Ōkami

Ōkami
"God. Hero. Hunter. Savior"
Protagonist(s): Amaterasu Genre(s): Action-adventure Platform(s): Microsoft Windows PlayStation 2 Wii PlayStation 3 Playstation 4 Xbox One Nintendo Switch Release Date: Original PS2 JP: April 20, 2006 US: September 19, 2006 EU: February 9, 2007 AU: February 14, 2007 Wii US: April 15, 2008 EU: June 13, 2008 AU: June 12, 2008 JP: October 15, 2009 Ōkami HD PS3 US: October 30, 2012 EU: October 31, 2012 JP: November 1, 2012 PC WW: December 12, 2017 JP: December 13, 2017 PS4 & XONE WW: December 12, 2017 JP: December 21, 2017 NS WW:August 9, 2018 Developer(s): Clover Studio Publisher(s): Capcom Country: Japan Successor: Okamiden

Ōkami is a video game developed by Clover Studio and published by Capcom. It was released in 2006 on the PlayStation 2 and later the Wii in 2008. It also got a PS3 release in 2012 as Ōkami HD (In Japan as Ōkami Zekkei-ban roughly translated as Ōkami: Magnificent Version) later the HD port got released on the PS4 and Xbox One in 2017 and then Nintendo Switch later in 2018. It is well-known for its brush mechanics which allows the player to do many puzzles, help defeat enemies, purify curses and restore things back to its former glory.

Why It Rocks

1. The concept of playing as a wolf goddess based on a god in Japan while using a magic brush for many usages is very well executed and extremely interesting. It was famous for being an innovative concept for many players and helped many game developers have innovative ideas as well-executed and interesting as it.
2. The story is very well-done as it's a alternate retelling of the goddess Amaterasu who must defeat Orochi and Yami and restore Japan from its curse and plague of Youma with the help of Issun and his magic brush.
3. Very good gameplay and smooth combat as you use Issun's magic brush for various things, a reputation system that acts as experience points and well-done NPC interaction which they'll either hug you in a friendly manner, defend themselves or scold you for your action they didn't like.
4. The brush mechanic is extremely innovative and very well-done as it's used to do many various things such as solving puzzles, attacking enemies, lifting curses and bringing back dead plants such as flowers and trees.
5. Very likable characters such as Amaterasu, Sakuya and Issun even more so when he gets character development later on the same goes for Susanoo.
6. Excellent bosses, with the final boss being the most popular.
7. Very great cel-shaded graphics that perfectly befit the art style, the usage of Issun's brush and characters of the game.
8. Very humorous and comical moments while greatly balancing the serious tone of the story as it feels like you're both watching an actual anime and playing a game.
9. Though while linear at times, it is justified for a great reason since Amaterasu is a goddess and her duties are to protect others from evil power that is stronger than humans as it makes you feel like you're playing a role of a deity in a very accurate manner.
10. The HD editions allow you to turn off the annoying gibberish Banjo-Kazooie esque voices if you are bothered hearing them all the time without having to turn off the sound effects.
11. Well composed music that fits the theme of the fictionalized version of feudal Japan and it's art-like nature and theme of the game.
12. Very good balance of difficulty of combat, gameplay and puzzles. Not easy or hard just medium and well-balanced.
13. The Wii version makes the brush mechanic and combat even more realistic and fun with motion controls added to them which are also later used in the Switch version.

Bad Qualities

1. The humor, while humorous at times, can feel forced and some jokes feel unneeded such as the sexual joke where Issun is stuck on Sakuya's breasts and some toilet humor as well.
2. It can feel too linear at times which will make players the need to backtrack and save often at times when there are scripted fights or difficult puzzles. An infamous example is the Moon Cave which is the 3rd dungeon (7th in the second visit) which you'll be forced to beat it in order to go back to doing optional progress and doesn't give you a warning that tells you that it'll happen.
3. While incredible, the story feels more like three stories combine into one.
4. The PC port is very unstable which many players reported a huge number of crashes and save files being corrupt and deleted.
5. The digging minigames are very tedious and requires some trial and error. Not to mention that the latter digging games force you to use Galestorm which is a brush technique that has 2 versions of how it's used and can mess up the player's minigame progress if not careful.
6. Issun can be unlikable at times with his cocky and abrasive behavior even sometimes at Amaterasu. Though he gets kinder later in the game.

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