In case you’ve forgotten, today is your second chance to get in on Okami, the game everyone said was a spectacular triumph but none of you freaking bought. Not me, of course. I bought it. I’m not an idiot.
Okami, in case you’ve just now regained consciousness after a three-year coma, is a beautiful game whose aesthetic makes it look like a Japanese watercolor painting come to life. Bringing things to life is also the game’s overall motif, as you control the sun goddess, Amaterasu, returned to the world in the form of a white wolf, roaming the land and bringing the splendors of nature to a cursed world. The game, now re-released on the Wii, will give players a pleasing tactile control over its main gameplay mechanic, the “celestial brush,” allowing players to sketch Amaterasu’s powers onto the world by drawing with the Wiimote.
Let me explain to you why you need to buy this game. First of all, it’s phenomenal. The game plays a lot like Zelda, in terms of its “explore a lush environment, beat a tough enemy, unlock a new power that lets you reach the next zone, also there’s like 1200 side quests if you feel like some extra money” mechanics. I have a couple of issues with the story’s pacing (the opening sequence is actually one of the worst I’ve seen in a long time, which is a shame because the rest is so damn good), but the depth of exploration and the fun you can have with your powers are a sheer joy. The game is wonderful to look at–even just getting from one point of the map to the other, I would marvel at the animation, watching Amaterasu dash across the landscape as life and renewal sprouted from the ground under her feet. One of the most frequent complaints I’ve heard about this game is its length, and I couldn’t disagree more. Roughly halfway through the game, there’s a very Zelda-esque plot twist, where it’s revealed that your quest has only just begun. Some players at this point were upset, complaining, “You mean the game’s not over yet?” My reaction was the opposite. “You mean the game’s not over yet? I get to keep playing?!”
Secondly, this is an important step in experimental publishing. Okami sold rather poorly during its initial PS2 release, and logically, Capcom could have just washed its hands and been done with it. But players and journalists took note of the Celestial Brush, and said how great it ought to have been on the Wii. Players clamored for the re-release, and told Capcom to get to work. Fusses were made on message boards and in feedback emails. And you know what? For once, the publisher listened. This re-release is a direct result of consumers demanding that it occur. To all of you out there who said that this needed to happen, you have an opportunity now. If you support this decision–if Okami sells well for the Wii–this could be the start of a good pattern. Publishers might start taking a greater interest in consumer feedback and suggestions. Granted, those suggestions won’t always be golden, but the door will be open a little wider, and we can start agreeing, consumers and publishers, on what would be a good game.
Capcom held up their end of the deal, folks. Okami Wii is out, just like you wanted. Don’t screw this up.
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