Okamiden
On the regular gaming related debate centres around art and whether games are art or not. Personally I think they are and will give examples of Ico, Shadow of the Colossus, Killer 7, Ocarina of Time and my game of 2007, Okami.
Okami was a work of pure genius. It took the already very successful Zelda formula and created a game completely with its own style. The gorgeous visuals, lovely music, polished Gameplay and long length make it one of the greatest games ever made.
Being on the PS2, Okami’s most unique feature was a compromise between an original idea and a limited control scheme. I’m talking about the celestial brush. By activating the brush you could paint an image on the screen and something would happen in the game, for example painting a circle on a dead tree would bring it to life, or drawing a bomb would make a bomb appear to blow up walls. But you had to draw them using the sticks.
By then the DS had built up a lot of steam and with its touch screen Okami and the DS seemed like a match made in heaven.
Enter Okamiden, a sequel to Okami on the DS. Unfortunately while the celestial brush is perfect (almost, I have difficulty always activating bloom on dead trees), the rest of the game is limited by the format. Such a shame, it seems the series just can’t win.
Okamiden takes place after the second game. Shakuya tries to summon Amaterasu to find out way demons are still appearing over Nippon, despite Yami being defeated at the end of the first game. Instead Chibiterasu, Amaterasu’s son appears. He’s only a puppy but still packs a punch. Teaming up with Susanno’s son Kuni the two set off on their travels around Nippon. Towards the end you save the world from an ancient evil determined to bring the world into eternal darkness.
It’s pretty much what you expect with a big twist towards the end and a strong possibility of a sequel.
It still looks and sounds good, and the story is enjoyable, easy to follow and funny in places. It’s the most basic Gameplay where Okamiden fails and this is due again to the limits of the system.
The celestial brush works a lot better since you can draw symbols using the stylus. The new Guidance power being one of the better new powers. As mentioned earlier you get a partner this time who you can guide to a separate location by drawing a line with your brush.
It’s just the rest of the Gameplay isn’t really up to scratch. You cannot have a 3D game without camera control and this is Okamiden’s biggest failing. Especially considering you need the camera in the right position to use the brush effectively, not being able to manually adjust the camera is a massive flaw I can’t ignore.
The combat has also been simplified with attack being reduced to a single button. The brush stops this from being simply mash X to win but it still feels like a step back from Okami.
Lastly even moving Chibi is a bit of a chore as the D-pad is not suited for full 3D play. Okamiden shows this so well as moving just does not work as well as it should.
So the limits of the DS are all too apparent. It’s a shame they didn’t wait until the 3DS came out. Okamiden would’ve really benefitted from an Analogue stick.
Okamiden certainly isn’t a bad game. Not worth full price but worth a play when you get a chance. The charm is still there and it was nice visiting Nippon again, there are just so many games out there an Okamiden doesn’t really do a lot to say pick me over the others.
7/10
Okami was a work of pure genius. It took the already very successful Zelda formula and created a game completely with its own style. The gorgeous visuals, lovely music, polished Gameplay and long length make it one of the greatest games ever made.
Being on the PS2, Okami’s most unique feature was a compromise between an original idea and a limited control scheme. I’m talking about the celestial brush. By activating the brush you could paint an image on the screen and something would happen in the game, for example painting a circle on a dead tree would bring it to life, or drawing a bomb would make a bomb appear to blow up walls. But you had to draw them using the sticks.
By then the DS had built up a lot of steam and with its touch screen Okami and the DS seemed like a match made in heaven.
Enter Okamiden, a sequel to Okami on the DS. Unfortunately while the celestial brush is perfect (almost, I have difficulty always activating bloom on dead trees), the rest of the game is limited by the format. Such a shame, it seems the series just can’t win.
Okamiden takes place after the second game. Shakuya tries to summon Amaterasu to find out way demons are still appearing over Nippon, despite Yami being defeated at the end of the first game. Instead Chibiterasu, Amaterasu’s son appears. He’s only a puppy but still packs a punch. Teaming up with Susanno’s son Kuni the two set off on their travels around Nippon. Towards the end you save the world from an ancient evil determined to bring the world into eternal darkness.
It’s pretty much what you expect with a big twist towards the end and a strong possibility of a sequel.
It still looks and sounds good, and the story is enjoyable, easy to follow and funny in places. It’s the most basic Gameplay where Okamiden fails and this is due again to the limits of the system.
The celestial brush works a lot better since you can draw symbols using the stylus. The new Guidance power being one of the better new powers. As mentioned earlier you get a partner this time who you can guide to a separate location by drawing a line with your brush.
It’s just the rest of the Gameplay isn’t really up to scratch. You cannot have a 3D game without camera control and this is Okamiden’s biggest failing. Especially considering you need the camera in the right position to use the brush effectively, not being able to manually adjust the camera is a massive flaw I can’t ignore.
The combat has also been simplified with attack being reduced to a single button. The brush stops this from being simply mash X to win but it still feels like a step back from Okami.
Lastly even moving Chibi is a bit of a chore as the D-pad is not suited for full 3D play. Okamiden shows this so well as moving just does not work as well as it should.
So the limits of the DS are all too apparent. It’s a shame they didn’t wait until the 3DS came out. Okamiden would’ve really benefitted from an Analogue stick.
Okamiden certainly isn’t a bad game. Not worth full price but worth a play when you get a chance. The charm is still there and it was nice visiting Nippon again, there are just so many games out there an Okamiden doesn’t really do a lot to say pick me over the others.
7/10
posted by Master hunter at 1:20 pm
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