Okami for PlayStation 2 Reviews by Gamers

Okami.

In Japanese, it means both "wolf" and "god". You play the wolf-shaped reincarnation of the Shinto Sun Goddess, Amaterasu.

This game blends together the beautiful, expansive, adventure-laden worlds of Legend of Zelda, the painful, bone-cracking demon slaying reminiscent of God of War, as well as the god-like power to bring miraculous force to bear on the problems of mere mortals, a la Black & White.

Truly, you will be surprised how many parallels can be drawn between this game and other top games in the Action/RPG realm, because if you didn't, this game would defy explaination.

The world and its denizens are painted in a broad-lined, cel-shaded style, bringing back memories of Wind Waker. As a style, it works, though some of the effects can become dizzying after a while. The use of brush effects are absolutely seamless. Hit the button, and all action stops, giving you ample time to draw the technique you want. There is a small learning curve / annoyance that comes with the brush, especially during the times it is critical that you do a particular brush technique, it does a different one. However, this only happens about two or three times in what can turn out to be a 60+ hour game.

There are plenty of sidequests to keep you busy on this game. You can help people find lost pets, cook with heavenly fire, and enact revenge on errant demons on behalf of your mortal beneficiaries. There's more than a few collector lists in the game, but no Action/RPG is complete without those.

When you get into a fight, the world around you seals you away into an arena of dark energy to face your hellspawned opponents. The combat is fairly solid, using a combination of god-like agility, fifteen magical weapons imbued with heavenly power, and your world-destroying brush techniques. Every enemy has a weakness (or two), and the faster you take them out with the less amount of damage, the more money you get.

A very solid game, fun, with an epic story. Trust me, you'll like it.