Full Review for Okami by dark_dragon_storm

Introduction

Okami is obviously a Japanese game that has had a lot of hard work put into it. You are the Great God Amaterasu - God of the Sun, and after a 100 year slumber in the form of a statue the world of Nippon needs your help. The evil demon Orochi has been revived, and the tree sprite Sakuya has revived you in turn to rid Nippon of the foul beast. And that's just the start of Nippon's problems...
I have now played and beaten Okami three times - and still enjoy playing it over again when I feel like a break from work. But why, how come? What is it about Okami that makes me keep going back to it?

Graphics

I love this game's graphics. If there is one thing I never tire of when coming back to play Okami, it is the beautiful scenary and smooth graphics. Okami is like playing a wolf running around in a Japanese painting. Everywhere and anywhere I fail to pick fault with the landscape, and I have to admit that from everything I've played Okami's scenary is also one of a kind. And what's even more enjoyable is when you consider the fact it is practically a Japanese painting in 3-D that also has very smooth graphics not to do with the background.
Throughout all my time playing Okami the graphics have never become pixilated or fuzzy, not once. Nor has the quality of the graphics slowed the fast-action parts down. When fighting demons within scrolls or taking down a giant Spider Queen demon from whom I cannot escape the game plays smoothly continually - and the graphics are also able to look stunning even when you can't see what is happening. Attacks from both Amaterasu and demons can be exceptionally fast in the battles, probably because of the real-time battling system, and so while Amaterasu moves too fast for my eye to really catch where her head moved and tail jerked etc. I can still tell the graphics are smooth. For Okami's style, I don't think there needs to be any improvement in this area.

Sound

This is where Okami is very, very clever. Anyone who has played Okami will testify that no-one actually speaks a language. Or if they do then I haven't picked up on it. I can make out millions of vowels, from 'i', 'a' and 'o' to 'u' and 'e' but hardly any other sounds come into speech. What a clever way to get past the language barrier! Keep the same 'speech' as it were, and provide different subtitle. Exceptionally clever.
However, this is also something that perhaps could be improved. I wouldn't mind hearing a character actually talk my language every once in a while - in fact it would make a nice change. However, at the same time it isn't hard to get used to the way people speak in Okami, so overall this isn't a problem. The speech aside, Okami keeps it's Japanese theme constantly throughout the game with beautiful Japanese music. 'Point out the obvious, why don't you?' I hear some of you say. Well that as may be, but I can't leave out the music of Okami. It reminds me of the word pathos - the music really does set the scene when it comes to making the gamer feel a particularly emotion. Facial expressions in Okami aren't actually that easy to see or read, so the music plays a vital roll in allowing the gamer to get an impression of the character, mood of the particular scene or just to generally keep them interested. I have no complaints when it comes to in game music.

Gameplay

Gameplay in Okami is easy to follow because commands never change no matter what. And also, unlike some games where commands must be learnt throughout the game, you learn practically every essential piece of information at the very beginning, from how to walk to how to fight with weapons and from that to how to dig. There are no additions to this at any rate, and hardly any alterations. So it is very easy to get the hang of the controls early on - which is good for a game like this. Eventually in Okami, certain actions become simple reflexes.
Next on the agenda would be the gameplay itself. Well Okami is full of side-quests and mini-games to keep any one gamer interested and always leaving them with things to do. Some of these mini-games are digging challenges, and in fact some of these challenges are necessary in order to advance. This keeps the mood light in Okami - so it's never too serious all the time. Some side-quests include hunting out the divine springs across the world and throwing money into them to upgrade brush techniques, or perhaps to go off and find the three Bandit Spiders spread out across the planet.
There's something for everyone, in Okami, be it necessary to progress in the game or otherwise.

Lastability

Lastable? Is it flippinf finishable is what I sometimes ask. The biggest and most popular side-quest of the game is to find all 100 stray beads for the reward of invincibility. I have yet to do this - there are some that I just can't get to and others I generally don't know where they are. And this is one of the biggest factors that makes Okami 'lastable'. The other side quests pile up to make for a good hour of gameplay for some of the faster gamers, perhaps longer for the others.
Also, the story of Okami is long. It made me worry when I was fighting Orochi so 'early on' in the game, I wondered if Okami was a let down after all. I was very wrong when I thought that - the story behind Orochi's return is in fact longer and darker than you might first think. It certainly took several twists and turns I found unexpected, but that made it all the more anjoyable.
And if anyone out there is like me and loves the graphics, then it might be you waste away an hour or two simply wandering around, exploring the world and testing Ammy's limits while also battling demons among other things.
Latable? Most definately.

Overall

Two 9s and two 10s, but the overall score from my point of view has to be a 10. The reason being that the reasons some areas got 9 were very small, but were still there to be improved upon. As I've said before, I love going back to Okami, even if it's just for half an hour's relaxation time. Killing demons can act as good stress relief, and it's hard not to calm down when wandering around the lovely, beautifuly done game itself. I would fully recommend Okami to anyone who asked if it was worth buying. Hence it gets a big 10/10 from me.

Final Score: 96%