I am not a video game developer or even have much knowledge in the production processes of them, but as an outsider looking in I find it difficult to imagine a game style harder to create than a 3D Zelda experience. Taking a world and making it feel truly alive and populated while simultaneously crafting tightly designed puzzles, explorable landscapes, hidden secrets, and all sorts of wild mechanics seems like a hellish task- and one I haven’t really seen many studios try and capture aside from Nintendo themselves. All things considered, it was very shocking to see that Okami not only did attempt the feat- but it stuck the landing so well that I think it could easily be placed in the top tier of this genre style. This is an outstanding game and one I believe deserves all of, if not more celebration than it has gained over the years.

Something that I think is lost on many but is a huge part of my fondness for any artistic medium is the creative direction, intention, and passion put into the piece of art by its creator(s). Seeing a piece of art that you can feel the fun, feelings, or ideas of those who made it is such a joy and always elevates the experiences to me immensely. A game can be made with rock solid mechanics and be fun enough to play, but if there isn’t strong direction behind it, it tends to feel very sterile and industrial, which can kill an experience quickly. It is not always easy or common for experiences to feel expressive, passionate, and innovative- so I really appreciate when I truly do. Okami is a shining example of such.

My entire time playing Okami, start to finish, always had me amazed because it truly did feel like a game made by people who had an artistic vision and deeply cared about the end product. This game never cuts corners, always using every chance it gets to showcase new and creative mechanics, worldbuild, add personality, visually impress, and simply be fun. Look at any screenshot or video of this game, even just for a single second, and you can understand why this game visually speaks for itself. The art direction is so strong and memorable that even nearly two decades later it still holds up better than some titles that are released today. I’d say that it's even enough to sell someone on the game without any other context- which was largely why I gave it a try, but playing it myself quickly showed me that the presentation isn’t the highlight of the experience, but the bar set for everything the game had to offer, and it does meet the high expectations.

Going back to the beginning of this all, seeing a 3D Zelda-like even be attempted is incredibly impressive. Even more impressively, this is the most fun I have had with one since I played Ocarina of Time years ago. The overworld is fairly large and sprawling, yet is very dense with secrets to find, enemies to fight, side quests, and generally is just fun to run around in as a whole. Every town is packed with fun characters to talk to and buildings to explore. The variety in visual themes and especially the geographical features that add unique layouts and personality especially caught my eye. Combat encounters are very simple and the game is incredibly easy as a whole, but the customization and expression you are allowed leads to it never getting boring- especially since it is very flashy and fast paced. I read that this game housed many people who moved onto making Platinum Games, and as a Bayonetta enthusiast I felt the DNA in here with the weapon variety and playstyles, combos, and results screen with bonuses on combat performance. Really fun stuff all around. The main innovative mechanic here is the paintbrush, and it really is used to its fullest potential and was impressive and fun the entire time. Condensing a typical item supply inventory into just being able to pause time and draw out the skill you want to use is so snappy and satisfying, while also adding a ton of originality and personality to the game as a whole. Gaining new abilities with it always made me excited, and exploration, puzzle solving, and combat use it in increasingly creative and fun ways. And in terms of puzzle solving, the puzzles and dungeons here are a bit on the linear and easier side, but are all fantastic regardless and have incredibly smart game design that I found to be wildly satisfying. The variety here is also wonderful, with dungeons taking place in giant towers, a monster base where you help make a meal for the boss as a way to get in, the inside of a dragon, a room full of people while you shrink down and sneak around Arrietty style, and so much more. Incredibly creative visually and thematically, and the content inside them matches that quality. I can’t really think of a “weak link” here in terms of the gameplay experience. I liked every part of what this game offers. The main substantial content is great, the side quests are fun, the minigames are goofy and enjoyable, it all plays smoothly- it’s just.. really well done. What more can I say? Great stuff all around.

Narratively this game also excels with memorable characters and plot threads that are always engaging. For example, the beginning of the game setting up Orochi and Susano was really compelling to me, and I loved how the story unraveled. I especially loved this game's sense of humor- which almost always stuck the landing and had me audibly laughing on occasion. The dialogue, slapstick, absurdity of some situations, and the joke timing is just spot on. And luckily that humor never detracts from the genuinely dramatic or emotional parts of the game either. I think the story is a little messy on occasion with how they string some events along, but never enough to hinder enjoyment. The ending was incredibly beautiful and culminated this story perfectly, and as the credits rolled I felt moved by it all, and happy I got to play such a great title.

I think there are some pretty noticeable and major flaws that could be torn into reasonably. The game maybe didn’t need to be nearly 40 hours long, perhaps the repeated boss fights could’ve been trimmed down, it could do for a little higher difficulty, it’s hand-holdey and very chatty, etc. I don’t want to dismiss the bumps in the road here, but I just have to think back on what I am experiencing and it just doesn’t matter to me. This is such a clear and well defined passion project, it’s taking on a mountainous and ambitious task, it’s innovating in it’s gameplay mechanics and presentation in a way far ahead of the time, and there is love poured into every corner- love that I felt, and made the whole journey really special.

When all is said and done here all I can really say and do is just appreciate the experience here. It’s beautiful, funny, engaging, impressive, and most of all fun. It’s familiar and yet unlike anything I’ve played before. Every step just reminded me why I love video games, and if a game is able to do that, I think credit should be given where it’s due. Okami is a great game, a highlight of its genre, and among Capcom’s best. Plus you play as a funny doggy- other video games might as well not exist.

Good stuff here play it