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I have bought the original game for 3 different consoles over the years and I had Okamiden for the DS. I am seriously considering getting it from Steam too. I may have a problem.
What about it is so special to you?
I’m a couple hours in (recently finished Hana valley) and while I love the art style, the rest of the game feels kinda mediocre:
- combat largely feels button-mashy
- movement feels sluggish - probably more the art style than anything
- puzzles so far feel too simple
- story feels overly basic
I’m playing on a Steam Deck, so drawing feels a little awkward, but not terrible.
I guess I’m not seeing what’s so special about it. It’s kinda fun and I’m certainly enjoying myself, but it doesn’t seem to really excel at much. Essentially, I’m pretty sure I’m going to forget about it soon after I finish, unless something big changes in the gameplay/story. Maybe it felt a lot better on the DS with the stylus? My guess is that combat feels bad because I essentially pause combat to use ink attacks (drawing with an analog stick isn’t particularly smooth), so I tend to avoid that.
I’ve seen a ton of praise for it, so I’m obviously missing something.
This game was originally released on the PS2 so at the time using a drawing mechanic for fighting was a pretty new concept. I think Clover studios did a great job introducing such a unique mechanic using the joysticks while also allowing the use of buttons for combat. The mechanic itself fits very well with the storyline in that Issun is an artist teaching you his legendary brush techniques (which are actually powers that you once had). The re-release for the Wii brought this mechanic out even better with the use of the Wii remotes. The re-release for PS4 allowed for the use of the trackpad to input the brush strokes which was also neat. As for the feeling of the controls being clunky I can understand where you’re coming from if you try to compare it to games today but I’d still recommend giving it a chance.
Also at this point in time the use of cell-shading and watercolor pallet was a lot more visually pleasant compared to the polygon characters of this era. This was one the earlier games that felt like you were playing a cartoon. I can remember being blown away by the visuals when this game came out. The cell-shading design definitely holds up better over time as well. Another really novel concept introduced was the ending to the first boss battle. The player is lulled into thinking that this is the end of the game but really it’s not. There is so much more story and exploration left. The difficulty level ramps up as you make your way to the true ending however the progression is gradual. It really makes you feel like you’re getting your powers back and at no point do you feel like you are grinding to get results. It’s very very balanced in skill progression and storyline. By the end of the game you’ll be doing more intricate fighting without even realizing it.
I’m considering getting it again for Steam because I am interested in mapping my own controls to see what I can do with it although I’m not sure if using the touchscreen for brush techniques would work in practice. The story itself is like reading a favorite novel for me at this point so playing around with it on Steam would be worth the purchase.
Oh, I’m absolutely enjoying it, it just doesn’t feel “special” to me, outside of the art style.
cell-shading
I played JetSet Radio Future as a kid (never played the original), which also has cell shaded graphics, and it felt really good to play and it came out ~5 years prior to Okami. I haven’t gone back to try it again, so maybe nostalgia is kicking in, but I remember also being blown away by the graphics and general feel of the game. I absolutely love cell shaded graphics, which is probably why I like this game’s graphics.
But when I compare Okami to other games from around that time, it doesn’t feel as impactful. Here are a few I played somewhat recently (within the just 3-ish years) that I really enjoyed:
- Gurumin - 2004 - combat felt really good, and it’s packed with charm
- Ys Origin - 2006 - everything is fantastic, probably one of my top games; I also loved Ys 1&2, which are a lot older (Ys 1 is my favorite from the series, and definitely top 10 of all time esp due to the unique combat)
- Recettear - 2007 - combat and the sales mechanic felt good and nicely balanced, and the whole feel was quite unique
- Costume Quest - 2010 - combat is simple, but still pretty fun; the best part is the setting, who else makes a trick-or-treat game?
- Morrowind - 2002 - graphics still hold up imo (art style seems very effective); I played it as a kid, so lots of nostalgia; I love it for side quests and immersion, combat kinda sucks, main story was average, and RPG mechanics in general aren’t my thing (but are really well done)
I enjoyed each of those way more than I’m currently enjoying Okami, and so far, they’re way more memorable.
I’m not saying it’s bad (again, I’m enjoying myself), it just seems it’s riding hard on the art style (which is unique and very well done), but the rest seems to be pretty average. Some specific downsides:
- lots of uninteresting text, and I love text-heavy games; I also can’t consistently skip/speed through it (I’ve tried, and it works about half the time)
- lots of “handholding” - make it partway through an area, and it shows you where to go next by taking control; I never had that in any of the above (except JSRF, if memory serves)
- weird cuts when picking up items, yet I still don’t know what the point of those items are (I think I’ve healed once, and that ended up not being necessary)
So I’m staying for the art and atmosphere, but everything else is pretty mediocre and forgettable, with a little frustration thrown in. I’m not really interested in a sequel or remake unless they drastically change the gameplay and narration. Maybe give me a completely different game instead with the same art style.
If someone asks for a game with interesting graphics and atmosphere, I’ll recommend Okami, otherwise I’ll probably never mention it when discussing games.
Dude Morrowind looked like shit on release day. I love that game, and I replay it constantly, but it is among the ugliest games I’ve ever played.
To each their own I guess. I thought it looked great near launch (I bought it in early 2000s for Xbox), and I think it still holds up. Most of the “jank” in the graphics could also be explained by the relatively “alien” feel of the environment. Human characters look terrible, but the world and the other races still look pretty decent imo.
It fails at being a realistic game (Halo: CE did that much better), but it works if you consider it as the fantasy world it is. I think Skyrim is worse for wear because it went for more realism, and while it looked fantastic at the time, it just doesn’t compare favourably to modern games.
I can totally accept having rose-colored glasses though. But again, what I like most about it isn’t the graphics, but the side quests and general immersiveness of the world. The graphics are certainly dated, but I feel like they don’t get in the way most of the time.
I miss having a journal that I would actually have to read in order to orient myself. I think that was my favorite feature of Morrowind, and it was a good middle point between actually having to keep a journal (Myst) and just having a quest marker like most modern games.
Skyrim also looked pretty janky compared to other contemporary games at the time though. All Bethesda games have mediocre graphics. They’re just not good at them for whatever reason, but I don’t mind when the worlds are good.
Yeah, the gameplay loop was quite nice. I did find that I’d forget what I was doing if I didn’t play for a while, so I started naming my saves with a reminder (e.g. go back to fighter’s guild). Other than that, the built-in journal was great and a lot of fun to read through to remember where I’d been.
I don’t really like RPGs generally though, mostly because I don’t like messing with leveling systems. A lot of other people love that aspect of RPGs (hence the focus on making completely broken builds in MW communities), and I don’t really care about gear, but I do really like lore and Morrowind is amazing at that.
Well Jetset was pretty awesome I’ll give you that. I didn’t really like Morrowind but only because it’s not my style (I did make my husband play it.) The other two I’ll have to take a look based on your descriptions. I personally liked all the text and lore in Okami but I can see how it might now be someone’s cup of tea. But now I’m curious to know if you ever played any of the Sly Cooper games and what you think of those? I keep dreaming of the day a remastered version is made.
Sly Cooper
Nope, I’ve never owned a PlayStation, and it seems those were PS-exclusives. I had an XBox as a kid, but now I play almost exclusively on PC, though I do have a Switch to play games as a family.
Of that list, I recommend Gurumin for gameplay, and Ys Origin for lore and gameplay (it’s pretty difficult at times though). Recettear is fun, but there’s very little lore, so maybe look up a gameplay video first before jumping in (gameplay loop is fight dungeon -> lay out stuff in shop -> profit -> buy stuff to sell -> profit -> repeat).
Will do thanks! I’ll keep dreaming of the Sly remake.
And if it comes to PC or Switch, I’ll buy it. :)
I bought it on PS2, PS4, and Steam. I just wish they’d make a true sequel one day.
They did, Okamiden in 2010 was a sequel.
A sequel, but not a real one in my opinion. I’d rather something on a PC or home console that isn’t in the chibi art style.
I particularly enjoyed it on the Wii with the ability to paint on screen using the nunchuck controller. Does it have the same kind of control on the switch?
Wait, series?
maybe they are including the ds game and hd versions
