Ōkami

Finally, after being interrupted by an avalanche of schoolwork and a real Zelda game, I can put Ōkami to rest.

People have accused Ōkami of being too slow or too long, and there's some validity to these, but the truth is slightly more complicated. The big-picture direction of Ōkami is pretty unique - in some ways, it's more like a sandbox game than a traditional adventure game. There are significant in-game goals and subgoals that drive the player toward them, but a very big part of the game (I don't hesitate to say a majority of it) is in "optional" content.

This seems like an intentional choice on the part of the game's director to give the player a godlike feeling: you've got to take care of the little things, too. Feed the animals, banish evil from cursed ground, solve people's personal problems. Doing these minor tasks earns you Praise, which is spent incrementally in upgrading your character, that is, earning a higher max HP, more ink wells, extra "Astral Pouches" (think bottled fairies, though I never used one throughout the entire game), and a bigger wallet. You might theoretically get through the game without earning extra Praise, but it would be pretty difficult; plus, the opportunities to earn it are all over the goddamn place, you can barely take a step without tripping over some.

So while Ōkami's world is full of fine detail, at the same time I feel like the big picture is fuzzy. There's a fake ending at the game's halfway point, and the dramatic buildup in general is fairly muddled. There's the game's mix of comedy in dramatic scenes, which is one thing (which sometimes works and sometimes doesn't), but it's just difficult to see the forest for the trees.

Anyway, while the directorial issues can mess with the immersiveness of the game (as can the technical issues I've already mentioned), and while combat and dungeon play isn't nearly as good as an actual Zelda, there is a lot of fun to be had in Ōkami. It's very unique, as I said, and much of its appeal comes just from that; though it resembles Wind Waker in a striking number of ways, there is enough in Ōkami that's all its own for it to be a really interesting play-through.

Ōkami is a pretty charming game, even on top of its awesome aesthetics. If you've got the time for it (I took a bit over 30 hours), I'd really recommend giving it a shot.

Progress: Complete