Have you ever had the urge to play a great game?  Not only a great game, but a colorful game filled with humor, adventure, and a talking mushroom with mean sword skills?  If you've felt this urge then I strongly urge you to play a little game called Okami.  This masterpiece was sadly overlooked by many gamers, which is sad not just because the game deserved better sales, but because too many gamers haven't experienced this amazing and utterly gorgeous game.  So today I've made it my goal to get you to give this game a chance, because that's what this it deserves.

Okami was first released on the PS2 in 2006, and re-released on the Wii last year, and both times the game was met by critical acclaim.  Its unique classic Japanese story, celestial brush system (more on this later), and cel-shaded art style were all highly praised.  Okami is a game that proves games can be art, as well as a memorable gaming experience.

In Okami you play as a white wolf named Amaterasu who is burdened with the responsibility of ridding Nippon (the world the game takes place in) of the corruption spread by an eight-headed beast named Orochi.  To do this the player must use the Celestial Brush technique to restore several trees back to their former beauty, which in turn removes the corruption from the surrounding area.  If you've played the new Prince of Persia you've noticed an obvious connection between the two games.  While adventuring throughout the land of Nippon you will fight many foes and meet many new and interesting characters... which brings me to my first, and only real problem with the game: the dialogue.

When someone speaks, a text box appears that you can quickly read through, but my problem lies in the fact that all of the game's dialogue is made up of various strange sounds all jumbled together. There's really no better way of explaining it, it's just a bunch of... sounds.  Female characters will have high-pitched sounds and male characters will have deeper sounds.  I guess they could be defined as a collection of beeps and squeaks, but even that doesn't correctly describe it.  After hearing these sounds over and over again they can get really annoying, but that's really my only problem with the game.  That, and maybe the inability to save whenever you want; to save you have to walk up to and stand on one of the numerous well-spaced mirrors to save your game.  But other than those two things, I have no serious complaints about the game.

When the Celestial Brush is activated, the game pauses and a canvas drops down for you to paint on.  As you progress through the game you will pick up new techniques that allow you to paint different things.  For example, a straight line through an opponent (or any object) will cut them in half, a swirl will create a gust of wind, and you can even change the time of day by painting a moon in the sky.  The Celestial Brush is the primary mechanic used in the game as everything from interacting with the environment, to the combat, to puzzle solving all revolve around this one mechanic.

But the Celestial Brush isn't the only thing that makes this game distinctive.  The combat is extremely satisfying, and each battle takes place in a closed off otherworldly arena.  The enemies, like everything else in the game have their own unique look, and each requires a different strategy in order to be defeated.  Some may require you to use only your Celestial Brush while others may be immune to it forcing you to use the various melee weapons at your disposal.  Several of the weapons include a large saucer-like disc that can be used as a shield as well as a slashing weapon, and a string of beads that have longer range but deal less damage.

Did I mention this game looks good? The game's cel-shaded art style is extremely well executed and really makes Okami stand apart from any other game on the console.  Cel-shaded art styles have been done in many games (Viewtiful Joe, No More Heroes, and Zelda: Phantom Hourglass to name a few), but few have pulled it off as well as Okami.

So if I haven't made this clear already, I really like this game and I believe that if you like adventure games, or are a fan of the Zelda series, or even a fan of games in general, then you should absolutely give this game a try.  It's been out for a while (for the PS2 at least) so it's cheap, and since the game is long (it took me over 20 hours to beat the first time I played) it's definitely worth its value.  The game has great visuals, a unique art style, intuitive gameplay, and a great story, so go check it out!

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