#1. I am a graphic oriented person. I like pretty pictures and Okami happens to have stunning graphics. The world is artistically rendered like a Sumi-e painting on a wall scroll. Sure Final Fantasy is gorgeous, but Okami invokes the essence of mythological Japan by imitating a classic art style.
#2. The game play keeps you interested. Unlike many RPG’s- like Final fantasy franchise- it doesn’t require mind numbing grinding or thoughtless attacking. If you happen to like repetatively killing things you have that option. Don’t get me wrong there is plenty of butt kicking to be done. On the upside you also get to use your brain. If your into treasure hunting in clever out of the reach places you will have plenty of opportunities. in this game. There are treasure boxes everywhere. Many of them require the use of the Celestial Brush Techniques to reach them. Throughout the game you collect Celestial Brush Techniques by restoring constellations. These techniques are necessary to defeat many of the monsters in the game. These techniques can also be used outside of battle for some interesting effects.
#3. The best part of Okamis is the storyline. Okami is so rich in detail and plot that I thought the game would never end. If you’ve played Okami you understand. I was about 1/3 of the way through the game when I thought I had reached the climax, the “Ulimate End!”. It was a satisfying ending too. I don’t want to spoil it for you, so I will just tell you that I had defeated the Ultimate Boss and then the narrator tells me, “It is only the beginning”. Okami had already met all of my expectation and this was just the beginning?! Finally the game did end, after I got faked out 3 times. In total there were 5 amazing battles that could have left me totally satisfied as an ending for the game, but Okami goes above and beyond the call of duty and left me wanting more. I wanted to continue the adventure to the Celestial Plain and the home of the Moon Tribe. Unfortunately Clover Studios, the company that developed Okami, doesn’t exist anymore. I can only hope that another company will pick up where they left off.
I highly recommend this game for its amazing story, delightful gameplay, and stunning graphics…. plus there are all sorts of extras like mini goals and games.
