Okamiden Review
Anyone who played the original Okami knows exactly why everyone fell so thoroughly in love with the title. An engrossing plot, unique game mechanics, fantastic art design and reasonably challenging gameplay all came together in the 2006 classic that set a bar for creative game design. It was memorable in just about every single way, and though the Wii would eventually try and rekindle some of the passion around the game with a well-intended remake, unstable controls would eventually leave a slight mar on the title's history. Even still, the bar is set high for Okamiden; and though one would imagine that many of the best parts of Okami would be hampered by the adaptation onto a handheld system, fans of the first game may find themselves in for a bit of a treat here. The game is surprisingly fun.
Players take control of Chibiterasu, son/puppy of Okami's Sun Goddess Amaterasu, who has come back to the earth in order to fight off the demons that yet again plague the land. Boasting some of her mother's abilities via the Celestial Brush, players will learn various skills from the first game that can be used to cleanse cursed areas, rejuvenate the realms fallen guardians and solve puzzles. It's all very typical of the adventure/platform gametype, with an extremely strong emphasis on plot; not just revolving around the current events in this game, but also around many of the characters from the prior.
This bouncing back and forth between old characters/areas and new cast members is what Okamiden is all about, using old characters to explain new plot changes or mechanic twists in-game while new characters provide insight into the aspects of the title that make it unique to the DS. Many of the mechanics that were part of the Celestial Brush before (like Bloom) are still intact, and additional features such as controlling partner characters make ink-usage that much more valuable. The downside is it takes a pretty long time for the game to get going, and the less patient players (particularly those without the experience from the first game) may find themselves a little bored with the character reunions that occur. Once those have been completely cleared though, things change for the better.
The controls (outside of the touch based ones) are fairly simple, with attack, jump and evasion all being assigned to their own buttons. Movement is easy to manage, and players shouldn't find themselves hard pressed to aim correctly or evade enemy attacks. It all feels relatively tight on the DS, which is good because it gives players time to focus on the environment around them rather than just which button combos they should be engaging. Okamiden is a pretty visual game, with a lot of things happening at the same time, and though there are times where those visuals can be a little disappointing, it's still nice to be able to take in the entire experience with as little fuss as possible.
