Okami could be counted amongst my five favorite PlayStation 2 titles. Both before and after its release, there was nothing out there like it. Zelda comparisons were easy and I suppose they were true from a structural standpoint, but Okami’s lore was all its own. Still, even with the Wii port a few years down the road, it was hard to say the drawing mechanic felt natural, precise, or intuitive. It seemed like the DS would be the perfect venue for Okami’s reemergence, but why would Capcom take another stab at such an underappreciated game?
Because they could pull it off. Even without the guiding hand of dismissed developed Clover, Okamiden appears worthy of its namesake. If the thirty minute demo was any indication, Okamiden blends the best of the original’s charm with a fair helping of original content, giving the entire package a unique identity.
First, the same. You’re still drawing with the Celestial Brush. Clicking the L or R button copies the top screen to the bottom before allowing you to scribble on the captured screen. Once a few powers were acquired via tracing various Gods, I had the ability to slash trees or rocks in half with a line, rebuild bridges by filling in empty space, and draw circles around vegetation to make it grow. Practically this allowed me to make my way through the linear level (could have been a dungeon) I was in, but they also worked well a handful of combat scenarios.
The greatest divergence arrived with Nushi, the son of Okami’s Susano. While Issun was content to sit atop Amaterasu’s head, Nushi has a much more active relationship with Chibiterasu. You still carry him on your back, but sometimes it’s necessary to separate man from beast. Nushi can’t go anywhere on his own, as she requires the Celestial Brush to guide his movement. This is necessary to cross bridges too heavy for Chibiterasu or to activate switches to open other pathways. Once particularly cool sequence had me standing on switches that shut off sections of a waterfall in sequence in order for Nushi to make it across safely. It’s easy and somewhat simplistic, but one could easily see the sort of rabbit hole this could go down.
Okamiden looks hot. Stay tuned to Digital Chumps when it drops sometime next year.
