Throughout my ‘long’ gaming career, there have been very few games I have completed to 100%, and even more that I never got close to finishing.
I am going to go through some of these classic games and consider whether it was the game itself or my incompetence that led to a dead end!
Out of all the games I’ve ever played, Okami still stands out as being one of the most stylistically stunning.
The game is based around Japanese myth, legend and folklore. The artistry is inspired by ‘sumi-e’ or Japanese woodblock art, creating a truly unique visual style. It received huge critical acclaim upon release, but unfortunately, this was not reflected in sales.
Thankfully Okami has been re-released on both the PS3 (via the PlayStation Network) and the Wii, so hopefully the game will receive the recognition that it deserves.
The game starts with possibly one of the longest opening cut scenes ever created, lasting nearly 15 minutes. It tells the story of the demon Orochi being destroyed 100 years previous to the game’s events, only to be reawakened in the present to wreak havoc on the land.
Obviously this backstory is slightly more complex than this, but this gives you the gist of what happens.
In order to defeat this demon, the sun goddess Amaterasu possesses the statue of the white wolf Shiranui, who helped defeat Orochi previously. This results in the playable character Okami Amaterasu. Ammy, as he soon becomes known, has the goal to rid the world of the darkness that has encased it and ultimately destroy the demon Orochi.
Throughout the game there are series of puzzles, quests, and battles to be completed; which unlocks more of the map as you progress.
Aside from this you are still able to roam the world freely, choosing additional missions to complete which gain you money and ‘blessings’, which are essentially skill points that help you upgrade Ammy’s health and so on.
What makes this game truly unique is the addition of the ‘celestial brush’. A feature that allows you to pause the game, open a canvas overlaying the screen and use a brush to draw patterns that then cause an effect, or a ‘miracle’, in the game.
For example, by drawing a straight line, you create a slash that can be used to defeat demon henchmen or cut down trees and barriers. As you progress you can unlock new patterns to perform new actions.
Overall, this game is great. It’s really refreshing and focuses heavily on aesthetics, as well as creating a really fun and unique gameplay experience.
So why didn’t I finish this game?
In all honesty, it’s because I couldn’t find the next quest. I would run around the world, speak to every character who was there and nothing would happen. They would either tell me I had already helped them or talk about some tree they noticed. I would keep going back to the game, playing for hours and still progress nowhere.
It then got to a point where I couldn’t remember the last thing I did so a walkthrough was pointless, and starting again felt demoralising.
I am hoping that this is a glitch in my save game that can be resolved, and at least if its bad weather this summer I have something to keep me entertained.
It’s a game worth checking out if you haven’t heard of it already, it will definitely be a refreshing surprise.
Rosie Howard
exeposedev 