Okamiden (DS) Review

Okamiden was something that I was fairly certain would never happen. Not only because the original game, Okami, didn’t do overly well; but also because Capcom’s subsidiary responsible have long since moved on to bigger (and better) vent...

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Okamiden was something that I was fairly certain would never happen. Not only because the original game, Okami, didn’t do overly well; but also because Capcom’s subsidiary responsible have long since moved on to bigger (and better) ventures. Still, not one to let a franchise go unused, Capcom has developed Okamiden without input from the original creators. And despite this slightly off-putting fact, Okamiden is actually a pretty awesome little DS game, and definitely one of the last hurrahs for the system before we all move onto our snazzy 3D handhelds. Sure, it’s hard to not compare it with its original, but both of these games have their own individual strengths and weaknesses.

Rather cleverly, Okamiden takes place several months following the events of Okami. Instead of following the same characters in a similar setting, Okamiden follows the children of all the characters who were prominent in the original game. This works very well as it builds upon the previously established mythos of the previous game, by replicating a story in a similar way to how a legend can be retold constantly throughout different generations. The story follows the same story as Okami, in that a vengeful malevolent spirit has been summoned and Amaterasu, the Sun Goddess, was summoned in an attempt to battle it. Instead, Chibiterasu was summoned, her child. Chibiterasu thus embarks on a journey to save the world once again, but due to his lack of powers he requires helpers that he will find throughout the world. And our adventure begins, with some unexpected twists and turns that will shake things up quite a bit too.

Okamiden retains the now memorable artistic direction of the first game, and despite being scaled down for the Nintendo DS, it’s still a very nice-looking game. Looking almost like a traditional Japanese watercolour painting, the animations and colours bring the painting to life to create a moving masterpiece. Chibiterasu in particularly is just the most adorable video game character I’ve ever had the honour to control, and his friends exude so much personality just from their animations. The artistic direction of this game really helps draw you into the atmosphere, and in tandem with the very well written characters, you start to feel sympathetic to their cause. It’s a great example of how a good artistic direction can really help a game quite a bit.

Generally speaking, Okamiden is pretty much the same game as Okami. The gameplay is largely similar – players search the world to complete objectives (think similar to Zelda) while also being able to complete more minor, non-essential tasks for villagers throughout the land. Throughout the game, Chibiterasu has access to the celestial brush, which is controlled with the touchscreen. Due to his green nature, Chibiterasu is unable to learn his brush abilities by looking to the sky at appropriate times, instead having to travel to where the gods who govern these abilities have since retired. It’s a nice little way to mix up the gameplay from the original game. Naturally, it goes without saying that the touchscreen is the perfect control method for the celestial brush thus far; with that tactile connection between your movements and the screen really make the experience feel much more complete than it did on the PS2 or Wii. The camera is pretty decent throughout, but some less patient players may be frustrated as there is rarely the ability to control it whenever you actually want to.

Combat is a largely simplistic affair in which you’ll find yourself largely mashing one button to get through the battles as quickly as possible. The use of the celestial brush abilities during combat speeds things up, also adding some variety to the battles, which is nice. But still, the simplistic nature of these battles will probably have you wanting to get them over as quickly as possible, and with the pacing of them, sometimes it’s pretty hard to be over and done quickly. Unfortunately, none of these combat scenes ever posed a massive challenge, however, are very interesting and require a little bit more strategy. And despite being a DS game, they really are a sight to behold and easily make this game worth playing too.

In between the large environments and helping of the villagers, dungeons are of course interspersed throughout. All too often in these kinds of games, an item or ability is discovered, it’s used, and then never really utilised properly again. Okamiden, on the other hand, does a great job of making all your abilities relevant no matter when you obtained them in the game – which is a nice change from the usual. That being said, despite there being multiple abilities to use, there will never be any ambiguity as to what you have to use at any given time.

The newest addition to the gameplay is the use of helpers throughout the game. As Chibiterasu cannot be aided with Issun any longer, he must enlist the help of younger children throughout the village, many of whom descended from heroes in the first game. Each of the children have a specific ability that allow Chibiterasu to work his way past obstacles. Some examples include a young boy can cross a chasm without it collapsing, while a mermaid can swim through an uncrossable body of water. What’s even cooler is that when these characters jump off Chibiterasu’s back, players can control both them and Chibiterasu with the D-Pad and the touchscreen together, and it works really well.

The soundtrack for Okamiden utilises some very tranquil themes that perfectly match the intended atmosphere of the game’s world. You’ll notice some tracks from the original game, while also the odd couple of original ones. Voice acting is non-existent, instead being replaced with Banjo-Kazooie-esque grunts and mumbles.

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Throughout the whole game, there are heaps of secrets to find, including some very nice artworks that can all be uncovered by simply exploring and completing side quests for villagers. Similarly, there is a very detailed bestiary, which was something I did not expect for a game like this. The best thing about Okamiden, however, is that it feels like a fully fleshed out game. Sure, there’s a lot of filler fetch quests at the beginning, but with a 15-20 hour run time through your whole quest. That being said, some players will definitely tire; I however enjoyed the whole journey personally. Some players will notice that a lot of assets from the original game are recycled, and this may diminish your enjoyment, but for me it just provided a bit of continuity to the whole series.

Okamiden is a great adventure game that is proof that the Nintendo DS isn’t quite dead yet. Capcom have managed to capture the charm and the scale of the original game and made it a perfect fit for Nintendo’s portable. It’s hard not to recommend this to anyone looking for an epic adventure akin to Zelda, although some more seasoned fans of the franchise will not appreciate the recycling if they are the more cynical types. In short, it’s definitely a DS game to look out for, and one you should give your time before you pick up a 3DS.

Graphics 9.0

Great art style, amazing animation and interesting design. Frame rate drops now and then are somewhat disappointing.

Gameplay 8.5

Great use of the celestial brush with the touchscreen and interesting boss battles make the experience great. Simplistic combat and annoying fetch quests, however, do not.

Sound 9.0

A great and very tranquil ambient soundtrack brings the moving painting to life.

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Tilt 9.5

While theres heaps to do in the 15-20 hour story, once youre done theres little incentive to return besides a few art unlockables. Still, theres stuff there for those who want it.

Value 9.9

I cannot explain how much fun I had with Okamiden. I was not expecting something to be as epic and well cared for as the original game, and Capcom proved me wrong. Multiple times.

James Mitchell

Avid gamer since I was as young as three years old when I received my first NES. Currently studying full time and consider myself a balanced gamer. Enjoy games on all systems, from all genres, on all platforms. Sometimes feels like he's too optimistic for this industry.

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James Mitchell

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