Stellar sounds

Faring possibly even better than the graphics is the stellar sound design. The game is an absolute delight on the audio front, thanks in no small part to one of the best original soundtracks ever composed. The soundtrack boasts over a hundred songs which range from heroic overtures to moody temple themes to character tracks which perfectly fit the personality of their subject. It's all as distinct as the art style, and just as strangely compelling. The sound effects, whether you're in combat, exploring the environment or watching a cinema, are equally impressive. However, I DO have to gripe about the lack of voice-overs. There's a ton of text in the game but instead of speaking, characters mumble in a repetitive and annoying manner. The sound is virtually flawless otherwise, and will ensure you keep the volume cranked up at all times.

Recognisable influences

Apart from one mechanic we'll reach in a minute, Okami feels a lot like Zelda from the first couple of minutes. The creators have stated on record that Zelda was one of Okami's main influences and the game's design does nothing to hide it. You start off with limited access to a humongous overworld, and to progress through it you have to find and beat one of the numerous dungeons. Once you enter a dungeon you will progress through rooms defeating enemies and solving puzzles until you eventually find a new technique that will allow you to continue onwards.

The game starts to veer off of the Zelda formula when it comes to weapons. Ammy eventually unlocks nine Divine Instruments which can only be used for basic combat, so the finesse of combat and all the puzzles require use of the Celestial Brush mechanic. The player has the ability to stop time and physically paint on the world using the Wii Remote's IR functionality, far quicker than the slow pace of the analogue control in the PS2 version. The IR interface is really the perfect setup for the Celestial Brush and you'll quickly find it becoming second nature, and most of the strokes are simple - ensuring that you can bust out combos with greater speed and precision than ever before. There are over 15 brush strokes in all, and the earlier techniques don't start to feel underused as the game progresses; a fact that owes largely to the game's unique freeform combat setup.

Wii combat

Combat in Okami differs from its peers in that you can enter combat by running into an enemy; a mechanic used in some RPGs like Paper Mario. Almost all battles on the overworld or in dungeons are started by choice allowing you to battle as much, or as little, as you like. Once you engage an enemy you are surrounded by an arena-like ring. Ammy's primary attack is waggle-activated, and can be used to whittle down enemies HP until they become vulnerable (indicated by black and white colouring). You can then finish them off with a Celestial Brush technique like Cherry Bombs or Power Slashes or Ink Bullets. Unlike in Zelda, where most enemies have a specific pattern which you must follow to beat them, Okami allows you to do your own thing. The Celestial Brush can always be relied on to mix up the environment during combat; if needed you can summon winds, grow trees, and do all manner of things to make sure you win.