Okamiden (Nintendo DS) - Review by Chris

Introduction

Originally released in 2006 on the Playstation 2 and again in 2008 on the Wii, Okami quickly became a critical darling, with critics heaping praise on it for its art direction, Zelda-esque gameplay and unique Celestial Brush technique. And while it has gained a cult following, it failed to meet the commercial success that Capcom had hoped. Yet, while other developers would have closed the book on the IP right there, Capcom remarkably announced that the game would be receiving a sequel, exclusively on the Nintendo DS, and giving the series a much deserved second chance at success. But can this pint sized adventure step out from the shadows and prove to be every bit as enjoyable as the original?

Gameplay

Taking place 9 months after the events of the original, Nippon is firmly back to normal with the land returned to its lustrous beauty and the memory of Amaterasu slowly fading into obscurity. However, peace doesn't last long as a new evil arises to once again plunge Nippon into darkness and consume the entire world. Not to stand back and let this happen, the gods send Chibiterasu, Amaterasu's son, to find the source of the evil plaguing the Nippon and put a stop to it. It follows a similar plotline to the original, with the story leaving the gate strong, taking a lull in the middle and then picking up significantly towards the end but even when there's little there, Chibi's adventures are far from dull.

Okamiden remains an action-adventure, just as the original was, and will see you taking control of Chibi as he travels the land of Nippon, retreading familiar ground in places such as Shinshu Field, Sei'an City and Ryoshima Coast as well as a helping of new places, in his search to take down a great evil. Anyone who has played the original should feel largely at home with the basic gameplay on offer with this sequel, with fighting monsters confined to running into cursed scrolls visible in the area, which can be avoided if wished, resulting in an arena style battle against a number of opponents. It feels very familiar but still manages to work well on the DS with the 3 main types of weapons, reflectors, swords and beads, returning again and providing a variety of means for you to dispose of your enemies, with upgrades now being created from demon items at a blacksmith. Upgrading isn't necessary to complete the game (you can easily go through it with the default weapons) but it will lessen some of the pain later on so it is advisable to invest.

Dungeons also play a strong part in the game again, with several littered throughout the game each with a boss character at the end which will test you skills as a young god. However, while the dungeons themselves offer up a nice variety of gameplay styles and mechanics, some of the best bits of the game come from the game masking the dungeon status and making you feel like you're not enclosed but rather out in the world. It's something the original managed and the developers have replicated that feeling here perfectly.

Of course, the Celestial Brush technique returns, allowing you to bloom trees, create bombs, slice things in two and create gusts as well as many other techniques. They're usable both outside of battle and in, allowing you to both work on searching out Nippon's many hidden areas and mix up techniques in battles to quickly take advantage of and defeat opponents. With the added tactile feeling of the touch screen, the Brush techniques come off extremely well and while old favourites are the name of the game for the most part, the new partner mechanic is the biggest and most important implementation to the Brush.

Throughout your adventure, you'll encounter and partner with a variety of sidekicks who'll aid you in battle and allow you to make use of their special techniques to help in the fight against evil. Many of the dungeons have been designed to accommodate this new mechanic, allowing you to let them off of your back and guide them to switches, chests and to solve puzzles which Chibi can't get to. It plays out very much like the Zelda titles on the console, although the developers have gone that extra step and extended the use of the mechanic to be an integral and hugely enjoyable feature of the game. The partners themselves provide their own elements to the story, and you'll revel in seeing them mature throughout their adventures with Chibi.

Clocking in at over the 20 hour mark, with plenty of side quests and upgrades available to seek out throughout the game which can easily add hours on to the playtime, Okamiden provides plenty bang for your buck in terms of content and remains captivating until the final scene, and those who played the original and wished for some further back story to the certain elements will find delight in the game's latter sequences which really are fantastic.

Controls

Given a lack of analogue stick on the console, the controls were never going to come off as fluidly as they could have elsewhere and while you clearly don't have as much directional choice, the d-pad is still manageable, with the developers evidently having done their best work to make it as smooth as possible, and it's something you'll get used to after a short while with the game. Elsewhere, the face and should buttons get a real workout, with all being called into play at various stages in the game with the face buttons allowing you to jump, attack, and let your partner off of your back while the shoulder buttons both activate the Celestial Brush interchangeably. There's a slight delay between the pressing of the shoulder buttons and the Celestial Brush being able to be used, as a result of the gameplay moving from the top to the touch screen, but it's minimal and never impacts on the game.

Graphics

6 years on and developers are still managing to push the boundaries in terms of what the DS is capable of producing visually, with Okamiden arguably representing some of the best visuals in a DS game to date, if not the best yet. The game effortlessly retains the watercolour look of the original, albeit without the paper filter look this time around, and recreates the region of Nippon in a level of detail that doesn't fall too far behind what we saw in the original. Sure, corners have had to be cut to get the game to fit within the limitations of the hardware, with colours not being as vibrant, textures occasionally looking blocky, and some frame rate and pop-in issues, but the issues barely hold what is an outstanding presentation back, with locations looking exactly as they were in the original and new ones easily fitting in with the overall style and theme of the game.

Character models similarly look fantastic, with Chibi clearly being the star of the show as he embodies the art direction easily while simultaneously conveying a sense of menace and cuteness in a single, tiny god. If you can pull yourself away from 'aw-ing' at the sight of Chibi, you'll see returning characters recreated in their original glory, looking every bit as good as in the original, and new cast members leaving a mark effortlessly, providing some humorous cutscenes. Even the monsters look great, with some screen filling bosses showcasing a high level of detail, and all characters being animated incredibly smoothly.

Sound

A large portion of what you'll hear has been carried over from the original game and while it has taken an ever-so-slight step down in quality, it still manages to sound as grandiose coming out of the DS' speakers as it did coming out of your TV. Even the new additions to the soundtrack manage to hit a similarly high note, with everything effortlessly setting the scene and atmosphere and helping to create some of the best audio work on the DS to date. The same jibber-ish sounds used to make up the speech of characters is in original is found here and while there's certainly less of it this time around, presumably as a result of limited cartridge space, it still manages to convey a sense of humour when it crops up.

Dual screen

Fantastic use is made of the dual screen setup for the handheld throughout the entire game. While action takes place on the top screen throughout, with maps, inventory and menus occupying the touch screen during these sections, using the Celestial Brush powers transfers the top screen action down to the touch screen and allows you to draw out the wanted power. There's a slight delay but you'll never take notice of it outside of the opening hour or so of the game and the touch screen makes using the powers incredibly easy, providing that tactile feeling that was missing in the original and minimising detection issues.

Final comments

3D action-adventures are few and far between on the DS, with Nintendo's Legend of Zelda games really the only notable ones out there, yet Capcom has created a game which easily outshines all others in the genre on the handheld, with a beautifully realised presentation, great dual screen use, and a solid and noteworthy adventure. The flaws it harbours ultimately bare little relevance when it comes down to what matters as even with them, Okamiden is a fantastic adventure from start to finish and a genuine must play for fans of action-adventure titles in any shape or form and DS owners in general.

Pro: Beautifully realised presentation, great use of the dual screens, solid gameplay with plenty of side quests, partner mechanic is brilliant
Con: Some frame rate and pop-in issues, controls aren't quite as fluid as they could be
Final score: 8.5

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