OKAMI HD

Okay, here's the thing. This game game is charming as hell and has a great heart. The art style is gorgeous, and running around the world is a treat. At the same time, like many others, I dropped the game several times before playing through beginning to end. Why? This game is slow. The brush mechanics are novel if a bit narrow in scope and somewhat awkward on controller. The gameplay is a mix of good and clunky. And Issun talks way. Too. Much. The game definitely has a bit of a mixed identity between a "kid friendly game" and an adult-ready adventure, holding your hand way too much but also letting go of the reins at the worst times. And yet? By the end, as I'm sitting in front of the final dungeon, I'm kind of sad to let the game go.
Once you sit down with the right mindset and level of patience to play Okami, you'll find a genuinely inspired game that doesn't land every punch but had the right amount of love put into it. Even through it's flaws it feels like a comforting kind of game that I could come back to on a new file just to roam around to escape from the overstimulation of modern gaming. I can't recommend it to everyone, but I love that this game exists, and I'm very excited to see how they expand on the sequel.

This is my comfort game. I have this on PS2, PS4 and now on PC too. In all versions I’ve 100%ed the game, and on the PS2 version multiple times. That alone tells how much I love this game. One of the best games ever made.
The OST, graphics, story and characters are just /chef kiss. There’s no other game on this Earth that would feel so much like home to me. I usually take my time just to do silly stuff like vibe in Kamiki village with Mrs. Orange and watch her doing her laundry, or turning the entire Oina tribe into dogs for s**t and giggles.
Time has treated this one well, probably because of its cool graphics. They were awesome back then since I had never seen anything like it, and they’re still awesome to this day. The ink painting style with a bit of grain adds to the nostalgic looks. If you learn all skills and max your weapons, the main story bosses are all pretty casual fights. But if you want to do everything there is to do, some of the optional fights can be tough (in a good way).
In case you haven’t played this yet, you have a black hole in your general education. If you’re into RPGs, Japan, like dogs and if your power fantasy is to be a benevolent god, you WILL want ot play this before you die. Get it NAOW!

This game is like a Zelda-type adventure game that is heavily based on Japanese mythology. You play as a wolf God going around Nippon to restore the land and defeat the Evil One for good. Since you're a wolf who can't talk, you're accompanied by a companion that does the dialog on your behalf, except he's no bigger than a flea and is practically a simp for every smoking hot babe you meet in the story. If I had to take a shot every time he simped for a babe I wouldn't be drunk but he would be drowning in alcohol.
Gameplay is simple with tons of side-quests, secrets and collectibles, which encourages you to explore the world and every crevice. Most of the side-quests are optional, but completing them makes you feel as if you're Santa Claus for the villagers.
10/10 would recommend if you enjoy relaxing story-based games or scratching that itch to feel like being a Santa.

I believe that back when Ookami was made, Kamiya was a much more hopeful and optimistic person. The game is overladen with the hope that the color and culture will wash over the dark times with just a bit of hope and a prayer. Ever since then he's just been very grumpy and his work has been more outpourings of frustration at how the world refuses to accept all this optimism and good will.

In either case, this game is a masterpiece that people do not appreciate enough. They see it as just a game, they see past all the little things that make up an emotional work. But there's always some people who know what it's like to push a glint of giving a ♥♥♥♥ through everything, and who else would that kind of message be for?

if this game came out in 2025 people would call it a soulslike because its a video game
cool game tho

Greatest art direction I've ever seen. I grew up playing Okami on Ps2 and have beaten it 10+ times. It always makes me happy. Crazy to think this game is 20 years old and not only plays perfect but retains absolutely all charm. <3

Crazy to think that a 20 year-old game holds up graphically so well because of the art direction. If you have a computer that runs Steam, it probably runs Okami too. Has some pacing issues (like one particular boss you need to fight three times) and is very easy combat-wise, but I think it's still a fantastic game. Also this was my first time playing it so there's no nostalgia talking.
Absolutely love the characters and the goofy antics they are up to!