Has Okami stood the test of time? Is it still good?

[Faellin]

I've heard it get a ton of praise for a long time now, and its been a game i've always been wanting to try out. So thinking of picking up the HD remaster.

So is the game still as good as it was? Or is it another case of overhyping a game that aged poorly?

[Interdimensional Observer]

I played the Wii port of Okami, so one generation after it released.

Rarely does a game age perfectly, and even back in the day, Okami had its issues. The combat is on the easier side and not exactly the intense fast-paced stuff Clover Studios would later create as Platinum Games. Battles also sorta break the immersion in the beautiful cel-shaded world. Drawing the more complicated figures with the Celestial Brush can be tricky too. Narratively, it's a bit better than the average Zelda -the action-adventure franchise to which it is so oft compared- but not truly great or deep. More a charming Shinto romp.

There is no perfect game, there is no game everyone ever will agree is great. -And that's fine, diverse opinions is normal and good!

I would advise, therefore, setting aside any impossibly high hype you've built up. Hype is more often than not a bad thing IMO, and might bite you later into hating the game as overrated. Just treat it like another game.

[Original Alear]

If you have played some 3d zeldas and are looking for a similar experience, it's not a bad choice. However, I don't think it's phenomenal. The Devil May Cry series, while more difficult, is (IMO) mostly better (not 2). I remember reading critical comments from someone involved in developing the franchise aimed at twilight princess, and thinking that the devs didn't really manage to do much better. I think wat interdimensional observer said is pretty spot on also.

[Faellin]

3 hours ago, Original Johan Liebert said:

If you have played some 3d zeldas and are looking for a similar experience, it's not a bad choice. However, I don't think it's phenomenal. The Devil May Cry series, while more difficult, is (IMO) mostly better (not 2). I remember reading critical comments from someone involved in developing the franchise aimed at twilight princess, and thinking that the devs didn't really manage to do much better. I think wat interdimensional observer said is pretty spot on also.

Yeah most of the praise I saw the game get was typically for its unique art style. Its just before actually looking further into the game fairly recently, I didn't even know what type of game it was.

But yeah, I am a big fan of 3D zelda games in general So I think thats just what I need to finally grab a copy. Hearing its somewhat similar

[Florete]

I played Okami back when it released on PS2 and absolutely loved it. I haven't played it for a few years now, but I will admit that it hasn't aged perfectly, though it also depends on what you expect and what you find acceptable. There are a lot of cutscenes (though they are skippable). Combat encounters aren't seamless; they take place where you start them, but create an "arena" of sorts like you might expect in a turn-based RPG. I do think it has aged better than Zelda games of that era, though, which people most often compare it to. It's also really, really long.

If it's a game that seems interesting to you, I say go for it. If you're still a little unsure, pick it up on a Steam sale. Summer is only a few months away.

[AnonymousSpeed]

Nah dude, Okami sucks. Source: My brother in Christ from the Marines.

[Lakmé]

Well, it's my favourite game of all time so I may be biased...

It's still a stunning game with its beautiful art style and music (I mean, just look at that! [no need to watch the whole video]) but also very funny/silly with its characters.

The world is huge and full of life with memorable characters. Its biggest flaw is its long beginning (first 2-3 hours) with cutscenes you can't fast-forward (I think they kept the same speed between japanese and latin characters) similarly to many games from this era but the middle of the game (after 15-20 hours) is an absolute blast, a jewel full of sidequests and great ideas. It's a long game (60 hour-ish) and it might drag a bit in the end but the story is good (especially if you are into japanese myths and history) and gameplay solid. It's not very challenging (you can have up to 99 healing items in your inventory and can instantly revive under some conditions, you'll never see the game over screen unless you really want to) and similar to Zelda Skyward Sword in some aspects (puzzles are not limited to dungeons, which are well integrated in the overworld and sometimes very short). The combat system relies on brush techniques (i.e. Zelda objects) and three type of weapons you can equip as a main or secondary weapon, with several effects and techniques you can buy as the game progresses. Amaterasu (the main character) is also super fast and you never spend too much time going from one place to another, which is always nice.

It's a 2006 game so expect a lot of pointless text and a sidekick character whom you may not find to your liking, though... There may also be one or two times where you might feel lost with little information about what to do next, but otherwise the objectives are pretty clear.

 

[Reality]

My little brother really enjoyed it playing for the first time in 2019.

Personally I think it's a much better zelda clone than something like Rareware's Star Fox Adventures. 

I think the optional content (Beads, Bounties, fishing, bonus combat only dungeons) has VERY little appeal compared to comparable in zelda.

The dungeons themselves are more about setpieces than puzzles (many powers are glorified keys that can't be used outside of their puzzle area) 

That said the setpieces are GOOD enough to have fun with it. And the game can feel alive with the personaliy of the minor charathers you can talk to (the 4th wallish main comic relief has ups and downs of being endearing / too much). I also enjoy the combat since using mirrors to suplex counter versus overpowering people with swords/whips makes me like every option (The player will eventually gravitate toward swords just to speed up random encounters as much as possible)

Not a game I would ever 100% or even within like top 80 games I would revisit.