This is the manifestation of video games being Art. Beauty incarnate, what games used to be.

Now yes, these days the word "masterpiece" gets tossed around like a beachball at a Nickelback concert, but for Okami it's accurate.

Consider this Masterpiece Criteria:

1. ⁠Is there a dog in the game?
2. ⁠Can you pet/be the dog?
3. ⁠Is the dog a god in disquise?

Answer yes to all 3 = Masterpiece. Immediate 10/10.

I loved this game so dang much. I really want to take an insane amount of mushrooms one of these days so I can forget it and be able to experience this masterpiece one more time. I remember my mom bought this for me when I was a freshman in HS, because she knew I like art and Japanese folklore, the entire experience was breathtaking and one of the highlights of my earlier years. The entire world is just crafted so well, all the way down to the music. Gameplay is pretty fun too.

I loved the moments when you get to "restore" an area and it goes from gray and dead and spooky to colorful and lively. I'll never get tired of that feeling. Made me smile every single time. I have fond memories of satisfying my completionist tendencies, feeding every animal, blooming every tree and clover, catching every fish, gathering every bit of Praise, upgrading every Instrument. I miss this gem of a game so much. Everything about it was perfection to me. The art, the story, the music, the replay, the action, the characters. I even have a white German shepherd now that looks a lot like Amaterasu!

Okami is an action-adventure game originally developed for the PS2. It's heavily inspired by Japanese mythology, and it shows in every corner of the game. It plays quite a bit like a Zelda title with the sense of adventure, exploring different dungeons and fighting a dungeon boss at the end. It's both an epic, heartfelt adventure and also one of the most hilarious games of the PS2 era with a lot of incredible visual gags throughout.

Okami and Wind Waker are still the golden standards of 3D artstyle to me. Both released in the mid-00's and haven't aged a day visually. Everything looks and feels like a painting. It has one of the most gorgeous water-color cel-shaded aesthetics that emulate ancient Japanese paintings and it's one of the most gorgeous remasters of a game I have ever played. The graphics are stunning, and the artstyle has aged remarkably well. That isn't to say that it doesn't still feel like a PS2 game in some areas, but nevertheless, it's really good. The music is also fantastic.

The combat is pretty decent, and the Celestial Brush mechanics are unique and intuitive. Boss battles are extremely fun along with the puzzles within the dungeons leading up to them. The combat is a bit on the easy side, but the gameplay experience was more about experiencing the story than having to "git gud" in order to play it. Remember that ? When games didn't have to be punishingly difficult to be good, and could be just fun to play? It does get a bit repetitive, however. It’s a game where you have to take the good with the bad. The game aspires to be a 3D Zelda-like, but all 3D Zeldas have flaws without exception.

The story is also just perfect. It is intriguing and has a lot of unexpected twists. It’s long. There’s a lot of content here. The intro is slow but if you are able to get past most of the tutorial the game opens up a lot. It's heavily inspired by ancient Japanese folktales, and that sets it apart from many other games. The music, artstyle and story all meld together into something so beautiful. I even grew attached to many of the characters, like Issun (even though his constant perversion bothered me in act 2 of the game).

Pacing in the very beginning is rough though. There’s a lot thrown at you story wise to try and get your attention. Unfortunately that doesn’t work and the early story is slow and doesn’t do a great job of keep your attention. The story is amazing just not right away... which sucks as the story is great so try not to let it sour your experience of an otherwise great game.

I also think some of the quests could've been edited/shortened, but that's like saying The Beatles' White Album or Stevie Wonder's Songs In the Key of Life should've been cut down; whatever you cut would've be missed by the hardcore fans like myself if they knew it was supposed to be there. If you are not patient or do not like a lot of dialogue, this isn’t for you though. There is a lot of it and at the beginning a lot of instructions on what to do, this stops to an extent but Issun your helper is essentially Navi and keeps telling you to listen. Some may like him, some may be annoyed. His character to me got better. The overall experience trumps any of these minor flaws though, and the story is very well worth experiencing. It is one of the best experiences in video games out there if you really allow yourself the time to sink into it.

It’s well worth your time for one of the best non-Zelda Zelda games, and certainly worth your money even today. If you learn to appreciate it, the story you get from this game will never cease to awe and make you laugh, and I hope it's as enjoyable to the new players that became aware of this game as it was for me. If you’re even slightly on the fence about buying Okami, please just buy it. You won’t regret it

My favorite game of all time. 10/10 . It's 2024 and I'm still coming back for more!

Okami is my absolute favorite game of all time, I wanted to play it once again after having done the original PS2 game and the PS4 remaster. I bought this copy to have it on PC, but I can't draw with the brush using the controller analog stick (only the touchpad is working), which really is a shame, this is nearly unplayable with a controller !!! Will get a refund if it is not fixed in the coming days... so disappointing...