Are games art? This question has come up with some regularity over the past couple of years. While no definitive answer has been reached for the medium as a whole, certain games are unquestionably pieces of artwork of the finest form.

Okami is one of the few that qualify for that select elite.

Click past the cut to read more from Greg and Jody as they take a look at one of the best games of the generation.


No one can deny that Nintendo games have a certain kind of magic to them, a certain kind of feel. It’s not just one element that does this, it’s everything. The gameplay, the graphics, the narrative, the sound – it all comes together in one lovely little package. Every once in awhile, a game comes along that does such a good job of emulating the Nintendo formula that you have to check the package to make sure that your eyes haven’t deceived you.

Okami is one of those games.

Developed by Clover Studios (Viewtiful Joe), Okami might as well be the latest title in the Zelda series. This doesn’t mean that the game is unoriginal in any way; it just picked the very best to base its core gameplay on. You explore a vast overworld and defeat monsters in several dungeon-like settings. You fight monsters with a variety of weapons and skills. It all plays exactly like the latest Zelda titles.

One hundred years ago, a demon named Orochi demanded his yearly sacrifice. When his lover was picked, the warrior Nagi stepped forward to fight Orochi. With the help of a wolf named Shiranui, Orochi was defeated and sealed in the Moon Cave. You guessed it; Orochi was freed and now spreads his curse across the land. You play as Amaterasu, a sun god from Shinto mythology, who now inhabits the body of Shiranui. You must travel across the land and revive the power of nature in order to defeat Orochi. Sure, the plot isn’t all that original or deep, but it does still serve its purpose.

What really sets this game apart from the pack is its graphical style. Cel-shaded games have always been among the best looking titles this generation, and Okami easily trounces most of those titles. The art style is an odd combination of the wood-block art popular in medieval Japan and the modern pop style that Clover used to great effect in the Viewtiful Joe series. The entire game looks absolutely astonishing. Some of the cutscenes will leave you gasping. There is such an attention to detail that you will spend time just standing there on high ledges, and looking out at the world spread out before you. This is not another game full of generic bald space marines. Every character that you meet on the journey, no matter how insignificant, has their own unique look and their own little quirks. While the graphics of many 3D titles cannot stand the test of time, Okami is one game that will still look amazing ten years from now.

The music works together with the graphics to really complete the sense of atmosphere that this game. You will believe that you are standing in a fantasy version of ancient Japan. Every sound effect and music track complements the action perfectly. None of it is forgettable, and this is one game that could stand to see a stateside soundtrack release. The only complaint I have about the sound is that the chirping of characters as they talk can occasionally get a little annoying.

None of this would matter if the gameplay couldn’t stand up on its own. Thankfully, Okami doesn’t disappoint in this regard. Fans of Wind Waker will be right at home here. Throughout the game, you’ll find new weapons and tools to use against the monsters that populate the world. The system adds a little depth by allowing you to wield both a main and sub-weapon. Every weapon has a different function depending on how you use it, so you’ll spend some time finding the exact combination that most suits you. The most interesting gameplay quirk, however, is the Celestial Brush. As you progress further into the quest, you’ll find constellations that need to be completed. Each of those will grant you a new technique. To use the Celestial Brush techniques, you actually have to paint over the game world. For instance, drawing a circle in the water will create a water lily for Amaterasu to jump on. If you draw a bomb next to a crack in the wall, that section of land will be blown apart. If you paint over a cursed area, it will blossom into a beautiful field of flowers. The Celestial Brush even has its uses in combat, adding more depth to that portion of the game. While the gameplay isn’t especially deep, it remains fun and compelling throughout. The gameplay also brings a welcome sense of speed to the game. Combat feels just as fast and furious as combat should. During the game, you can also push the analog stick forward and run at a speed that rivals everyone’s favorite Hedgehog. At the same time, if you want to go slowly and really explore the area, you can. The controls are extremely responsive, and they just feel natural. That’s a compliment that many games just can’t achieve these days.

There are a couple of problems preventing this from being the game of the generation. First, the text speed isn’t adjustable. We.. can….. read… faster……. than… this. My second complaint is slightly more substantial. The game is just too easy. I’ve been playing games for years; I think I can figure out just about any puzzle that a game can throw at me. Okami doesn’t even give you the chance. You literally have your hand held the entire time. For instance, you might see a cracked rock in front of a locked doorway in a dark room where the key can’t be found without some light. Issun, you Navi-like companion, would then say something like, “Ammy, this room sure is dark. Why don’t you use your sun powers to light the room? I bet you could then blow up the rock with your bomb power and use the key to unlock the door.” This isn’t a game breaker by any means, but it does get a little annoying at several points during your quest.

The debate over whether or not games are art will rage on for years before any consensus is reached, but there should be no argument with regards to Okami. This game is art, plain and simple. Almost everything about this game is perfect, and it is one of the few PS2 games that I will be willing to revisit years from now. It’s a shame that so many will shun this in favor of the latest Madden or “Generic Space Marine Shooter.” Okami is the exact type of game that the game industry needs the most at this point. If you read this site and own a PS2, you owe it to yourself to go out and buy this game. If enough of you do, maybe Clover will give us a sequel on the Wii.

With the constant push for more realistic graphics in games, I have to wonder, what’s the point? So many games used to be so beautiful graphically before this huge push for everything to be lifelike. Ever since lifelike graphics became the norm, I have not felt the same about the games I play. I mean sure, it’s great to see how far games have come since their humble beginnings, and how powerful these systems can be. But I feel that games have been losing that special something that sets them apart from one another. I personally don’t want my games to be anything like real life. I want my games to be as unique as possible. If I wanted a realistic war simulator, I would join the army. If I wanted realistic sports games, I would actually go out and play them. I don’t. I want my games to be the beautiful, artistic masterpieces that they used to be.

When I first saw the cel-shaded graphics of Jet Set Radio for Dreamcast, I was hooked. Honestly I hated the game play, but I completed the game anyway just to see more of the game. It was like nothing I had seen before. The hand-drawn look to it was incredible to me. Cel-shading had taken me by surprise. It was different, it was special, and I was hooked. Fast forward a bit to The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker. It was absolutely beautiful. Jumping into the game for the first time was amazing to me. The entire game was like playing a cartoon. I know a lot of people panned it because of its “kiddie” graphics and lack of realism, but every complaint people had about the game was something I praised. Looking into the sky for the first time, and seeing the wind swirl around. Running up and down the beach looking out over the water, watching the waves dance across the surface, it was beautiful. (And the game wasn’t bad either.) It was always my favorite game graphically; I thought nothing could top it. Then came Okami.

Every screenshot or video of Okami that found its way onto the internet soon found its way in front of my eyes. The colors, line work, everything about it was beautiful. It was like taking The Wind Waker and increasing its awesome factor threefold. I couldn’t wait to get my hands on it.

When I finally did get a chance to start it up, I was a honestly a little annoyed. The thing that bothered me was the same thing that bothered me about more recent Zelda games (starting with Ocarina of Time). This complaint goes to game developers as a whole: I CAN READ FAST. I don’t like when games pace the text so slowly. It took me 18 minutes to get through the opening story part. But immediately upon having control of Amaterasu, my complaints fell way to silent wonder. Running around the first area, seeing the way everything moved and behaved–it was amazing. Within that first 30 seconds of controlling Amaterasu (or Ammy), I knew that this was going to be a terrific adventure.

The game plays like a dream. Ammy is incredibly easy to control, as is the Celestial Brush (a gameplay mechanic I was honestly worried about). Battles are just as fluid as running around the play field. If you have played any of the 3D Zelda games, you will feel right at home with Okami. All of the comparisons to Zelda are well warranted. Clover has really outdone themselves with this game. The amazing attention to detail really outshines anything I have played on the Playstation 2. The way everything feels so lifelike is incredible. Your interactions with the environment are really nothing that can be described in words alone. Seeing the grass and flowers sprout under Amaterasu as you run is such a simple touch that adds so much to the beauty and grace of the experience. And that’s what the game is, honestly. An experience. In the first hour of the game when you cut the fruit from the tree to bring the first village back to life and watch the plants, flowers, and bright blue flowing streams flow all over the map, bringing green lush life to all around.. I challenge anyone to witness that for themselves and think anything other than how amazing it is. I can really go on and on about the graphics, but nothing I or anyone else can say could possibly describe what an experience it is. A picture really is worth a thousand words, or in the case of Okami, a million. Truly proof in my eyes that realism in games has nothing on artistry.

Now we want to hear from you! If you have played Okami, did you like it? Did you hate it? Do you think that it is a piece of art? If you haven’t played Okami, do you plan to try it now? Why or why not?

Let us know what you think in the comments!