But these are minor issues that don't detract from what is a sprawling modern masterpiece. And the game oscillates between gently pointing you in the right direction with a map marker, or putting a huge, unmissable arrow in front of you that points the way to your next goal. Text speed is inconsistent-sometimes you can quickly speed through dialogue other times, words crawl slowly along the screen, completely oblivious to your button-mashing attempts to speed them up. Besides the frame-rate issue, there are a few small issues that could've used a fix. There are some aspect ratio options, and the game has a sharper look than its PS2 predecessor, but otherwise this is a port of the original game. There are no story or gameplay changes for this update. The drawings you create on-screen are simple enough that they don't stall the momentum of battle, and the mechanics are generous enough that even for someone as artistically untalented as myself, creating circles and lines makes me feel like I missed my calling as a painter.īut how does the updated Okami HD change the experience? Having not touched the game since it's PS2 release 11 years ago, Okami stays true to my memories, but I'm constantly surprised by how modern it feels. The game overall is an obvious homage to the Legend of Zelda series, but your ability to use the world as a literal canvas for your god-like brush strokes makes Okami feel inspired and unique rather than just a derivative Zelda clone. In movement, the game runs at a noticeably lower frame-rate, at least on Xbox One and PS4, but Okami's hyper-stylized version of feudal Japan is like seeing a painting come to life. Slight, subtle movements of the air are portrayed with thin flowing lines, and your wolf-form pulses with whirls of energy. When you're stationary, the screen is a painting. Okami was gorgeous even on PS2, and Okami HD is a faithful tribute to the game's everlasting beauty. Much of Okami's timelessness is due to the bold, brush-stroke-inspired art style. Don't let this gorgeous art fool you that room harbored pure nightmare fuel: the Spider Queen herself and her horrifying lack of facial appendages.By clicking 'enter', you agree to GameSpot's When I attempted to open the door at the top, Issun asked, "Are we ready?" And oh boy, I was not. The strumming intensified the farther I ran, and when I came through the archway, I was greeted with a wide-open staircase just as more instruments tuned into the threatening overture. Upon entering a long hallway scattered with dimly lit candles, I heard the soft, ominous strumming of a stringed instrument. The art style and sound design flow nicely in a creative, charming way that's reminiscent of watching a Studio Ghibli film.īeauty? Check. Some memorable moments involved Susano boasting about his secret training ground, as he let slip, "It's the perfect place to hide - Er … I mean, to train!" This had me rolling, because the music suddenly stopped at the dash, and Amaterasu inched her head forward with the best "are you for real?" face possible. Okami is also clever about manipulating sound to give bland jokes some real flair. I experienced this when I rejuvenated Shinshu Field the vibrant, blue water exploded across the land like an army of racing dolphins, and the leaves created a cyclone of color in the sky, all while being scored by a majestic, classical Japanese tune. The sound design flows nicely, too, in a creative, charming way that's reminiscent of watching a Studio Ghibli film. It makes everything seem so lively, which is quite impressive for a 12-year-old game. Motion blur complaints aside, Okami's watercolor art style is absolutely breathtaking. Let the Sun Goddess Shine This Beauty Upon You It's kind of hard to fight when I'm waiting for my camera to turn 180 degrees toward the enemy. It's supposed to be "HD," Capcom, so fix it! Oh, and if you don't mind, give me some adjustable settings to cure that slow camera pan too, thanks. The only way I was able to bear it was by playing in handheld mode. Whatever the reason for keeping the jarring effect in the game, there should at least be a "disable" option. Another note: How, in all of Okami's remasters on five different platforms, has Capcom never fixed this nauseating motion blur? Even Steam user Kaldaien came up with a fix on the PC version.
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