Okami

Okami is a PlayStation 2 action-adventure from Clover and Capcom that casts the Shinto sun goddess Amaterasu as a white wolf in a mythic, storybook version of ancient Japan. Originally released in Japan in 2006 and in Europe on 9 February 2007, it sends Amaterasu across the land of Nippon after the eight-headed demon Orochi's return drains its forests, villages and coasts of life. Her tiny, sharp-tongued companion Issun serves as guide and comic foil as a quest that begins in Kamiki Village grows into a journey through a world shaped by Japanese folklore, gods and demons.

The heart of Okami is restoration. Wherever Amaterasu goes, cursed landscapes can be returned to colour and motion: flowers open beneath her paws, trees bloom, wildlife returns and people regain hope. This makes exploration feel purposeful even between major story scenes. Nippon unfolds through connected fields, settlements, shrines and hazardous regions, with optional errands, animal feeding, treasures and minigames rewarding players who wander off the main route. Praise earned from helping the world can be spent to improve health, ink reserves and other abilities, giving the long adventure a satisfying sense of growth.

Its defining idea is the Celestial Brush. At almost any time, the action can pause and the screen becomes a canvas; using the DualShock controller's left analogue stick, players draw simple marks that become divine techniques. A line can slash through an enemy or cut an obstruction, a loop can summon wind, and other gestures repair paths, summon water or manipulate the environment. New powers arrive through constellations and their Celestial Brush gods, so puzzles gradually become more inventive without losing the pleasure of making a direct mark on the world. Ink is limited and replenishes over time, keeping the Brush useful in battle without turning it into an effortless answer.

Combat takes place in contained spirit arenas and combines brisk wolf movement, close-range attacks and Brush magic. Amaterasu can equip weapons inspired by Japan's Imperial Regalia: Reflectors, Rosaries and Glaives, with a main and sub-weapon creating different approaches to offense. Dojos teach techniques, merchants sell supplies, and fast, damage-free victories can bring bonuses. The result is an adventure with the dungeon-solving rhythm of a classic console quest but a very different personality, one where a drawn sunrise or a carefully placed cherry bomb can matter as much as a well-timed strike.

Okami's visual language remains inseparable from the original PS2 game. Its cel-shaded presentation evokes sumi-e ink painting, woodblock prints and watercolour, with calligraphic outlines, parchment-like texture and animations that make the land seem painted into being. Clover's striking art direction was recognized at the 2007 BAFTA Games Awards for Artistic Achievement and Original Score, while the game also earned a Japan Media Arts Festival Entertainment Division Grand Prize. The orchestral, Japanese-inspired score, expressive character designs and abundant small visual details turn its folklore setting into more than a backdrop.

This PS2 edition is the original release: it uses the analogue-stick Celestial Brush and includes its original ending credits sequence. Later versions changed the presentation and controls rather than replacing the adventure itself. The 2008 Wii port, handled after Clover Studio had closed, added pointer-based brush controls and widescreen support but omitted the original Western end-credits movie. Subsequent HD releases raised the resolution and added modern platform features, yet the PlayStation 2 version is the place to experience Okami in the form Clover created—an expansive, imaginative quest whose act of drawing miracles remains as memorable as its white wolf heroine.