I encountered an incredibly strange situation recently - I was looking for something to play on my backlog and noticed that for the first time in a while I don't really have a backlog. I'm playing a few things but they aren't like... you know, that BIGSINGLE-PLAYER GAMEthat you feel like you have to complete and it just hangs over you until you complete it. Nope, that particular game isn't on the menu for myself right now. It made me feel weirdly empty. It also led me onto the subject of this blogpost...

Y'see, I bought Okami HD for exactly 5 UK pounds and 49 pence from the Playstation Store last year and started a file. I remember it being an incredibly slow starter, I'm talking Persona 4 levels of setting the scene - but don't worry, dear reader, I was prepared to wait.

And wait I did - I even completed the first dungeon in this Zelda-ass action adventure game and was really enjoying it but... I just stopped. 5 Hours and 37 minutes in. Sometimes that happens right? Something comes along and suddenly a game is in the growing pile of "Games that seem cool but I didn't finish." Maybe it was the supposed 40+ hour length? Who knows. Okami just wasn't right for me at that time, but well... it's kind of what I'm looking for now.

Basically, I'm loading my last save...

So, I jumped back onto the file with absolutely no context or idea of what the hell I was doing or what I was doing next - "CHARACTER X IS STRUGGLING WITH A BRIDGE" the quest log barked at me which might as well have been incomprehensible. So, as I scurried my way over to someones 9 year old FAQ on GameFAQs I had Amaterasu (the player character/wolf/dog/GOD) wander around and take in the sites and sounds. Man this game is GORGEOUS. I'm continually surprised at how good art direction can make games like this seemingly timeless.

Anyway, like most people, all I needed was a nudge in the right direction and off I was onto the next objective - getting to some windmill or something. Seems like a dungeon. Man this game is a lot like Zelda. The last 3D Zelda game I played through was Ocarina on 3DS and every bit of Okami reminds me of that and other Zelda games. You'll get to the town, you'll hear somethings up in some incredibly sacred place for the people (Replace Jabu Jabu, every temple ever, Dragon Roost Island etc. with the Wind Shrine (which probably is a Zelda dungeon somewhere).) and after fulfilling a side-quest you're in the Dungeon. Said sidequest had me looking for some legendary Canine Warriors (yeah, besides me. Dogs are big deals in the world of Nippon) and it was actually really helpful for getting me re-acquainted with the world, the characters like Susano and Issun as well as the controls and mechanics (random encounters and all).

I even got to meet the Sparrow clan who seem to be pretty much an anthropomorphic Yakuza. This game is pretty cool. After a lot of running around I got to the dungeon and man... I dunno if I've said this before but this game is a lot like Zelda. It even has a floor-based dungeon map. Instead of finding a bow or something, I found a brush stroke that allowed me to control the wind. Makes sense for the Wind Shrine, I guess. I even used that technique to complete some PUZZLES. You know, like Ze-okay I'll stop. This dungeon did seem a bit short and easy but the boss was pretty cool and had me use my new technique in a very Zelda-like fashion. Instead of a heart container fragment of solar energy I got a weapon that seems overpowered as hell.

Okami seems to be moving, I'm right onto the next dungeon now and have now clocked about 9 hours on the save over the last few nights. I'm definitely invested now, I don't know if I'll make this a running series where I'll look at it in increments or if I'll just post a review at the end but I'll definitely put something up.

We're in it for the long haul, Ammy.

Yep, it's a great game. It's really long though, so hold on to your butt, cause it's gonna get sore. From, you know, sitting on your couch... And... Playing this... Game- look it made sense in my head.

It ends like, 3 times but at least you don't have to sit through the unskippable 20 minute intro.

It's a prime example of terrible pacing and overly drawn out exposition but I'm glad I finished this game in 66 hours. It's a good game but I put my playthrough on hold multiple times, took me more than a year to finish it.

Glad you're giving it attention. People argue about the pacing in that game. While I do remember a long mid section of collecting each of the animal spirits and doing sidequests here and there, I didn't have a problem with them myself. I was lost in that world and was sad when it was over.

I picked Link Between Worlds back up after putting it down for about a year. Kind of had a similar WTF am I doing that you did.

My playthroughs were around 30 hours or less. There aren't really any side-quests in the game so I'm wondering how in the world it took you 66 hours.

Also it's pretty much my favourite game so I'm kind of touchy when it comes to criticism of it.

Yup.

@aegon: I played it to 100% completion for the platinum throphy, revitalizing and restoring everything, getting praise, feeding all animals etc. You are wrong about sidequests though, half the game's content is doing sidequests. Four monster hunt lists. Footraces against characters. Fetch-quests, ferry quests, getting optional brush upgrades, finding specific animals, collecting all 100 stray beads, treasure hunts etc.

Some sections went very poorly though in Okami HD, like the big log section. Some brush specific puzzles were inconsistent at detecting my brush input.

Oh and don't get me wrong. I absolutely loved the game, especially the lore. I was surprised they actually put the lore of Urashima in this game. It's the small details to the environments in regards to the lore that is amazing also. It's a very good thought-out story and sees everything through to the end.

Ah, yes. I suppose that stuff skipped my mind since it doesn't quite fit my idea of a sidequest, but it is extra stuff to do. I didn't really bother with secret stuff unless I noticed it along the way.

Ahh I love Okami, I beat it on the PS2 and the wii even though I very rarely finish long adventure games (I've actually never finished a LoZ game). I really love the art style, it's a beautiful game. I think it took me around 50 hours to finish but I could be making that up, it's been awhile.

I might have to replay it again actually, maybe over summer. Was considering getting the HD version but I think I'll just replay the wii one, as I recall doing the brushstrokes with the wii mote felt great.