I hired Okami from the library last week. It is absolutely stupendous. It is certainly in my top ten of cultural products of all time.
In this game you play the Shinto sun goddess, Amaterasu, incarnated as a white wolf. Your mission is to bring the life back to a Nippon infested by decay, disease and a host of cheeky demons. The ink and wash setting is gorgeous and the design of the Celestial Brush as a mechanic is so clever and so (tricky) rewarding as a special power. I gather this is reminiscent of Zelda, which makes me want to catch up with that. It also reminded me very much of Princess Mononoke in theme, tone and the fact there's a prominent role for a large, white, mystical canine.
There's probably a word for cultural tourists like me who love to take mini-breaks in versions of Japan like this. I'm sure I miss most of the allusions, I can't read the kanji that spills out of engine but I just love it, love it, love it.
Capcom closed the developer, Clover Studio, after all the team left to start Seeds. Can't wait for the fruit.
