Upcoming: Okami HD

Prepare to saturate yourself in Japanese lore.

It is nigh impossible for me to contain my excitement about Okami, a PS2 classic, coming to Playstation Network this Fall in the US. Although I am largely ambivalent about HD remakes of games, my joy is derived from the chance of experiencing the game easily on my 55" TV without hooking up the PS2 through the AV inputs.

For those who have not played the original, you have much to look forward to. Okami brings a lot to the table, starting with gorgeous visuals. Every second of this game plays out with unique cel-shaded animation, emulating sumi-e drawings on rice paper. The core of the gameplay is a lot like Legend of Zelda in nearly every way. As Amaterasu, the white wolf, you explore a land the opens itself up to you further each time you finish a dungeon and receive a new ability of item. Sound familiar? I failed to mention that when you receive special items, musical fanfare plays while the object floats and rotates above your head. Beyond this, however, is a game that manages to stand strongly on its own despite the comparisons.

Even the white wolf needs a moment to take in the beautiful surroundings.

The draw (pun-intended) of the gameplay is the ability to use Celestial Brush techniques, which Amaterasu uses to command nature. While holding down a trigger button, the screen will flatten out like a piece of drawing paper, and the player can paint magical symbols to perform these godly acts. It is rare that a game will justify its beautiful visuals and style by incorporating it into the gameplay as Okami does. That is not all the magic to be witnessed, however. The story is an intricately woven interpretation of Japanese mythology, and all the characters you meet during and outside of the main quest are culled directly from this rich folklore. The end result is a magical tale full of endearing people and creatures, who will charm you straight through to the end of the game.

There is candy inside.

There is much more to be said about the game, but I will reserve that for an official review once the game is released on PSN. Along with the updated HD visuals, the game will feature trophy support for the completionists out there. I do not yet know of any other additional features, but the game itself is its own reward. For a proposed price of $19.99, it is hard to imagine that any buyer could go wrong. We will see. Right now, take my word on the original game until I can vouch for what is to come. For all I know, Capcom replaced the Celestial Brush with a walkie-talkie.

Okami images taken from GameInformer.com.