Will I Enjoy Okami if I'm Not Much for Zelda?

[racketboy]

It's not that I dislike Zelda games -- I like them in theory. I just seems that in many of them I get tired of backtracking and sometimes have a hard time figuring out where I need to go.

I'm always hearing people rave about Okami, but I also hear it compared to Zelda games.

With the above being said, do you think I would enjoy it?

[Scooter]

It is much more weird than Zelda. The artwork alone is worth the price and time spent. I guess the questing process is similar to Zelda games, but it is just so, different. I just wish I had more time to devote to playing it. I only seem to be able to get small snippets of time to play and Okami requires (at least in my opinion) that you spend good chunks of time playing it, exploring and soaking in all the story elements and artwork. Heck, the opening sequence that sets up the story for you before you can even play the game is at least 10 minutes long and from my experience you cannot bypass it!

[Pulsar_t]

Yes the intro is long and you can't skip it. I also am intrigued by this game but it appears to be too demanding so I keep avoiding it in favour of other titles.

[Mozgus]

Someone has been hassling me to play Okami the last few months. And every time I tell him to play Shadow of the Colossus, he tells me to play Okami. It's gotten to the point where it's like...whoever caves in first and plays the awesome game, loses. It's a very self-destructive practice.

[RadarScope1]

At first, I would say "no" because it's VERY much like Zelda. But then again, it's NOT Zelda. So it could go either way. There's definitely backtracking and exploration and while it basically follows the same design patters at Zelda (overworld > dungeons > use dungeon item on boss > mini-quests) it also manages to feel fresh because you're not the same shrimp in a pointy green hat and you haven't used all these items a dozen times before, etc. I assume you're taking the Wii version? I've heard the motion gestures are a little off, but not so much that it really takes away from the overall experience.

It's absolutely worth renting and checking out, though. And yeah, the opening cut scene sucks -- it's more like 20 minutes -- but after that it opens up into something pretty special.

[RackGaki]

Wait a while to play it. I egged on a friend to play it for so long, he got the Wii version, was disappointed in having an unskippable intro, and shelved it after an hour. It's very story-centric, and is really in a class of it's own. Visually, I can't really find a peer for this game, especially upscaled on a PS3. Hands down the best-looking game on the PS2. The game isn't repetitive considering the genre, but it is long. I would consider it an action-adventure RPG, it vaguely reminds me of some of the Shining series on the PS2.

If you feel forced to play it, you might not enjoy it. Just let it happen when you feel it's time to give it a shot.

[Gamerforlife]

Okami, much like Beyond Good and Evil, uses Zelda as a sort of foundation, but it's quite different. Dungeons are much simpler and shorter than Zelda games. There isn't a whole lot in the way of puzzle solving and I don't recall a lot of backtracking, though I think there was definitely some in there.

Here are the reasons I like Okami. It has very charming characters and a pretty interesting story, with some surprising and memorable moments along the way. I honestly can't remember the last time a Zelda story impressed me and they are mostly pretty forgettable. There's a lot of Japanese mythology in the story that is fun to spot if you're knowledgeable about that sort of thing and the instruction booklet actually explains some of the references.

Okami is very detail oriented. A lot of the game's fun comes from stuff like finding hungry animals to feed, restoring corrupted parts of the environment to their original beautiful state, side quests, playing around with your god like powers as well as trying a few mini-games, interacting with characters(try using your divine powers on some of them for fun)doing some of the item collection and the fun of finding hidden areas. Much of this is optional though, but these activities do provide you with in game rewards as well as personal satisfaction. The game is more rewarding for players who take their time and explore and I felt a genuinely good feeling after doing certain deeds within the game. As it's core, the game is about a divine being(you)helping out people, animals and nature in general, which does involve fighting a few evil beings in the process. It's kind of a feel good game and it has a great ambience due to its unique visuals, excellent soundtrack and the interesting things characters do.

The combat system is what you make of it. Some people say it is simplistic and boring, but those people are playing in a simplistic and boring way. You're evaluated at the end of each fight and it's fun to try for a good ranking. Experimenting with your different divine powers, weapons and moves will show you more effective and fun ways to deal with your enemies, who have individual weaknesses that can be exploited. You can also execute special finishing moves on enemies with the right divine power which grants you dragon tooth items. If you take the time to learn the ins and outs of combat, it becomes something very stylish and fun to watch. It's very satisfying finding which one of your divine powers an enemy is weak to and seeing the results.

I actually found combat more fun overall then in Zelda:Twilight Princess and the enemies are FAR more visually interesting and diverse than some of the lame bats and plants you see in Twilight Princess. Combat in Okami can seem like a confusing, button mashing mess at first, but with practice becomes something more fluid and elegant than any Zelda game I have played. Some of the boss battles are VERY memorable and epic, though much of that comes from important events in the story that give these battles meaning, which is another thing that Zelda doesn't always do.

It's hard to really explain why Okami is so good. If I were to compare it to a Zelda, I would say that Okami has FAR more personality, style and charm and a more interesting story. This isn't to say that Okami isn't good in the gameplay department. However, Zelda has more challenge and has more numerous and complex puzzles, which Okami is pretty light on. Okami is a bit more laid back than Zelda gameplaywise, focusing more on exploration, creativity and experimentation than genuine challenge. You'll have more fun in Okami in the overworld and villages, while Zelda is more interesting when it comes to dungeons. They're like polar opposites really

[kinn]

Played it on the PS2. Its a great game. Definitely worth playing.

I had trouble getting into the game to begin with (with the unskippable intro sequences, getting enough time to commit to the game etc.). But once you get into the game proper its great.

Graphics are amazing in this game and I loved the humor in the game. Only bad thing I can say about this game is that it was too long IMHO.

Twice in the game I thought I was at the end of the game when in fact i was still ages away. To me it seemed as if Clover realized that they needed to make the game longer and so stretched the game/story longer.

But I must say that I found this more fun and enjoyable than the last Zelda game (TP).

And I could have swore that you could skip the intro sequences on the Wii version.

I'd say go for it. Its a great game so give it a chance.

[equalsign]

Gamerforlife was dead on. I'd give it a chance. It's not the best game ever, but it's good. I think it's 20 USD or so at GameStop. Just remember, 'Z' draws straight lines.

PS: All cutscenes on the Wii version are skippable.

[corn619]

Go out, rent it and give it a few hours. Or for $10.00 you can just own it, either way you will be doing yourself a big favor. Everyone keeps comparing this to Zelda and I don't see it. When was the last time you played a living japanese water color painting and solved puzzles by painting the solution in a Zelda game? Never, Zelda has been more or less been the same since part 1. Okami is ......different and I won't deny inspirational hints of Zelda in there. Its a timeless work of art and simply must not be missed in my humble opinion.