Game First Impression: DS - Okamiden
Being an avid fan of the Okami for the PS2, I've been practically salivating for a sequel since the day I finished the game. The story of a goddess in wolf form that goes out into the world to fight evil and to restore humanity's faith in the gods, all done while looking as though it were a Japanese painting, has always stuck in my mind as one of the most beautiful and original games I have ever played and the truest example that games can be, not just for fun, but an art as well. And, now, here it is: Okamiden, the story of Amaterasu's (the main character of Okami) son, Chibiterasu, has he battles demons and goes about setting the world aright. I have been trying very hard not to get my hopes up too high, as I don't want to be disappointed, but I think in some way it's inevitable.
However, so far the disappointments have been minor annoyances more than anything else, while there are a few small touches that I miss for no other reason than they were beautiful touches on the original. For example, in both games wherever Amaterasu/Ammy and Chibiterasu/Chibi go, flowers follow in their wake. However, in Okami when Ammy enters water, whether it be shallow or deep, lilypads follow in her wake; this does not happen with Chibi, where flowers just spring out of the water instead. It is a small touch, granted, but one that spoke of love and commitment to the original.
And there are other more worrying problems. One of my biggest concerns is gameplay due to the switch from the PS2 to the DS. In the PS2, Ammy was rather easy to lead around and her movements were fluid, with Chibi though, I've already gotten frustrated with the fact that he can't move a diaganolly very easily which, in most games, is not a problem but due to the developers attempt to stay true to the original, and thus have large open spaces, can be quite obnoxious. I am hoping that once I get used to the controls, that I'll forget that it was even a problem.
I'm also very concerned about the characterizations. So far, I've only met Issun, Ammy's sidekick and comic relief, but he doesn't seem like the miniature bug/man that he used to be. I understand that nine months have passed (let's not even get me started on the fact that only nine months have passed, where it seems to me like it could have been longer so the changes would be more understandable) but people don't change that much. Once Issun realizes that Chibi is Ammy's son, he goes on to say something along the lines of, "Well... then who's the dad..." but then stops. This is not the Issun that I knew and loved; the Issun from the first one probably would have a made a dirty joke. Which is another worry, that they'll lose a lot of the first game in an attempt to make this sequel kid-friendly. I mean, Okami isn't even really that dirty; it's almost solely Issun making cracks about beautiful women and sometimes jumping in-between their breasts. But it was part of the humor of the first one and it's very much a part of Issun's character.
It also seems like an obvious statement to say that Okadmiden isn't as beautiful as Okami, but it still needs to be said. However, at the same time, for a DS game, I do find the art very impressive. I like the way that celestial brush works (you hit L or R and it freezes and transfers the top screen to the bottom one, so you can draw on it), and it should be easier to use than the PS2 controls, which were a little tricky. They're still doing that annoying "adult on Charlie Brown" noise when people talk that they did that in Okami and I can't help wishing that they had thought to change that, as it's annoying and gives me a headache.
Finally, there's the fact that Okadmiden, like Okami, is very story and people oriented. This means that there is quite a bit of conversation. Unfortunately, I have as yet found now way to speed the text along during a cut-scene without skipping the cut-scene entirely. However, these are just the very first impressions, so don't hold me to them yet. I'm still optimistic that it will be worth the title of Okami, but we really just have to wait and see.
However, so far the disappointments have been minor annoyances more than anything else, while there are a few small touches that I miss for no other reason than they were beautiful touches on the original. For example, in both games wherever Amaterasu/Ammy and Chibiterasu/Chibi go, flowers follow in their wake. However, in Okami when Ammy enters water, whether it be shallow or deep, lilypads follow in her wake; this does not happen with Chibi, where flowers just spring out of the water instead. It is a small touch, granted, but one that spoke of love and commitment to the original.
And there are other more worrying problems. One of my biggest concerns is gameplay due to the switch from the PS2 to the DS. In the PS2, Ammy was rather easy to lead around and her movements were fluid, with Chibi though, I've already gotten frustrated with the fact that he can't move a diaganolly very easily which, in most games, is not a problem but due to the developers attempt to stay true to the original, and thus have large open spaces, can be quite obnoxious. I am hoping that once I get used to the controls, that I'll forget that it was even a problem.
I'm also very concerned about the characterizations. So far, I've only met Issun, Ammy's sidekick and comic relief, but he doesn't seem like the miniature bug/man that he used to be. I understand that nine months have passed (let's not even get me started on the fact that only nine months have passed, where it seems to me like it could have been longer so the changes would be more understandable) but people don't change that much. Once Issun realizes that Chibi is Ammy's son, he goes on to say something along the lines of, "Well... then who's the dad..." but then stops. This is not the Issun that I knew and loved; the Issun from the first one probably would have a made a dirty joke. Which is another worry, that they'll lose a lot of the first game in an attempt to make this sequel kid-friendly. I mean, Okami isn't even really that dirty; it's almost solely Issun making cracks about beautiful women and sometimes jumping in-between their breasts. But it was part of the humor of the first one and it's very much a part of Issun's character.
It also seems like an obvious statement to say that Okadmiden isn't as beautiful as Okami, but it still needs to be said. However, at the same time, for a DS game, I do find the art very impressive. I like the way that celestial brush works (you hit L or R and it freezes and transfers the top screen to the bottom one, so you can draw on it), and it should be easier to use than the PS2 controls, which were a little tricky. They're still doing that annoying "adult on Charlie Brown" noise when people talk that they did that in Okami and I can't help wishing that they had thought to change that, as it's annoying and gives me a headache.
Finally, there's the fact that Okadmiden, like Okami, is very story and people oriented. This means that there is quite a bit of conversation. Unfortunately, I have as yet found now way to speed the text along during a cut-scene without skipping the cut-scene entirely. However, these are just the very first impressions, so don't hold me to them yet. I'm still optimistic that it will be worth the title of Okami, but we really just have to wait and see.