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• Okamiden Hands-On

  

  Capcom and Clover Studio's Okami was a game worth remembering. Released back in 2006 for the PlayStation 2 and then in 2008 for Nintendo's Wii, it combined Zelda-style exploration and upgrading with a unique kind of combat and puzzle solving that incorporated paintbrush strokes to affect onscreen action. It also featured an irresistible art style blended with high quality music that gave the game a powerful character, which made it all the more tragic when Clover Studio was shut down. Yet there is hope for more Okami-style action. Okamiden, a Nintendo DS spiritual successor, will be made available in 2011.

  The game seems particularly well suited for the DS, since strokes of the Celestial Brush can simply be accomplished by using the stylus. Okamiden stars another wolf character, Chibiterasu, the offspring of Okami's Amaterasu. Chibiterasu also has a companion, a boy named Kuni, who rides around on his back and helps solve puzzles.

  Gameplay feels similar to that of Okami. You control Chibiterasu as he runs around maps, shatters jars for health and ink refills and finds treasure chests to open. Gradually he'll learn new brush stroke moves that allow him to cut apart rocks to open new ways forward, restore ancient murals to unlock secret passages, and restore foliage to barren trees. All this is done while taking advantage of the DS's dual screens and touch controls in a way that feels natural.

  

   While running around, the action is displayed on the DS's top screen. On the bottom is a map to help you with exploration in case you get turned around. When you find an object you want to interact with, you simply hit the L or R trigger to initiate the Celestial Brush mode, at which point time freezes in-game and the top screen shifts down to the bottom. You can then use the stylus to trace a design onscreen. Then when you exit the mode, the bottom screen shifts back to the top and provided you've drawn the right shape in the correct location, the action is initiated.

  In terms of puzzles, this mechanic is also used in combination with Kuna. Chibiterasu can jump, attack, and can also buck Kuni from his back. When separated, you still control Chibiterasu with the D-Pad, but can tell Kuni to move around by entering brush mode and drawing a line from Kuna's position to where you want him to go. He'll then walk and if there's something for him to do at the end of the line, such as open a treasure chest, he'll do it automatically. This is useful for crossing rock bridges too fragile for Chibiterasu, and seems like it could lead to some involved puzzles later on in the game. During my playthrough I encountered a few multistep puzzles where Chibiterasu and Kuni had to be moved individually several times across islands of land. As Kuna moved he'd trigger switches that would pop bridges into existence for Chibiterasu to cross, and so on until eventually the two could meet up and proceed.