Kristi Osterreicher Ōkami: A Critical Analysis and Response An essay, in partial fulfillment of: NMED 3300: Theory and Aesthetics of Digital Games Department of New Media University of Lethbridge April 2011 Foreword: This essay is a part of a collection of undergraduate essays on videogames and interactive entertainment produced for the course NMED 3300 -- Theory and Aesthetics of Digital Games offered by Dr. David Clearwater at the University of Lethbridge. These essays represent the culmination of the course and build upon previous assignments (such as an earlier essay on genre) and therefore must fulfill specific research and analytical requirements. As such, they are very much undergraduate assignments but they also represent scholarly investigations of the interactive medium of videogames, often by young people who have grown up with the medium and want to understand its significance at the beginning of the twentieth century and who may themselves want to pursue a future career in the videogame industry. These essays have been selected for hosting at the GamePlay Archive because they contribute to the emerging dialogue on videogame research and because they offer interesting analytical and/or critical perspectives. Okami is an action-adventure game developed by Clover Studio and published by Capcom. It was released on Sony’s Playstation 2 in 2006, while a version for the Nintendo Wii was released in 2008. Okami tells the story of the sun god Amaterasu’s adventures in the land of Nippon, an alternate version of ancient Japan rooted within Japanese mythology and folklore. Amaterasu, who takes the form of a white wolf, is given the task of ridding the world of evil and restoring peace and beauty to the land. Osterreicher on Okami -- 1 -- http://gameplay-archive.org/ A century prior to the events of the game the eight-headed demon Orochi terrorised all of Nippon, demanding that every year a maiden from Kamiki Village be chosen and sacrificed in his name. Before Orochi could claim his 100th sacrifice Amaterasu, then known as Shiranui, battled alongside the swordsman Nagi and slew Orochi, cutting off each of his eight heads one by one. Using Nagi’s sword Tsukuyomi as the seal Orochi’s evil spirit was locked away, but not before he managed to wound Shiranui, who later died as a result of her injuries.1 After one hundred years of peace, a mysterious figure removes Nagi’s sword from its resting-place, breaking the seal on Orochi’s spirit and allowing the demon to return. Amaterasu is summoned to Nippon to combat Orochi’s revival through the use of her Celestial Brush, a divine tool bestowed with the powers of thirteen Brush Gods that allows Amaterasu to alter the environment around her, such as controlling the path of fire or changing night into day. However Amaterasu soon finds that her death as Shiranui and subsequent one hundred-year sleep has weakened her form considerably. Coupled with this problem is that the people of Nippon no longer believe in the gods as strongly as they did a century ago, causing the thirteen Brush Gods to become weak and sever their connection to Amaterasu, leaving her Celestial Brush powerless. Before she can defeat Orochi Amaterasu must regain full use of her Celestial Brush by journeying across Nippon and locating the hiding places of each of the thirteen Brush Gods, receiving their blessing and relearning each of the Brush Techniques she once had mastery over. Assisting Amaterasu throughout her journey is Issun, an inch high “wandering artist” whose race has the unique ability to communicate with the gods, who decides to accompany Amaterasu and act as her guide. Other characters include Susano, the self described “greatest warrior who ever lived” and descendant of Nagi, the honoured swordsman who fought by Amaterasu’s side in her previous life, and Waka, a strange gold-haired man with a mysterious past and the ability to tell the future.2 Amaterasu’s journey will take her to all corners of the land, meeting new characters, fighting monsters, regaining her lost brush techniques, and restoring the people’s faith in the gods. During her travels it soon becomes clear that what is upsetting the peace in Nippon is an even larger threat than the return of the demon Orochi. 1 The original Japanese version of Okami avoided using gender pronouns when referring to Amaterasu. The North American translation of Okami treats Amaterasu as a female, due to characters addressing her as “Origin of Good and Mother to us all”. The developers of the game have stated that Amaterasu and all the gods present in Okami do not possess a definite sex. For the purposes of clarity, this paper treats Amaterasu as female. 2 Okami (Wii Version), Clover Studio/Ready at Dawn Studios (Capcom, 2008). Osterreicher on Okami -- 2 -- http://gameplay-archive.org/ Okami and the Action-Adventure Genre Okami is classified within the action-adventure genre; a genre that is perhaps best discussed through an examination of its common iconography and themes. The reason for this is partly due to the fact that action-adventure games cannot be easily defined by a common, visible, and unique form of gameplay, unlike other video game genres such as Role-Playing Games or Shooters. A game belonging to the action-adventure categorisation will feature a combination of the thematic elements from the adventure genre with gameplay/interactivity characteristic to the action genre. This means that action- adventure games typically include a story driven experience, focusing on the personal and emotional growth of the player character. Action-Adventure games also include an emphasis on puzzle solving and lateral thinking, the opportunity for and reward of player exploration, and the use of a particular setting to provide mood and heighten player experience. Interactivity typically features a focus on movement, quick thinking, and reflexes, generally expressed via some form of combat. Many action-adventure games attempt to integrate puzzle solving and lateral thinking into its combat, primarily through requiring the player to use a specific item or technique to defeat certain enemies. Okami fits comfortably within the action-adventure genre. It features the aforementioned integration of puzzle solving into its combat and general gameplay through the use of the Celestial Brush which allows the player to solve puzzles using the various Brush Techniques to manipulate the environment. For example, in one area of the game drawing the shape of a crescent moon in the sky will lower the water level of the tide, allowing the player access to a previously unreachable sunken ship. The Celestial Brush is also used to make combat more efficient by giving the player the means to use an enemy’s specific weakness against them, such as creating a firestorm to attack a creature made of ice. Identifying the proper technique to use against an enemy will reward the player with items called ‘Demon Fangs’, which can be traded for unique and powerful tools that are unable to be purchased through the Okami’s regular currency. This, coupled with the bonuses rewarding the player for quickly defeating an enemy while taking the least amount of damage encourages players to think strategically when fighting enemies as a opposed to merely ‘strong-arming’ their way through battles. A mechanic of the Celestial Brush renders the player limited by how much ink Amaterasu can use at any given time. Similar in function to a health bar the amount of available ink (depicted on screen as a row of inkpots) depletes with each Brush Technique Amaterasu uses. This requires the player to carefully consider and plan their attacks, which further emphasises a need to think and strategize during battle. Gameplay in Okami utilises a combination of the Celestial Brush and a more ‘traditional’ form of combat that relies on the use of physical weaponry. These weapons, called Divine Instruments, come in Osterreicher on Okami -- 3 -- http://gameplay-archive.org/ three forms: the reflector, rosary, and glaive. Each type of physical weapon carries with it assorted weaknesses and strengths, such as the rosary being useful for long-range combat, while the glaive can be charged for a more powerful attack. Running out of ink in battle prevents Amaterasu from using both her Celestial Brush and her Divine Instruments, limiting her to fighting in a severely de-powered form until her ink automatically replenishes. Multiple forms of each type of Divine Instrument can be purchased with the game’s currency, while others are rewarded to the player upon the defeat of specific bosses. Divine Instruments may be changed during the middle of battle to better fight specific enemies, with the player being able to equip two instruments at a time, one as a main weapon and the other as a sub weapon. Each type of Divine Instrument has a different ability as a main or sub equip, allowing the player to experiment and further strategize their preferred method of attack. The player may also visit a Dojo to be ‘taught’ more advanced fighting abilities that can cater to each player’s preferred fighting style. These Divine Instruments are intended to compliment Amaterasu’s Celestial Brush, with the player alternating between physical attacks and using the various Brush Techniques to defeat enemies. While emphasis is placed on the player’s ability to creatively use and master each of the thirteen Brush Techniques it is ultimately the nature of the player that will decide whether these physical weapons or the Celestial Brush is their main method of attack. The story of Okami is primarily driven by the physical development of the main protagonist Amaterasu as she acquires new weapons, Brush Techniques, and health and ink upgrades.