Feel Good Favorite

An article recently popped up on one of my social media feeds that gave me a hankering to return to one of my gaming favorites.  I first played Okami on my Wii and it was definitely one of the best games for that specific console.  In 2017 an HD remake for PC was released and I happily snatched it up (generally I try my best to avoid remakes, remasters, and efforts to pay for the same game more than once--it's hard to resist that urge when it's one of your favorites though).

The main point of the article was that there's something indescribably enjoyable about the gameplay mechanics in Okami.  Rather than causing destruction you play as the reborn, wolf form of the goddess Amaterasu, whose main power is restoring nature.  Each area in the game starts off as a cursed, barren zone and one of the best parts of the game is clearing the curse and then using special "celestial brush" skills to make barren trees bloom again or to clear out the demon gates polluting the area and allowing the animals to return.  Restoring nature is key to building up Amaterasu's abilities--feeding animals, making trees and clover bloom, and defeating demons earn praise (which is the currency used to increase skills).

Playing Okami on the PC is a massive improvement over the Wii--using a mouse to complete the brush strokes is much, much easier.  That's not to say that the HD version of the game doesn't have its issues--the camera controls (if you opt for mouse/keyboard controls) are touchy AF and, like many console games, the camera tends to obnoxiously move around and frequently require repositioning.  There's also the repetitive nature of the boss fights--yeah, you'll fight the same foes multiple times--but overall, Okami remains one of my favorite games.

If you're looking for an enjoyable game (of the console variety) with unique mechanics, I would highly recommend Okami.  You can find it on Steam for $19.99 (a solid price).