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Okami (Wii)

(2008, Video Games - Action/Adventure, Rated T, Play it on: PlayStation 2, Nintendo Wii)
  • Is it age appropriate?

    About our ratings

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    Not age appropriate for kids under 11, age appropriate for kids over 13; suggested age 13.
  • Is it any good?

    5.0
  • Common Sense says

    A revival of a great teen paint-to-play adventure.

Why We Rated This on for Ages 13 and Up

The good stuff

  • Educational value:

    Not an issue.
  • Messages:

    You can use your magical paint brush to revive living things like a dying tree, but you can also use it destructively to kill.
 

What to watch out for

  • Violence:

    Using your brush as a sword of sorts, players can hack and slash enemy creatures. Animated blood can be seen.
  • Sex:

    A female character, Sakuya, has sexy outfits and poses.
  • Language:

    A few minor words that might seem inappropriate, such as "hell" and "damn."
  • Consumerism:

    Not an issue.
  • Drinking, drugs, & smoking:

    Some characters, like Susano and Mr. Orange, drink sake; one older man smokes an ancient pipe.
 

What Parents Need to Know

This review of Okami (Wii) was written by Marc Saltzman

Parents need to know that this game might look like a kids' game with its cute cel-shaded graphics, but it features some content not appropriate for children, including violence and blood (slash a creature using your "celestial brush" and you chop them down, and see some animated blood) and characters in the village who smoke and drink. It's not excessive, nor is it out of context, but this game was designed with teenagers in mind, and not younger kids. This is a revival of the 2006 PlayStation 2 version.

Families Can Talk About

Talk to your kids about the media in their life. We have more tools and tips that can help
  • Families can talk about how games like Okami take full advantage of the Wii Remote to create a unique and intuitive interactive entertainment experience. But does it make these games more immersive? Are you drawn into the adventure more as a participant because the controls are more natural? On the flipside, does "killing" creatures by performing the movements desensitize you to real-world violence more than simply pressing buttons?
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More on Okami (Wii)

What’s the Story?

In an industry where innovation often takes a back seat to sequels, movie tie-ins, and "me too" clones, it's refreshing when a video game breaks convention to deliver a fresh interactive experience. Such is the case with Capcom's OKAMI, a Japanese-made adventure originally released on the PlayStation 2, and now available – and perfectly suited -- for the Wii. You take on the role of a sun god named Amaterasu, in the form of a wolf, who must help restore world peace and beauty by defeating the eight-headed dragon, Orochi. While traveling to dozens of regions to regain her "Celestial Brush" powers, Amaterasu quickly learns how to paint onto the world itself and the effect is immediate: paint a bridge to traverse rapid rivers; draw a horizontal line through rocks and trees and the obstacles are cut in half; slash an enemy with a paint stroke through its body; or add a sun to the sky with a painted circle. These moves are now handled intuitively with the motion-sensing and wireless Wii remote.

Okami, which means "wolf" in Japanese, also lets you master combat moves during fighting sequences. This includes head butting, jumping, tackling and springing off adjacent walls. Weapons will be acquired over time, divided into three categories: Reflectors (magical mirrors), Rosaries (special beads) and Glaives (mythical swords). You will eventually learn new skills from the Grand Master at the Dojo, such as a "Holy Eagle" (jump and kick at the same time), "Fleetfoot" (quickly sidestep to avoid a monster attack) and "Digging Champ" (dig through rocky surfaces). Close

Is It Any Good?

Okami and its paint scheme is much more than a gimmick; this clever game-play mechanic lets players tackle puzzles and fighting in a new and innovative way and helps separate this action-adventure hybrid from the hundreds of others in the market. That, and the game's interesting story, memorable characters, and clever visual style all help to make "Okami" a fresh and fun addition to your Wii library. This immersive, intuitive, and visually impressive adventure is well worth your time and money unless you have already played the 2006 PlayStation 2 version. With the exception of revamped controls which take advantage of the Wii Remote, the two games are virtually identical. Close

Publisher’s Details

Released on 04/15/2008, price $39.99, not online enabled
ESRB rating: T (for Blood and Gore, Crude Humor, Fantasy Violence, Suggestive Themes, Use of Alcohol, Use of Tobacco)

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See all 10 member reviews

Most Recent Reviews

  1. Teen Reviewer Age 15
    I rate this title on for age 10 and give it 5.0
    • My highlights are:
    • Safety isn't an issue

    Whoever wants to play it, GO FOR IT

    Okami is one of the best games made for the wii so far and ive beaten it three times, so i should know. and in those three times i never once saw ONE obsenity or words deemed as "inappropriate". even the drinking in it is not substantial. you they mention sake all but 5 times? and you get to beat a dragon by getting it drunk? i honestly dont see the harm in any of that.

  2. Teen Reviewer Age 13
    Lives in California
    I rate this title on for age 13 and give it 5.0
    • My highlights are:
    • Positive messages

    One of the Best Games of all Time

    The seal protecting Nippon from the evil Yamato-no-Orochi has broken and is wreaking havoc all across the land. In order to save the people, the wood sprite Sakuya breathes the spirit of the sun goddess Amaterasu into the statue of a wolf hero named Shiranui. Now Amaterasu and her inch-sized friend Issun must travel across the country restoring nature and defeating evil. This game has one of the best plotlines I've ever seen. The graphics, based off of traditional Japanese art is stunning, and the soundtrack is brilliant and beautiful. Some sexual humor might go over kid's heads, and some of the traditional Japanese art within the game can be very gorey, especially a few later in the game. Sake is used to defeat Yamato-no-Orochi and give you power-ups. But overall this is a very brilliant game based on Japanese mythology. Get it while you still can.

  3. Teen Reviewer Age 14
    Lives in New Jersey
    I rate this title on for age 10 and give it 5.0

    i know how to get past the block head on oni island!

    ok awesome game! this is how to get past the block head on oni island. first once you find the block head on oni island turn back and go into that big room with the lightnig. then on the right wall there will be a plat form . youll have to jump up to get to see it. youll know when youll see it becus it has a bomb squigal on it. then when you brake the wall youll see a vine flower . go on it. then on the wall youll see on the sied a path with pots on it. walk past it till you see tobi . jump to him and then youll be past the block head! i know this is hard to under stand but hopefully you will get what im saying once you get there.

  4. Teen Reviewer Age 14
    Lives in New Jersey
    I rate this title on for age 14 and give it 5.0

    buy it now

    lasts long is fun and is about mythology ....BUY IT NOW!!!!

  5. Kid Reviewer Age 12
    Lives in New Jersey
    I rate this title iffy for age 2 and give it 5.0

    this game is awesome!

    it has a bit of animated blood in it but its like nothing . if you like slash a demon with a sowrd theres not any blood at all. some of the ppl in the game do drink sake and it is used for powere ups . and there is some ppl smoking a pipe. in the game you play as a wolf god witch is the reborn form of okami a god witch saved nippon 100 years ago. i think this for this game you should be at least 12. but it is AWESOME! you might need to crack out the walkthrogh sites a few times.theres a raccon dog in it and some othere stuff ppl might get western ppl confused with at the japenss stuff. but its not imporntent to know just have fun with this awesome game!

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