Parents' Guide to

Okami (Wii)

By Marc Saltzman, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 13+

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

Game Nintendo Wii , PlayStation 2 2008
Okami (Wii) Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this game.

Community Reviews

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age 11+

Based on 4 parent reviews

Josh J.
Josh J. Adult
January 18, 2018
age 10+

Japan Education

It requires reasonable skill and dexterity to complete the game. Puzzles are standard. Ease of play = medium gaming ability. Violence in animated combat which would be standard for cartoons targeted at children aged 8 and up. Nothing particularly violent. There are some references to drinking and drug use within the context of the story and the Japanese culture of the narrative. There is part of the game that requires the user to force an enemy to drink sake to defeat it in battle. Again, this is based on the legend the narrative is based on. Overall the drug/alcohol consumption is on par with the types of scenes from older animated movies (Alice in Wonderland, Pinocchio). There are sexualised characters with large busts' in the story but no nudity. The game can be used as a resource to discuss the legends of Japan through the narrative. There are references to environmental preservation, including animals. There are lots of options to discuss art through symbolism and metaphor. Overall, the game has minimal content that would be considered negative and could provide a platform for discussion into areas of sex, drugs and violence with tweens. The positive messages and educational value outweighs the negatives by far. As a teacher I would see this as a resource for a whole class discussion for mature year 4 students and up. It could be an independent exploration for students in year 6 and up.
Pvt. Sokolva
Pvt. Sokolva Adult
January 5, 2011
age 8+

Beautiful game, the illustrations look like Japanese brushwork

This is probably the only game that was made for the Wii that I ever enjoyed. I would get the PS3 version now that I have one, but I don't know, in this case, which one I'd recommend. I think it would depend on the person--namely, for the Wii, much of the gameplay is drawing artistic shapes on the screen as your attacks, such as cutting enemies in half, and this was very awkward and difficult for me as both a hater of Wii motes and gross motor skills. However, many people find this experience very satisfying and fun, and are willing to put up with the Wii's far inferior graphic quality for it. So...I guess it depends on whether your willing to sacrifice quality for a controller that lets you imagine you are actually painting. Just be sure to keep in mind the shortcomings of the Wii mote, and the way the sensor tends to act of, ignore, or completely misinterpret your motions. But on to the game. This game is incredibly. I haven't finished it yet; college applications tend to suck the time out of the day; but its a great game. The adventure is superb, it has touches of maturity but nothing strong enough to turn parents off, and the violence is really cartoon violence with painted creatures and other such things. There's hardly any blood, but the animation is gorgeous and artful.

This title has:

Great messages
Great role models
See all 4 parent reviews

What’s It About?

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).

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (4 ):
Kids say (25 ):

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.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • 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?

Game Details

  • Platforms: Nintendo Wii , PlayStation 2
  • Available online?: Not available online
  • Publisher: Capcom
  • Release date: April 15, 2008
  • Genre: Action/Adventure
  • ESRB rating: T for Blood and Gore, Crude Humor, Fantasy Violence, Suggestive Themes, Use of Alcohol, Use of Tobacco
  • Last updated: November 4, 2015

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