In Okami you play a deity, the sun goddess Amaterasu, in a wolf form no less, on a quest to restore color to a blank and white world. Not your average videogame premise that’s for sure. Supernatural monsters are the cause of the world’s monochrome state, who must be defeated in order to relinquish their negative effect on the land. Being a divine being, a contingent of believers is a necessity and indeed, is the source of Amaterasu’s power in the game.
The greater the level of faith placed in Amaterasu by the game’s human beings, the greater her powers. Faith is fuelled by restoring color to the land and satisfying the desire of the people, though quite how this actually plays out is a mystery at this time. In fact, short of the button icons on the top right hand corner of the screen reminiscent of titles such as Beyond Good & Evil, much of Okami remains shrouded in secrecy. Okami deserves attention for its unique visual style, rapidly becoming a trademark of Clover Studio – just look at Viewtiful Joe 1 and 2 for further examples.