It’s been an exciting few months for Okami fans, huh?
Nearly 19 years after the release of the PS2 original, Capcom finally confirmed that a sequel is now officially in development at The Game Awards 2024. Plus, it’s being developed at new studio Clovers under the direction of creator Hideki Kamiya.
Speaking of which, the outspoken auteur recently found himself in the news again after he expressed his desire that fans not play the 2008 Wii port of the game, explaining that it isn’t the true original and therefore didn’t benefit from his direct involvement. Instead, he pointed toward Okami HD as a good starting point.
Now, we’re not going to completely align with Kamiya and say that you should avoid the Wii version of the game – after all, it more than holds its own with the added motion controls – but we do agree that Okami HD is probably the best version of the Zelda-inspired adventure.
In fact, we’d actually go a step further and say that the Switch release specifically is the best representation of Kamiya’s classic, and the reason behind this is why we’re also hoping and praying that the eventual sequel will make its way to the Nintendo Switch 2.
So what is it that has us revering the Switch version above all others? It’s pretty simple: touchscreen controls, no doubt inspired by the original’s spiritual successor on DS, Okamiden. When played in handheld mode, Okami HD on Switch utilises a combination of traditional button controls alongside touchscreen controls, and it’s an absolute game-changer in our eyes. It completely revamps combat encounters.
You see, bringing up the Celestial Brush, a unique mechanic in which you can conjure up items or attack enemies, essentially pauses the action when holding down ‘B’ on the Wii or ‘R’ on the Switch, allowing you ample time to wiggle the analogue stick around to draw your desired object. Even if it was just a straight slash across the screen, dragging the brush along with the stick felt like it took just a fraction too long in many cases.
With the touch screen, it feels almost instantaneous, even though it still pauses the game. You can tap ‘Y’ a few times to unleash a basic combo and then boom, quickly swipe across the screen with your finger (without the need to also hold down ‘R’, we might add) to deal additional damage or wipe out a stunned enemy. It adds a satisfying rhythm to combat that simply wasn’t present before.
And yes, we know what you’re thinking: don’t the Wii motion controls effectively simulate the same thing? In a way, sure, but you have to consider where your cursor is when activating the Celestial Brush and the added sensitivity that naturally comes with motion controls. Those milliseconds all add up, y’know.
It doesn’t just benefit combat, either. Celestial Brush mechanics are frequently required during exploration, whether you simply need to add a sun in the sky to bring about the daytime or draw a bomb against a wall to unveil a secret passage. And all of this is made infinitely more intuitive with the addition of touchscreen controls. We know it’s not hard to draw a circle with the analogue stick, but it’s also not a particularly natural thing to do, either. Using your finger though? Yeah, it just feels right.
It’s way too early to say whether or not we can expect Okami 2 (or whatever it’s likely to be called) on the Switch 2. Chances are we’re at least two or three years away from its release, but even if that’s the case, it will likely still arrive right when the Switch 2 is finding its groove, and we think it would be a perfect fit for Nintendo’s upcoming console.
Prettier visuals, a more expansive world, touchscreen controls… Oof, yeah we can’t wait.
What do you think, folks? Do you think Kamiya’s Okami sequel would be a good fit for the Nintendo Switch 2? Leave a comment down below and let us know.
It's been an exciting few months for Okami fans, huh?
Nearly 19 years after the release of the PS2 original, Capcom finally confirmed that a sequel is now officially in development at The Game Awards 2024. Plus, it's being developed at new studio Clovers under the direction of creator Hideki Kamiya.
Speaking of which, the outspoken auteur recently found himself in the news again after he expressed his desire that fans not play the 2008 Wii port of the game, explaining that it isn't the true original and therefore didn't benefit from his direct involvement. Instead, he pointed toward Okami HD as a good starting point.
Now, we're not going to completely align with Kamiya and say that you should avoid the Wii version of the game – after all, it more than holds its own with the added motion controls – but we do agree that Okami HD is probably the best version of the Zelda-inspired adventure.
In fact, we'd actually go a step further and say that the Switch release specifically is the best representation of Kamiya's classic, and the reason behind this is why we're also hoping and praying that the eventual sequel will make its way to the Nintendo Switch 2.
So what is it that has us revering the Switch version above all others? It's pretty simple: touchscreen controls, no doubt inspired by the original's spiritual successor on DS, Okamiden. When played in handheld mode, Okami HD on Switch utilises a combination of traditional button controls alongside touchscreen controls, and it's an absolute game-changer in our eyes. It completely revamps combat encounters.
You see, bringing up the Celestial Brush, a unique mechanic in which you can conjure up items or attack enemies, essentially pauses the action when holding down 'B' on the Wii or 'R' on the Switch, allowing you ample time to wiggle the analogue stick around to draw your desired object. Even if it was just a straight slash across the screen, dragging the brush along with the stick felt like it took just a fraction too long in many cases.
With the touch screen, it feels almost instantaneous, even though it still pauses the game. You can tap 'Y' a few times to unleash a basic combo and then boom, quickly swipe across the screen with your finger (without the need to also hold down 'R', we might add) to deal additional damage or wipe out a stunned enemy. It adds a satisfying rhythm to combat that simply wasn't present before.
And yes, we know what you're thinking: don't the Wii motion controls effectively simulate the same thing? In a way, sure, but you have to consider where your cursor is when activating the Celestial Brush and the added sensitivity that naturally comes with motion controls. Those milliseconds all add up, y'know.
It doesn't just benefit combat, either. Celestial Brush mechanics are frequently required during exploration, whether you simply need to add a sun in the sky to bring about the daytime or draw a bomb against a wall to unveil a secret passage. And all of this is made infinitely more intuitive with the addition of touchscreen controls. We know it's not hard to draw a circle with the analogue stick, but it's also not a particularly natural thing to do, either. Using your finger though? Yeah, it just feels right.
It's way too early to say whether or not we can expect Okami 2 (or whatever it's likely to be called) on the Switch 2. Chances are we're at least two or three years away from its release, but even if that's the case, it will likely still arrive right when the Switch 2 is finding its groove, and we think it would be a perfect fit for Nintendo's upcoming console.
Prettier visuals, a more expansive world, touchscreen controls... Oof, yeah we can't wait.
What do you think, folks? Do you think Kamiya's Okami sequel would be a good fit for the Nintendo Switch 2? Leave a comment down below and let us know.
