Wii port of Okami, Clover Studio's PS2 masterpiece. Amaterasu, sun goddess in white wolf form, traverses a mythological Japan in sumi-e ink style to restore nature with her Celestial Brush. Fluid combat, immense exploration, tender Shinto scenario. Wiimote for brush technique drawing, more natural gesture than the stick. Sublime art direction, generous runtime. An absolute masterpiece.
Your verdict
Category
Action RPG1 player12+
Description
Action-adventure by Clover Studio/Ready at Dawn and Capcom, Europe June 2008. Wolf-goddess Amaterasu journeys through mythological Japan cleansing it of Orochi's dark corruption using the Celestial Brush to paint miracles into the world. Unique brush mechanics for puzzle-solving and attacks, open world rich with lore, sumptuous Japanese ink wash visuals. Wii port of the PS2 classic with pointer controls.
Ookami review
MAX
Art direction
★★★★★
"Iconic"
MAX
Music
★★★★★
"Legendary"
MAX
Story
★★★★★
"Masterful"
Inspired by ink wash and woodblock print, the rendering turns the whole screen into a painted scroll, where the celestial brush traces miracles before our eyes. Ink, blossoms and light compose a mythological Japan of breathtaking beauty. This visual direction, unique and refined, ranks among the most beautiful ever conceived.
Inspired by traditional Japanese music, the score blends flutes, kotos and percussion into a work of rare elegance and serenity. Each theme accompanies the reawakening of nature and Amaterasu's feats with a painterly grace. This timeless sonic beauty wonderfully matches the game's ink-painting aesthetic.
Embodying a wolf goddess, the player breathes life back into a mythic Japan smothered by darkness, divine brush in hand. Drawing on folklore and Shinto tales, the story celebrates nature, faith and the bond between gods and mortals. Of luminous poetry, this legendary epic enchants from beginning to end.
Gameplay
"Masterful"
Drawing a brushstroke to slash the air, revive a tree or freeze time: the Celestial Brush feeds exploration and combat with a mechanical poetry like no other. The Zelda-like structure, readable and generous, unfurls an enchanting world. The Wii version entrusts these strokes to motion, sometimes capricious, but the elegance of the system and the richness of the adventure stay a lasting spell.
Fun
"From the very first minutes"
Addictiveness
"Obsessive"
Painting with the Celestial Brush to awaken nature, solving puzzles and exploring a mythic Japan weaves an adventure where every region restored to life beckons the next. Powers to unlock, secrets and stylized battles chain objectives and rewards together. The pace stretches out and the dialogue runs long, yet the beauty of the linework and the magic of exploration keep a lasting grip.
Difficulty
"Balanced"
Lifespan
"Massive"
Painting your way across mythological Japan demands dozens of hours, as the main thread strings together region after region, gods to revive and the long road toward Orochi, yet that's only part of the journey. Reviving withered trees, feeding wildlife, learning every Celestial Brush technique and combing a world steeped in folklore stretch things further. That lavish, ink-wash generosity is exactly why players keep rediscovering it without ever tiring of it today.
A Wii port of Clover's masterpiece, a woodblock-inspired fresco where the celestial brush becomes a weapon, elevated here by controller-drawn strokes. Made in measured volume, its appeal lies in the aura of a beloved classic and a vanished studio, the Korean and Asian pressings being markedly rarer. A prime piece for fans of art direction and poetic adventure.
Memorable bosses
Marrying action with the celestial brush, this fresco inspired by Japanese myth pits you against demons drawn from folklore, such as the eight-headed serpent Orochi, brought down by tracing strokes of light across the screen. Each guardian asks you to pair the blade with the right brush technique to expose its flaw. The painterly beauty and cleverness of these duels make it an experience apart.
A cult cover
Ink wash and celestial print: Amaterasu, a white she-wolf with scarlet arabesques, leaps among cherry trees in a composition wholly inspired by sumi-e. The deep blacks, touches of red and paper grain convey the power of the Celestial Brush and the game's Japanese folklore. Painterly and singular, it looks like no other cover.
Is Ookami still worth playing in 2026?
This Wii version of Okami offers Capcom's masterpiece in a form tailored for the pointer, which sublimates the use of the Celestial Brush. Playing Amaterasu, a wolf goddess of a mythological Japan, painting the world with a gesture to restore it, remains a gameplay idea as poetic as it is inventive, with no real equivalent. The art direction inspired by woodblock prints and ink painting lends the adventure a timeless elegance that transcends the game's age. The Zelda-like structure and the contemplative pace reward patience. For anyone seeking an experience of rare grace, this sublime classic remains essential, and particularly at home on the Wii.
