Line #83 YMMV/Okami


1	* AdaptationDisplacement: One of the weirder examples. A lot of Western gamers (especially from the U.S.) only really know Shinto mythology from this game, despite the game taking ''a lot'' of liberties with said mythology. So when other entertainment properties take inspiration from Shinto mythology, like when ''VideoGame/{{Smite}}'' added Amaterasu, a lot of people questioned why she isn’t a wolf.
2	* AnnoyingVideoGameHelper: Issun is the source of hints and tutorials in the game, but his exposition usually spoils the puzzles and immediately paraphrases what was just said by another character, which you are forced to hear. His personality is developed, but he's the vehicle for the game's hand-holding nature.
3	-->''You hear that, Ammy?''
4	* AnticlimaxBoss: True Orochi. For all the build up regarding him regaining his full strength during the first fight with him, and the mention that when he was at full strength Amaterasu died from the injuries in the fight, he turns out to be the exact same boss fight to when he was in his weakened state, except that each head takes an extra hit. [[spoiler:It's revealed later in Okami and Okamiden on that Shiranui didn't die from Orochi, but rather traveling forward in time to help Amaterasu with Lechku and Nechku after Ammy went back in time to fight Orochi, but the player doesn't know this at the supposed climax of the fight.]]
5	* ArcFatigue:
6	** The quest to find the eight Satomi Canine Warriors to enter the Gale Shrine can be a drag. First, you need to find four of the dogs while using the Canine Tracker to [[DowsingDevice dowse]] for them, all of whom are located in different corners of Kusa Village, then feed them meat. After fighting the fifth one in a miniboss, you have to [[{{Backtracking}} revisit previous areas]] all over Eastern Nippon in order to locate the last three dogs, all of whom challenge you to more fights which are essentially the same as the fifth. Your only mode of fast travel at this point isn't particularly efficient, so the amount of running around involved can get rather tiring.
7	** Entering Wep'keer in Kamui for the first time can be rather tiring as it will involve [[InfoDump a lot of exposition]] from four different Oina. There's still quite a bit to explore as with any other areas, but story-wise it will take quite some time before you finally get to the Yoshpet forest to resume the action.
8	* BaseBreakingCharacter:
9	** Issun. Some fans think he's a cute companion who avoids the usual pitfalls of [[ExpositionFairy his type of character]] by having a well-defined personality and backstory, while other fans think his gameplay function of giving advice is taken too far and counters his strengths as a character by making him an annoyance. He also hits on every woman he meets and gets pretty perverted at times, and while it's played for comedy, it can come off as sexist as well.
10	** Downplayed with Orochi, as while fans consider him to be a good villain and boss, some aren't so keen on [[spoiler:having to fight him three times.]] Some find this to be excessive padding, while others don't mind due to the quality of the boss.
11	** [[spoiler:Yami]] divides fans on whether he is a cool, unique BigBad or an underwhelming, poorly foreshadowed disappointment of a final villain.
12	* BrokenBase: The Wii port is divisive among fans of the game. On one hand, many find the use of the Wii pointer a very intuitive way of using the Celestial Brush and appreciate it for putting the game on a more accessible console. On the other hand, many dislike it for removing the paper graphical filter and its use of motion controls. Thankfully for Nintendo console owners, the Switch port retains and enhances the advantages of the Wii version while also retaining the visual upgrades of the HD version.
13	* CompleteMonster: [[spoiler:[[AsianFoxSpirit Ninetails]] is a wicked {{Yokai}}, and the worst of the demons encountered by Amaterasu and Issun. Once the [[EvilOverlord ruler of Oni Island]], its power was taken from them by the mighty Water Dragon. Seeking revenge, Ninetails would murder the priestess Rao and wear her skin as a disguise in an attempt to assassinate Queen Himiko and reclaim its rulership over Oni Island. To cover for itself, Ninetails has a demon shroud Sei'an City in a poisonous fog, slowly killing all of its inhabitants. Tricking Amaterasu into killing the Water Dragon to restore its powers, Ninetails is able to murder Himiko before being challenged to a final battle]].
14	* CrossoverShip:
15	** Amaterasu/[[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaTwilightPrincess Wolf Link]] is a common pairing on deviantART and ff.net, likely due to the long list of similarities between the two games.
16	** Thanks to ''[[VideoGame/MarvelVsCapcom3 Ultimate Marvel Vs. Capcom 3]]'', she also gets paired up with [[ComicBook/GuardiansOfTheGalaxy Rocket Raccoon]], much in part due to the latter's flirting.
17	* DifficultySpike: From the moment the player enters Oni Island, the game ramps up the difficulty with the longest dungeon in the game, full of devious traps and obstacles. Its boss, Ninetails, is quite a bit more troublesome than any boss in the game so far. The trend continues afterward with Kamui and its much more ferocious enemies.
18	* DisappointingLastLevel: The [[spoiler:Ark of Yamato]] is more of a BossRush than an actual final dungeon. It's also a PointOfNoReturn, meaning you're completely unable to leave once you enter, and you can screw yourself out of OneHundredPercentCompletion if you save over your file while inside. Thankfully, the game warns you of this before you enter and prompts you to save to a different file.
19	%% Administrivia/ZeroContextExample * DracoInLeatherPants: Ninetails
20	* EnsembleDarkhorse:
21	** Oki, for being a badass, ''and'' a wolf.
22	** Tobi is probably the most popular ''piece of paper'' you'll ever find.
23	* EpilepticTrees: The fan theory that Amaterasu is actually male. This is fueled by such things as the wolf looking at some random character's breasts too long, her habit of peeing with her leg hiked up, and being referred to as male by some characters making assumptions (she is also called a dog, but for some reason the validly of that is never argued).
24	* {{Fanon}}: A lot of people see Ammy as bi as, despite having a son in the [[VideoGame/{{Okamiden}} next game]], she spends the majority of this game taking notice of certain female characters (ahem) "[[MaleGaze assets]]".
25	* GameBreaker:
26	** Vengeance Slips render Amaterasu invulnerable to any combat damage, and they last a while too. Add this to that you can buy them at a price that's oddly low by the end of the game and you can hold 99 of them, and nothing can touch you.
27	** The Thief's Glove Item allows you to use Issun as a weapon. Not only can he deal damage, he can also steal items such as Steel Fist, Steel Soul Sakes and the aforementioned Vengeance Slip. [[MagikarpPower The damage he does is miniscule at first and grows with usage, but the problem is that]] ''[[MagikarpPower it doesn't stop]]'' [[MagikarpPower growing]]. Which means if you have the patience to use it a few thousand times (getting tons of treasures in the process), he can OneHitKill ''bosses''.
28	* HilariousInHindsight:
29	** Fish get really bad treatment in this game, being food and the objective of a mini game. As it turns out, the true form of [[spoiler:Yami is a fetal, fish-like shape inside an orb]].
30	** With the dimwitted, comical antics Orochi's Thunder, Water and Ground heads get into, one really has to wonder if they directly inspired the creation of [[Film/GodzillaKingOfTheMonsters2019 Kevin Ghidorah]].
31	* HoYay:
32	** Sakuya showers Ammy with hearts and praise, and Ammy starts panting heavily when she sees Sakuya's {{Stripperific}} powered up form.
33	** There's also Ammy's behavior around Rao... She cocks her head with interest and looks into her cleavage instead of her eyes.
34	** Ammy experiences a genuine JawDrop when she first meets Kaguya.
35	* IAmNotShazam: A lot of fan works, especially videos, seem to assume the lead character Okami Amaterasu (Amaterasu the Wolf) is simply "Okami". As noted under PunnyName, Ōkami means "great god," rendering it as "Great God Amaterasu."
36	* LauncherOfAThousandShips: Ammy is paired up far more than a non-talking wolf should be... Waka is at least a legit exception since he was with Ammy when she walked the earth as a god.
37	* LoveToHate: Waka is lofty, enigmatic, and arrogant. If you're not too fond of him, the game gives you two miniboss fights so you can bring him down a peg.
38	* MemeticMutation: The sparrows in Sasa Sanctuary:
39	--> chirp\
40	Uh-oh!\
41	The boss is... delighted!
42	* MoralEventHorizon: Ninetails crosses it long before we ever meet him, but we don't find out until after [[spoiler:he murders Queen Himiko]] that he also killed [[spoiler:Rao, assumed her form]], and was trying to get Amaterasu killed the whole time.
43	* NightmareRetardant: [[spoiler:Yami, the eternal God of Darkness]] looks like nothing so much as a dolphin fetus inside a mecha-orb.
44	* PlayerPunch:
45	** Amaterasu breaches Oni Island only after the death of one good character and a shocking revelation about another.
46	** Amaterasu's one encounter with Shiranui, her glorious past self, is both awesome and heartrending.
47	* PolishedPort:
48	** The Platform/PlayStation3, Platform/PlayStation4, Platform/XboxOne and PC HD versions all really make the game shine on modern displays, in addition to being fine ports on their own. The latter three versions also allow for the game to be played in 4K via the [=PS4=] Pro, Xbox One X or a high-end PC. Even more, the HD version brings back the credits sequence that was cut from the Wii version, though the insert song "Reset" replaced with a medley of in-game themes due to licensing issues. Rather tellingly, Creator/HidekiKamiya himself (who doesn't think highly of the Wii version) approves of these versions of the game despite having no involvement in their creation.
49	** The Platform/NintendoSwitch version has also received high praise. Although the console doesn't support the 4K of its competitors' upgraded iterations, the Switch port opts to take advantage of its controllers' versatility, supporting both the Joy-Cons' motion controls and the Switch's handheld touchscreen as methods of using the Celestial Brush. For the touchscreen in particular, many reviewers have declared the Switch port the best version of the game for that alone, lack of "Reset" be damned.
50	* PopularWithFurries: Amaterasu is a very popular wolf character.
51	* SacredCow: The game sadly didn't actually sell as well as it should, but most of those who do play it agree it is a pinnacle of good game design. Its graphics are especially praised, since by going with a unique style instead of what passed for hyper realistic for its time, it helped prevent it from aging too badly so it still holds up well today.
52	* ScrappyMechanic:
53	** Drawing an [[KillItWithFire infinity symbol]]. The game flat out refuses to register it nine times out of ten. Then there are the bizarre times where random scribbles will inexplicably result in this command being executed.
54	** Drawing a [[ShockAndAwe lightning bolt]] can easily trip up players, as they've been trained to draw symbols in a single flowing stroke up to that point. The trick is to pause between drawing sections of the bolt in order to create a sharp edge.
55	** The digging minigame is hated by many, since it combines many of the most aggravating video game tropes[[note]]ArtificialStupidity, EscortMission and TimedMission[[/note]]. The one in the Dragon Palace is not only particularly difficult (digging away the wrong block can render it unwinnable, unlike the others), but nonsensical to boot: you're trying to dig up a spring to get water... ''in an underwater palace''.
56	** Most of the time, the game allows players to speed up the text with the push of a button. However, the developers apparently decided that certain cutscenes are so important that this option is disabled, forcing the player to wait for each line of text to slowly finish. This could be annoying enough on its own, but one of these aforementioned cutscenes is the one that plays whenever the player fails the [[PressXToNotDie Konohana Shuffle]], which the player could end up watching a lot depending on how picky the game feels about registering the greensprout brush strokes. Adding insult to injury, this particular cutscene can never be skipped. This means that, every single time the player fails the Konohana Shuffle, they are required to sit through Mr. Orange lamenting his failure, deciding not to give up, and [[AnnoyingVideoGameHelper Issun reminding Amaterasu to help him]], all at the slow text speed, before they are allowed to try again.
57	** Ball rolling. There are many spherical objects that need to be rolled this way and that, and it's usually tedious and imprecise.
58	* ThatOneSidequest:
59	** Blockhead Grande. Having to pinpoint several dots that appear one after another for a brief time is not an easy task. It's commonly accepted that it's nigh impossible to complete without doing one of the following: film the pattern, recruit a second person to watch the second half while you watch the first, or mark the screen with a pen. The Nintendo Switch version thankfully makes this easier as you can use the camera button to record the order of the dots.
60	** Black Devil Gates. Not only are the enemies in them tougher than usual, but they come at the player in much larger hordes, spawn more often, and can deliver more damage per hit. On top of that, there are ten of them one after the other, and each gate throws progressively harder enemies at the player. On top of that, the player won't get the stray bead if he or she leaves the cave before completing all ten gates (yep, this isn't just a bonus challenge for experts, these gates are ''required'' if you're looking to grab all 99 stray beads). And [[RuleOfThree on top of that]], the later ones include bosses that appear in pairs or even trios, each one harder to beat than they were originally, and none of them caring about MookChivalry, preferring instead to rush you and hit you with everything they got. They are almost certainly the hardest fights in the entire game; even the final boss seems like a breeze by comparison.
61	** Catching the Marlin, winning the race to get the Gimmick Gear, or the race against Kai in Yoshpet to earn a Stray Bead will also cause you to throw your controller.
62	** That Nut Ball moving in Agata Forest. Here's the situation: You have to push a spherical object up a hill so Sleepy Bear will jump on it and give you some Praise. The ball will slip to the side after you push it a few steps, and then you have to chase it before it rolls all the way back down the hill. If you so much as bump it the wrong direction, it will FLY back down the hill, and you'll have to start all over again. The camera will constantly turn as you're running back and forth trying to control this damn ball, and you will inevitably lose sight of it at some point. By the time you turn the camera to see it again, it's already rolled back down. If you manage to get it ALMOST to the top, you have to navigate it across a narrow path with a cliff on one side and a drop off on the other. Bump it off the drop, you're back to square one. Also, the cliff is a low overhang, so the camera suddenly whips around and does an awkward close up just as you're passing the most difficult part. And to get all the praise from ol' Sleepy Bear, you have to do this THREE TIMES, with a cabbage, a giant walnut, and a beehive. Oh, and if day changes to night (or vice versa) while you're in the middle of pushing it up a hill, expect it to ''roll back down during the cutscene''.
63	** Every side quest that involves pushing a ball. That kid in Wep'keer never seems to find the snowball big enough.
64	** Trying to draw the shapes for Mr. Chic. You spend literally dozens of tries getting it to accept the right shape, but then it accepts something that looks just like the others. It's even worse on the Wii when you have to draw the star twice. You'd think twice in a row would make it easier, but the first time is so hard, what with the finicky controls, just trying to draw five connecting straight lines, by the second time, you're too tired and frustrated to get it right.
65	** That stupid Molster "Whack-a-Mole" game in Taka Pass - although it can be mitigated by using bombs instead of headbutts.
66	* ThatOneLevel: Yoshpet isn't called the Forest of Confusion for nothing. In the beginning of the dungeon, there are thorny holes you have to jump through. Sometimes, they move around, so it's a bit hard to get through without taking damage. There are corrupted trees chucking poisonous pollen at you, and if you come too close to them, they'll just whack you with their trunk instead of taking the time to throw pollen at you. Some levels require you to jump across patches of ice. If that wasn't already annoying, there's acid water in between the little islands, so if you fall off, you have to start over. Then, icicles start falling from the sky, and in a couple of areas, you have to dodge gigantic snowballs. And you have a time limit.
67	* ThemePairing: Amaterasu gets shipped with Bec (''Webcomic/{{Homestuck}}'') because they're both dogs/wolves with godlike powers.
68	* TheyChangedItNowItSucks: Many of the changes made since the original [=PS2=] version's release were met with disdain from fans. These mainly include the subduing of the parchment filter across the screen (to the point where it's almost nonexistent most of the time), the removal of the credits in the Wii version (due to legal issues regarding the Clover logo at the end; the credits were a pre-rendered video and Capcom presumably couldn't find the master assets), and the removal of the insert song "Reset" from both the restored credits and the extras in the HD version (presumably due to licensing issues). None of these changes are considered outright dealbreakers-- the Platform/NintendoSwitch port is considered the definitive version despite the reduced filter and cut credits song-- but they're still points of contention.
69	* TheWoobie: Waka [[spoiler:is one of the Moon Tribe, a race that has been nearly wiped out by an unknown cataclysm. Fleeing to the Celestial Plain, he was accepted by the Celestials and Amaterasu, but his newfound peace was short-lived, as his new home was soon besieged by the demon Orochi. As Amaterasu fought Orochi, Waka gathered the surviving Celestials into the Ark of Yamato to evacuate, unaware that [[BigBad Yami, the Lord of Darkness]], had been hiding in the vehicle. Yami's onslaught decimated the passengers, and although Waka managed to escape, his guilt would haunt him for the rest of his life.]]

Context YMMV / Okami