Widely regarded as one of the best games of the early 21st century, Okami is celebrating its 15th birthday this year. Despite the game's age, it has lived on through several recent ports and updates, with more players than ever now able to experience the adventures of Amaterasu and Issun as they journey across Nippon, discovering the celestial brush techniques and combating evil.
Despite the game's reputation of gorgeous graphics, a compelling story, and charming characters, the combat feels like the epitome of "easy to learn, hard to master." With that in mind, here are some tips for new players on how to make combat a bit more manageable in this amazing game.
9 Know Your Weapon Types
Okami features three different types of weapons you can collect and equip; reflectors, rosaries, and glaives. These "Divine Instruments" are all evenly balanced, so which one you favor will be down to personal preference. Each of the weapon types has different damage and attack speeds, which can change how you play. Rosaries are the quickest type of weapon and have the ability to slow enemies when hit, allowing you to build long combos. However, their damage per individual hit is lower than the other two weapon types.
On the other hand, glaives are powerful but slow and have a charge attack that can be used to cause massive damage. Lastly, reflectors are the more generalist option, having average speed and damage compared to the other weapons, and are also fairly simple with no special gimmicks or abilities.
8 Sub-Weapons and What They Do
Speaking of weapons, Ammatersu can also equip a second divine instrument as a "sub-weapon." Each sub-weapon has a different effect, which opens up a more tactical element to combat. When equipped as a sub-weapon, reflectors can be used as a shield, blocking all incoming attacks. Meanwhile, when rosaries are equipped as a sub-weapon, they can be used to shoot long-ranged projectiles, so they can be used as a mode of ranged combat in this otherwise close combat-based game.
Compared to the other weapons, glaives change the least when used as a sub-weapon, continuing to be used for charged attacks that deal high damage.
7 Upgrade Your Weapons With Gold Dust
If you find yourself struggling with combat, one of the ways to make it easier is to ensure that your divine instruments have been upgraded with gold dust. This rare item can be used to increase the damage rating of a weapon, but can only be used on each weapon once.
There are 15 bags of gold dust available in the game — enough to level up each weapon. They're found in many places throughout the world; they can be purchased from certain merchants, found as a reward for completing targets on the wanted list, or found in some treasure chests in the world.
6 Use Brush Techniques to Supplement Your Weapons
The various Celestrial Brush Techniques that are found throughout the game all have various uses, ranging from aiding in traversing the environment to completing puzzles in Okami's many Legend of Zelda-style dungeons. However, that's not all that the Brush Techniques can be used for, as many of them have applications in combat that can make battles easier.
While the most obvious example of this is Power Slash, many other Brush Techniques can be used in combat. This includes Galestorm, which can be used to knock down flying enemies, opening them up for melee combos; Veil of Mist, which can slow down enemies and can be used to get your bearings in a difficult battle; or Inferno, which can be used to set enemies on fire. Learning how to use these Brush Techniques in battle can add an additional set of tools to your arsenal, all of which are useful.
5 Pit Enemies Against Each Other
Continuing from the above point, you can use Celestial Brush Techniques to turn some enemies' strengths against their allies. An example of this is using the Fire Eye against the Ice Mouth enemies. Wheels that are coated in the respective elements they are named for, you can use the Inferno brush technique to manipulate the Fire Eye's flame to melt the ice protecting the Ice Mouth from harm. Galestorm can then be used to put out the Fire Eye and make it vulnerable to attacks.
That is just one example of playing enemies' strengths off of each other, but it can be used against multiple enemies and is a good thing to keep in mind if you are struggling to finish an encounter quickly.
4 Upgrade Your Attributes When You Can
When Amaterasu completes a task, whether this is feeding an animal, restoring nature, or completing a quest, she will receive praise. This is Okami's version of EXP and you can spend it in the fan menu to level up several attributes. These include solar energy (health), the Astral Pouch (which, when filled with food, can resurrect Amaterasu if she dies during combat), Ink Pots (Okami's equivalent of mana, which is spent whenever a Celestial Brush Technique is used), and the money pouch (the level of which determines how much yen can be carried at any one time).
If you are struggling with an encounter, it is a good idea to ensure that your Solar Energy and Ink Pots are sufficiently upgraded; these will allow you to take more hits and use more Brush Techniques without running out of ink.
3 Godhood: What You Need To Know
The final main attribute that has not already been mentioned here is Godhood. This is a defensive shield that Amaterasu gains during combat, which prevents her from taking damage from enemy attacks. There are five "levels" to Godhood, from level -1 to level 3, and the levels advance when combos are completed successfully without taking damage.
If struggling to overcome a combat challenge, try switching to a faster weapon that can get combos off easily (either a rosary or reflector), or use a Traveler's Charm item; this will instantly increase your Godhood by one level.
2 Upgrade Your Moves
While Amaterasu is pretty capable from the opening moments of Okami, she does not have access to her full suite of abilities at the beginning of the game. To upgrade your abilities and learn new ones, such as how to dodge or double jump, head to the Dojo in either Shinsu Field, Ryoshima Coast, or Kamui. Once there, you can pay the teacher to learn new techniques.
You can also purchase upgrades to your combos, making them longer and cause more damage. Be sure to visit the dojos regularly, as new upgrades will frequently become available as the game progresses and the upgrades are exceeding useful in the late game.
1 Leaving Combat
Sometimes combat might be just a little too much and you'll need to run away. There is nothing wrong with this, but there are a couple of things you will need to know. Firstly, to escape combat you need to attack the red cracks that appear in the barrier that surrounds battles until they turn green. You can then exit them to escape the fight.
However, you should be aware that leaving combat will forfeit any yen that you would have received from the combat encounter. While being able to escape from combat is useful, it should primarily be used as a last resort, lest you find yourself running low on cash.