It has been a couple of years since Clover Studio's action-adventure game Okami was first unveiled, and many were left wondering if its design quality would live up to its unique visual style. The game has finally arrived, and while it's not perfect by any means, it is a very polished and beautiful production overall.

The structure of Okami doesn't stray far from other games in the genre. It particularly resembles Nintendo's Legend of Zelda series. You find yourself on a quest against a great evil and must complete various tasks that enhance your skills, let you access new areas, and allow you to challenge more foes. Exploration is rewarded as you come across new items and side quests.

Where it differs is in its use of magical powers. As a god, you have the ability to pause time and use what is called the Celestial Brush. By drawing lines and shapes with this brush you can cast different spells. If you are familiar Namco's DS action game Pac-Pix, you'll find its use of drawing to create objects is very similar. For example, in both games you can draw a circle with a line part way through it to create a bomb. Making a bomb is one example of a destructive spell, but Okami has constructive ones as well.

Okami has a distinct balance of destruction and construction not seen in many games. To be relaxing and to be epic are not antithetical concepts here. The watercolor look is mystical and perfectly accompanied by the soothing sounds of traditional Japanese instruments. It truly feels like its own cohesive world and it's a joy to explore whether you're slashing demons, feeding wildlife, or bringing trees back to life. The story is also a mix of somber moments and playful humor.

However, the experience is not without its flaws. Your wisecracking companion, Issun, can be overly wordy and he almost always tells you the answers to simple puzzles whether you like it or not. I would say the most challenging puzzles are the digging mini games (which resemble the classic Sega series Penguin Land except with less strategy), but even those aren't very difficult. Your map is often marked with exactly where to go as well.

Combat is also way on the easy side; the action rarely has intensity since there is so little danger of dying. The cost of healing items is low in relation to the amount of money you receive from fighting enemies. I suspect many people will play through the whole game without even seeing the "Game Over" screen because of this.

The game also drags on by the end. Without even doing all the side quests, it will probably take most people over 30 hours to complete. A lot of the story could have been edited to reduce the size of the game. It's as if the developers felt the need to extend the play time and added filler text and locations.

While the lack of challenge, frequent hand-holding, and padded length hold Okami back from being the best in the genre, it's still an amazing piece of work. From an audio-visual standpoint, it's awe-inspiring and its world design is excellent. I highly recommend it to anyone wanting a stylistically fresh take on action-adventure games.

· · · Sean Wheatley