Okami is something different; that's been clear ever since it first appeared at the Tokyo Game Show, a game that melds art with Japanese mythology and the cel-shaded graphics made famous by Viewtiful Joe. Long ago, the eight-headed demon Orochi terrorised the land but was eventually sealed away by a brave warrior, Izanagi, and the valiant sacrifice of a white wolf named Shiranui, who summoned the mystical sword Tsukiyomi, the only weapon capable of sealing the demon, and could cause the moon to appear in the sky and trees to spring from the earth.

The tiny hamlet of Kamiki Village created a shrine in Shiranui’s honour and life continued peacefully until the day someone removed Tsukiyomi from the shrine where the demon lay buried, waking the vengeful Orochi who began draining the land of life and plunging the world into darkness. Sakuya-hime, the divine protector of Kamiki Village, summons the sun goddess Amaterasu into the statue of Shiranui and begs that she restore the land. But the goddess is not alone; Sakuya sends the sprite Issun, master of the Celestial Brush, to accompany Amaterasu on her quest and the pair set off on their epic journey.

The Celestial Brush is as integral to the storyline and gameplay as the sumi-e (Japanese calligraphy) style of the graphics. The game provides fifteen brush strokes, each of which are bestowed Amaterasu by a deity that represents one of the constellations. The brushstrokes are the method by which Amaterasu can influence the natural world and include being able to create the sun and moon, manipulate fire, wind and water, cause trees to explode into bloom and even create other objects such as bombs, transport her from one place to another and cut stones or obstacles in two.

Many gamers have been vocal in their opinions that Okami would be ideally suited to the Nintendo DS but the brush itself is easy to use. Simply pressing R1 will turn the landscape into a rice paper canvas which can be drawn upon. Strokes are then made using the Circle and directional buttons in any number of shapes or thicknesses. Yet the brush also allows Amaterasu to do more mundane, but equally stunning, things such as creating shooting stars, causing trees and flowers to temporarily spring from the earth and even make people like her. But Amaterasu's abilities are not infinite and her ink gauge will drain each time it is used and, if empty, will turn the goddess into an ordinary wolf until the gauge refills.

The choice of having a wolf as the game’s protagonist is an interesting one as, depending on how the title is written, Okami can mean either ‘wolf’ or ‘great god’, the latter of which is an honorary title given to Amaterasu. But the fact the protagonist is a wolf does not prevent the gamer forming an attachment to her. Despite being in the form of a wolf, Amaterasu has a number of divine abilities including the three treasures of Japanese legend which she wears on her back: a jewel, a sword and a sacred mirror (recently given the English monikers of the Rosary, the Glaive and the Reflector), each of which have their own offensive and defensive capabilities which come in handy during the frequent battles.

Amaterasu begins the game with just the mirror but as she progresses, she not only receives the other two weapons but different versions as well. They can then be equipped in twos and powered up. The mirror is basically a shield which can block oncoming attacks while the jewel can inflict multiple hits and combos. The sword is the strongest offensive weapon and, when used in tandem with the jewel-lasso, can finish an enemy in a couple of seconds.

The battles themselves occur in sectioned-off areas and can be fought either with the Celestial Brush, various purchasable abilities which include urinating on enemies and combos which utilise the three treasures. Like an RPG, battles can also be initiated by passing through cursed gates or touching blue, red and green floating scrolls, which also tend to be attracted to Amaterasu during the night. Each also has different rewards; passing through gates usually means the restoration of a landmark or as a means of getting an item needed to further the game while scroll battles lead to money, ink gourds and fruit.

Money is an important factor in the game, from buying upgrades to weapons and abilities to health items, transportation talismans but the main upgrades, such as the number of ink gourds and the size of Amaterasu’s life bar depend not on the amount of money you collect but the belief of the human and animal inhabitants.

By helping Granny Mikan dry her washing or restoring Kushinada’s waterwheel, Amaterasu will receive points, in the form of the Japanese symbol for belief, which can be spent on the various upgrades. The more faith people have in her, the more powerful Amaterasu can become. Belief points can also be accumulated by restoring numerous Clover Studio clovers which can be dug up around the game world and barren trees, restoring and decursing the landscape and feeding animals. This final method is the simplest and most emotionally satisfying; various foodstuffs including meat, grass and fish appear in smashed jars which can then be fed to various animals. Simply selecting the correct foodstuff triggers a peaceful cutscene where Amaterasu sits watching as horses, tigers, dogs and other animals munch away in the middle of an otherworldy field of flowers. The sated animals then impart belief points and take every opportunity to nuzzle up to Amaterasu.

The game itself is essentially mission- and sidequest-based. Once Amaterasu has restored an area by causing one of the enormous, sacred cherry trees to blossom, there are numerous items to collect or people to aid. These can include collecting items for a master chef's broth, finding the canine companions of a lonely princess, rescuing a kimono-clad owl or decursing a village. Completion of each quest allows access to new areas and often new brushstrokes.

While ordinary humans often mistake her as a white wolf, Amaterasu’s very movements are enchanting. When she runs, flowers and plants spring up from her footprints and swimming causes lilies to appear in her wake. However movements do seem almost too slow and sluggish until she hits full speed and hurtles through the blurred landscape. But because of the speed of the game, the framerate sometimes has problems keeping up, causing the game to slow.

The landscapes themselves are beautifully designed and complemented by amazing music which is created using Japanese instruments like the koto alongside the more traditional. The gameworld is huge and it takes over ten minutes to cross by foot, or should that be by paw? However it is also possible to buy Mermaid's Coins, transportation talismans which allow Amaterasu to teleport from A to B via pools of water. There are villages, plains, temples, shrines, ruins and even a beach, islands and a shipwreck. It's a lush 2D environment within a 3D world.

Each location has its own unique characters, from the master of a dojo who mimics Viewtiful Joe to the ‘great warrior’ Susanoo, who’s actually a bit of a coward and has a thing for the beautiful sake-maker Kushinada. While there's no discernible dialogue, all the information being imparted via text-boxes, each character does have their own voice and personality which make them unique. But not everyone likes Amaterasu and Issun and some characters, such as the mischievous flute-player Ushiwaka, just seem to exist to make the pair’s quest ten times harder.

Because there is no real dialogue in the game, Okami is very text-based which may cause some problems for gamers with no knowledge of Japanese. However the entire game uses furigana, smaller letters showing how to pronounce the numerous kanji. Also the game itself will often guide the player, such as showing them how to draw new brushstrokes. Ordinary mortals also have thought bubbles floating about their heads which will often give a clue as to what they want but a little lateral thinking will help as well. None of the puzzles or tasks are impossible but they are challenging.

While the overall tone of the game is serious, that doesn't mean it lacks comedy or light-hearted moments. Issun spends much of his time ranting and raving, shown by smoke shooting out of his ears, while Amaterasu - despite not having a text-box 'voice' - somehow manages to come across as having a sense of humour and gets in numerous funny situations.

Okami is gorgeous but it is also an epic game that sucks you in so completely that hours pass unnoticed as you roam the massive landscape. With a play time of over fifty hours and an engaging cast of characters, Okami will keep you hooked right to the end but that's only the beginning. The new game option does herald high replay value and completing the game allows access to the game's cutscenes, music and an art gallery. It is a beautiful game on many levels and deserves acclaim as the last great title for the PS2.