The greatest praise and the greatest condemnation you can heap on Okamiden is that it’s the best non-Nintendo Zelda game on DS. In its strongest moments, the story is engrossing, the art style painterly, and boss fights diabolical. At the same time, it’s hard to create an opinion of it that doesn’t compare it to Nintendo’s own adventure franchise. Still, in the broad strokes, Okamiden is almost masterfully done, but the little details still need some work.
Set nine months after the sun god Amaterasu returns to the heavens following the events of Okami, the world is once again falling into darkness. The titular wolf’s powers are transferred to a white puppy named Chibiterasu, and the child of the last game’s human hero comes along to aid you in cleansing the land. The last game’s hero didn’t actually have a son nine months ago, but that’s just one of the many small mysteries you solve along the way.
