Hideki Kamiya of Platinum Games has been speaking at PAX East over the weekend, and he’s had some very interesting things to say. While he spoke about some really cool stuff, like The Wonderful 101 Remastered, and the Platinum 4 and all that jazz, he also touched upon the most important IP in all of existence, Okami. He said that he’d love the chance to revisit some of the older IPs that he’s worked on like Viewtful Joe and Okami, and even the cancelled ideas like Scalebound. Unfortunately he also said that it’s not his call to start working on these games, but if fans would like to see them then they should email Capcom.
Please Make Okami 2
Okami is an incredible adventure game. In it you play as the sun god Ameratsu in the form of a wolf. Through the game you go on a journey not unlike those found in the Zelda franchise, earning new abilities to unlock areas and kill certain bosses. The whole game was beautifully rendered with hand-drawn art and imaginations that were let free, but the game’s only sequel was a DS exclusive, and not many people even played that.
Okami was originally slated as a Nintendo exclusive, though that quickly changed as the game launched for PlayStation 2, and eventually the Wii. Now the game has released on every console from that point to date, with the exception of the Wii U, though the Wii version was perfectly playable on that. Okami HD is an even better version of this stunning game, and I’d got as far as saying that it’s a right of passage that every gamer must venture on at some point in their lives. Luckily we all have the chance to for now, but without enough interest in a sequel that may change.
The universe of Okami is ripe for a sequel. Being so similar to the Zelda franchise, there’s scope to put players in the role of a new god, revamp the gameplay completely, but keep the essential feel of the universe. The soundtrack could also remain, meaning that all of the elements that make the experience of playing the game so special will still be there, but we’ll have a fresh adventure to head out on. Wherever Okami 2 released, it would be the Zelda equivalent, and that’s a big hole to fill on both the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X right now.
If Okami 2 had to be an exclusive, which it may need to be in order to see a release, I think the PlayStation 5 is the best place for it. The console should have a huge player base of loyal fans, and they’ll jump at the chance to play any new exclusive, particularly if they’ve already played the original Okami.