Not nearly as graphically beautiful as its predecessor, but Okamiden is still full of heart.
Okamiden takes place six months after the events of Okami. Nippon, now free of the disastrous demons and cursed zones that once plagued it, is now peaceful. But only minutes after the beginning of Okamiden, Nippon is immediately attacked by the same threat once again. Bummer. Good thing they have a sun goddess to rely on to expel the threat. Oh wait, they don't - instead of Amaterasu being in the spotlight this time around, her son, Chibiterasu, is the star of the show. And though he lacks most of his mothers brush techniques, god-like powers, and the helpful Poncle Issun, Chibiterasu is nonetheless a compelling protagonist...With the right catalyst of course.
Replacing Issun, Okamiden introduces several characters that accompany Chibiterasu throughout his journey. Now with a character that is larger than a speck, Okamiden can tinker with using them in gameplay, as well as inject extra personality into the story elements. And they actually do a really good job! Most of the partners are charming, to say the least, and it's entertaining seeing all these new characters traveling and interacting with Chibi. It's difficult to say goodbye to Issun (though it is not really goodbye, he pops up frequently throughout the game), but the new partners do a decent job at stepping in for him.
In terms of gameplay, little is changed. When you encounter an enemy, you get transported to a special arena to fight them. You can then either bash away on the attack button, or use a celestial brush technique. All the while, Chibi's current partner will be riding atop his back, occasionally using their special technique when the sun god attacks enough. Battle is usually easily won and if not, it does not take much effort to realize what the current enemy is weak too. Partner use is also minimal, and it's a little disappointing having them in battle when all they can do is attack every once in a while. Bosses mix it up a bit but, again, it does not take a discerning eye to get into the routine and defeat them with little effort.
Outside of combat, brush techniques do not play as prominently as they did in Okami when it comes to getting past obstacles. This is because of the partners presence; many of them have special abilities that allow them to assist Chibi. Most are surprisingly easy, however, and even the most difficult ones don't take much time to complete. It feels a little limiting when you have both your brush techniques at your disposal and the addition of powerful partners at your beck and call, yet little use is made out of them. But the usual trademarks of Okami, such as reviving dead plant life, is present, yet some of the other interesting features, such as the ability to walk on water, are missing. While not game breaking, a lot of the magic of the franchise is sapped from this decision.
Due to its transition to the Nintendo DS, Okamiden does not look exactly how it did in Okami. It looks a lot more cartoonish than it once did, though it hasn't lost much of the watercolor art and charm that it's beautiful counterpart did. It is definitely a step down, but it is still a great looking game, even if it does look significantly more pixley. The soundtrack is mostly composed of Okami tracks with a few new songs and remixed tracks added to it. Okami was a game that had an excellent soundtrack, so it, along with the new music, compliments the game well.
Little is changed and it doesn't attempt to really stray from what made its predecessor the game that it was. Despite this, it does make an attempt to make itself stand out from Okami by adding new features such as the partner system. The DS might not have been the best system of choice, due to technical limitations restricting some of the main reasons that made Okami such a great game in the first place, but the charm and beauty is still intact. It's just not the prodigy that Okami was.