I recently had one of those experiences where you think you know what's going on in a Game, but then it sorta takes a left turn on ya and suddenly you realise you don't know what's going on...

The Game in question?  Okami.  As to what's going on?  Well, I'm still not sure.  I'm gonna air some thoughts in this entry, so I have to put up the big sign warning people about plot-related stuff shortly.  So if you haven't gotten much into Okami (or even played it at all), and don't wanna spoil any of the windy and twisty story, then go and read someone else's Journal for a bit, K?

*Spoilers Ahead*

I'm now almost 24 hours into the Game.  I've managed to accumulate myself a fair amount of kewl stuff, including some kewl Divine Intervention type weapons and quite a number of kewl Brush Techniques.

I'm also working my way through my Stray Bead list, and managed to discover about a third of them so far (I think).  But given where I am in the Game and how many I still haven't found - I don't think I'm as far as I thought I was in the Game.  And that's the issue, really...

Thing is, the Game's story talks about the big evil snake demon Orochi as the bad dude.  He's back from the dead, having being released from imprisonment by some unsuspecting dude.  H's cursed the land, and is a big part of the reason that you have to run around cleaning up all these Cursed Zones.  So he's the BIG BAD you see in most Games.

The funny thing is...  I killed him already.  Yup, beat him about 10 hour's back.  Big fight - lotsa carnage.  Bad dude is dead.  But the Game didn't actually finish there at all.  I'm still running around, cleaning up Cursed Zones and beating bad dudes.  So what's going ON here, eh?

Hence my confusion.  I'm thinking there must be another Big Bad out there behind the first one, or possibly I'm gonna fight him again, in a souped-up form or something.  I must admit to being a bit surprised when the story started leading me to the Moon Cave, and here's me with a whole bunch of Brush Techniques still missing.  And then it was all over, and I figured the end credits would run - except they didn't.

Right now, I'm clearing up the evil in the Capital City, and working to uncurse a whole bunch of trees before I go looking for a way to get a Water Dragon on side and use it to go to some island to defeat the source of the monsters - or something like that.  Is there an end in sight or am I just worrying too much about who the bad dude is...?

*End Spoilers*

NEhow, I've voiced my concerns now, so I'm gonna go and watch some more of Season 2 of 24, and then relax some more for the evening.  I hope you're all doing well out there in Gamespot Land, and I'll catch you all another night.  In the meantime, make sure you all...

GAME ON!  :D