Okami, the critically acclaimed Clover-developed PlayStation 2 title of 2006 that wowed everyone with its grace and visual dexterity needs little introduction. What does need a bit of explaining, however, is its sequel, Okamiden, developed for the Nintendo DS and confirmed by Capcom at the start of September. We had a chance to check out the game on the show floor at this year’s Tokyo Game Show.

　　The game is being developed by an internal Capcom team that includes Motohide Eshiro (from the Ace Attorney series) and Kuniomi Matsushita, the man responsible for porting the original Okami to the Wii in 2008. Because the game hasn’t been officially confirmed for release outside Japan just yet, Capcom has remained very tight-lipped about any aspect of its development, even refusing to comment on how many hours of gameplay we can expect or details about its story.

　　The only things we know to date are little tidbits about Okamiden’s story. The game is set in the same world as its predecessor, with the action taking place just a few months after the end of Okami. Amaterasu, the sun god reborn as a white wolf, has rid Japan of the demonic curse and left, but for reasons yet unknown, a number of demons seemed to have resurfaced. However, when divine help is summoned this time around, it is not Ammy that answers but Chibiterasu, a puppy that bears a very big resemblance to the original hero. The link between Chibiterasu and Ammy remains to be seen.

　　Our demo was all in Japanese, but we tried our hardest to understand what was taking place. We began with an introductory five-minute demo that explained the control scheme and gameplay. It also introduced us to the game’s characters--Chibiterasu and Kuninushi. As we understand, this aspect of gameplay will differ from the original Okami. Chibiterasu will not be joined by just a single partner like Issun from the first game, but rather by a few partners. Capcom has only revealed Kuninushi so far, who is the young son of Susano and Kushi from the original game. The way the partners interact in the game will remain the same as they work together to fight and explore the land. It also appears that basic gameplay has remained unchanged--the hero and his partner will travel the lands to rid small villages of their demons.

　　We began the introductory demo on a chain of small green islands, which we had to navigate over a number of bridges, looking for small treasure chests and using our sword to cut down wooden obstacles. The action will take place on the top DS screen, and during gameplay, the bottom screen will show a map of the area you are currently in, as well as a menu button. When touched with the stylus, the button will display your current inventory, as well as other information relating to your quests.

　　To move around, you will have to use the D pad. The A button will serve as the action (that is, opening and closing stuff), while B is jump. During the dialogue (of which there’s plenty to be had), the bottom screen will simply display a "continue" arrow, which you can tap using the stylus or by pressing A.

　　Fans of the original Okami will be glad to know that the DS has proved itself as the perfect platform for the celestial brush, which has made a comeback with the aid of the DS stylus. In our demo, we were first introduced to it when the two heroes came to an incomplete bridge. To use the celestial brush, press either the L or R buttons, at which point, time will freeze and the screens will turn a light sepia colour. The top screen will move to the bottom, where you can use the stylus to draw to your heart’s content. In order to complete the bridge, we had to draw a small rectangle in place of the missing wooden boards. Once we did this successfully and pressed either L or R again, the completed bride appeared and the two heroes were able to cross.

　　Toward the end of the first demo, Chibiterasu and Kuninushi came to a rather shaky-looking bridge, which we deduced could only be crossed by one of them. Pressing X will make Kuninushi jump off Chibiterasu’s back, which you'll have to do to get around some obstacles.

　　Finally, we had a look at the swordplay in the game. Pressing Y will see Kuninushi take out his sword; we had to defeat a small, round, angry-looking ball. Defeated enemies will leave behind small bags of cash, which you can collect. Or, in the case of the larger treasure chests, you can collect rolled-up pieces of parchment that we can only guess will play some important part in the overall story.

　　The second demo began rather like the original Okami--purging evil from a small village. From various lengthy conversations with the townsfolk (again, all in Japanese), we were able to gather that the evil had taken the village over and was currently hiding out in a cave nearby.

　　We found certain areas of the village blocked off by townsfolk who refused to let us pass, which proved helpful because it was easier to see where we had to go. We also stumbled across a large, yellow arrow floating in midair above a town house. Inside, we chatted to a local doctor (or perhaps a witch?) who showed us upstairs to an altar where we collected another pieces of parchment. Once that was done, we were allowed into a previously blocked-off area and into the clearing where the dark spirit was resting. We knew something was up because we found a save point--a small fountain that resembled (or perhaps is?) a mirror. Just as we began a puzzle that involved using the celestial brush to find an entrance to the spirit’s cave, the demo ended.

　　Few will be surprised to learn that like its predecessor, Okamiden looks beautiful. It has the same traditional Japanese ink-and-watercolour art style, the same colourful characters, and the same impressive landscapes. However, judging by the two demos we saw, Okamiden appears a lot more cartoonlike than the original. The word "cute" springs to mind, especially the first time you are introduced to Chibiterasu.

　　Suffice it to say, we were left wanting more and look forward to seeing Okamiden again.