0
comments
31 January 2009
The first poll is closed, and so it has been decided that the first log is Okami. Feel free to comment with opinions, advice, or games you think should be nominated for the next log.
For this log, I'll be explaining everything on a screen by screen explination. Let me know what you think of this layout.
Just as a warning, I have played and beaten this game before, though most of the last playthrough was several months ago. I will not be starting a new game + though, I will start a normal new game, so none of my health/ink/etc carries over.
===================================================
Log
===================================================
Opening:
The game starts out with backstory of the hamlet you start out in, Kamiki. All the art is drawned on scrolls of paper, beautifuly I might add, along with animated effects, like pink flower petals falling across the screen. The game really focuses on art direction and story telling.
The hamlet of Kamiki is a for the most part peaceful village, with one exception. They have an annual "festival" for the evil monster Orochi. Orochi will cause a white plumed arrow fall every festival, hitting the house of the maiden of the village he has chosen as his sacrifice.
This year alot is different though. For starters, a white wolf named Shiranui has been patroling the village. It has been assumed that this wolf is a familiar of Orochi, and as such, everybody in the village tries to avoid it as much as possible during it's patrols through the village. Only one villager dared to confront the wolf, the warrior Nagi. Nagi fought the wolf several times, but each time, the wolf gracefully and swiftly defeated him.
What a coincidence that this warrior is also in love with this year's sacrifice, the most beautiful girl in the village, Nami. Nagi is outraged at that, and as such, on the night of the sacrifice, goes in her place. He reaches the Moon Cave, the lair of the evil beast Orochi, prepared to fight.
Nagi then fights the beast, fighting bravely and valiantly in the pitch dark of the cave, the sky completely covered in black clouds. Despite trying his hardest, his blade cannot even scratch the beast, and soon becomes fatiged and unable to fight.
As this happens, the wolf Shiranui appears, it's fur shining brightly even in the completely darkness. Shiranui too fights with all of its strength, but is unable to harm Orochi. Even its brush techniques, like summoning gusts of winds to stop his breath of flames, or creating a giant tree to block attacks, lets it do anything.
Both the warrior and the wolf were tired, vulnerable. But before Orochi could finish them off, Shiranui threw its head upwards towards the sky, letting out a thuderous howl, moving the clouds themselves, letting the moon shine brightly into the cave. The light from the moon started to reflect off of Nagi's sword, Tsukuyomi, filling it and him with newfound power.
With the light from the moon, Nagi was able to and began to cut off the heads of the evil monster. One by one each of the beasts eight heads were cut off, landing in a lake of blood from the monster itself. Finally the beast was defeated, Kamiki saved from evil Orochi.
This came at a price though. Poor Shiranui had been posioned by the beast, and collapsed. Nagi carried it back to the village, where everybody was waiting. By the time they got back, Shiranui had stoped moving. Nagi put Shiranui on the ground, and as the village elder touched its head, Shiranui let out one last weak, pitiful bark.
The village honored Shiranui greatly for its sacrifice for the village, and constructed a shrine at the topmost part of the village. This shrine watched over and protected the village, keeping peace, for a hundred years...
Opening, 100 years later:
The game then stops with the animated scroll art, and goes into normal animation. It starts out with a man you cant see any details of from the lighting, walking up to the great warrior Nagi's sword. This sword had been placed inside the Moon Cave in order to seal away Orochi and his ancient curse.
The man believes that to be nothing but a fairy tale though, and pulls it out. The moment he does so, the whole cave begins to shake. Orochi emerges, asking him to say "I wish darkness apon this world", to fully awaken his powers. Instead he drops the sword, and runs out. Orochi starts to reap chaos all across the country, known as Nippon, covering it all in darkness. Only one village, with a certain shrine, has not yet been consumed by this curse...