An all ages DS adventure not to be missed.

Okami has created a sort of cult following over the past few years. The intriguing graphic style and gameplay have hooked fans from across the globe and these fans have been craving and asking for a new game in the series. Capcom listened, and created Okamiden for the Nintendo DS.

Player are cast as Chibiterasu, a wolf who's mother was the main character in Okami. This game takes place 9 months after the original game and the evil demons have once again returned to Nippon. Chibi must travel the land and cleanse it of the demons much like his mother did before him. Chibi retains various powers that his mother had including the celestial brush, the main power in the game. Because Chibi is a child, he isn't capable of saving the world alone. Throughout the game you team up with various characters all with different powers. Each of them introducing new ways to play and new powers to use.

Okamiden plays very similarly to your average Zelda game. It's and action adventure game where you travel through a larger overworld and complete different "dungeons" to progress through the story. Using the celestial brush brings up the touch screen. The player can then draw various symbols and lines to do different things in the world. Draw a line through the enemy in battle to damage them. Draw a circle around trees to bring life back to them. You can draw bombs and use the brush to get through puzzles by directing your teammates. Running around the world and cleansing the land and bringing life back to trees really does feel very rewarding. When Chibi runs into a battle, the game goes into a separate battle area and the fight starts. The player can attack with various weapons found throughout the game or use the celestial brush to attack.

Combos and brush attacks add a lot of depth to the fighting. Many of the puzzles throughout the dungeons are both difficult and fun. Usually, you have to direct your partner through different situations in order to progress. Chibi usually discovers a new power in each of them and this power is used to make it to the boss. The best part of this game are the different boss battles. All of them are very unique and provide a strong feeling of accomplishment upon killing the boss in question.

The game does have occasional slow down as the player travels around that is slightly off putting considering that each area is broken up with loading screens. It is a minor problem but it is also noticeable. The music in this game feels perfect for the art direction and the background of the story. The eastern style music sounds fitting for the battles and it stands out during some of the cut scenes.

Okamiden creates a colorful world full of equally as colorful characters. It is a thorough adventure game that gets the balance between fighting, exploring, and puzzles perfectly. The gameplay is exciting, rewarding, and challenging. The usage of the DS's touchscreen is some of the best on the system and doesn't feel added on at all. Everything that made Okami successful on the wii is here, only shrunk down and on the DS.

Okamiden
Gameplay
Great exploration, fantastic puzzles, and memorable boss battles, in addition to the use of the DS' touchscreen being surprisingly well implemented.
Sound
Good quality music for a DS title, all of which fits the game perfectly.
Graphics
A unique visual style gives Okamiden an almost hand drawn feel. Unfortunately, some slow down exists.
Controls
Controlling Chibi works as it should. The clever use of the touch screen is where this game excels. Use of the celestial brush is intuitive and fun.
Overall
Okamiden is a superb action/adventure. Fans of its predecessor, as well as the Legend of Zelda series, would do well to check this one out.