![Okami](https://images.nintendolife.com/d59b06b80ec74/okami.900x.jpg)
With Okami HD releasing on Switch just a couple of months ago, instantly becoming "one of the easiest recommendations we can make for your Switch library", we're sure fans of the game have been pretty happy as of late. Well, now they might have even more to be joyous about, as the title has just been awarded its second Guinness World Record.
According to Twinfinite, the Guinness World Records recognised Okami for this new award at the end of the recent New York Comic Con's Capcom panel. The all-important record in question? 'Most critically acclaimed video game starring an animal character'.
Now, we're not too sure just how many critically acclaimed games there are starring an animal character, and without further clarification of the rules, it's pretty hard to know how a game might actually qualify for the award. Still, any award is very good news indeed and, let's face it - Okami deserves a nice dose of love every now and then.
The game actually received another Guinness World Record back in 2006 for 'Least commercially successful winner of a Game of the Year award'. It's a bit of a back-handed compliment in some respects, but goes a long way to show that it has truly captured the hearts of the (relatively) few that have played it.
Are you an Okami fan? Feel free to share your love for the game in the comments - maybe you can persuade some other readers to try it out for themselves?
[source twinfinite.net]
Comments 65
Well, would the Star Fox series count as starring an animal character? Same goes for Ratchet, Sly, Crash Bandicoot, Spyro, etc.
The game is sure to sell like a beast
When reached for comment, Ecco told us:
![Untitled](http://pixelbedlam.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/Ecco-The-Dolphin.jpg)
* misc angry dolphin noises *
Bought the physical version for the Switch.
Fun game. Quite overrated though.
Anyone know if this is getting a physical release in the UK or Europe. I have seen a pre-order link on the Argos website, but I am not sure if that was a mistake.
@Bensei ratchet is an alien and spyro is a dragon so no.
But there are a lot of other criticly aclaimed games starring animal characters. donkey kong, twilight princess (wolf link), gex, banjo kazooie, sonic etc...
Also let’s not forget the game that truly deserved this price, bubsy 3D.
Lovely game. Still playing Okami HD myself. Another one of those games on Switch that doesn't count because it's "just a port". lol
Just bought it and played for a couple of hours. A bit disappointed so far. Very slow start. Some game mechanics and controls show their age. Hopefully the game will reveal itself as I carry on. But ultimately I feel this game would benefit a lot from being remastered rather than just up-res'ed.
@darkswabber Amaterasu is technically a goddess, so I don't know why a dragon should be treated differently.
I could understand the level of anthropromorphisation being important though, e.g. Sonic and Star Fox not counting as animal characters because they move and act like humans.
@halljames Just buy the Japanese version. It's in English and quite cheap.
Finished the game last night, as it happens. A wonderful experience which has stylistically stood the test of time.
If stupid records help this game be more visible then great, I have always think that this game has been selling less than deserved.
@WaitroseDad64 The first few hours are very slow and for me it doesn't really get going until around 15 to 20 hours in. After that though it's absolute quality. It's definitely worth sticking with.
@Bensei That's the thing, just a few games has a protagonist that moves like a real animal. Okami, Deadly Creatures, The Lion King... Those three I have played and enjoyed quite much. Deadly Creatures in particular is awesome and underrated because you really feel like an animal and the gameplay is solid. It is a unique game that not many people have played and that I really recommend.
@BigKing When it was released on PS2 it was the most technically impressive game on the system. How they got this up and running on the PS2 with that parchment filter defies belief. I think Okami is a masterclass in game design, I just wished the puzzles were more challenging.
Ermmm, Donkey Kong?
Does anyone know how well this has sold on Switch? It is still in the chart on the e-Shop. I would be curious to find out as it is the type of game Nintendo gamers love.
@vyseofhr How many game of the year awards has Donkey Kong won?.....
@BigKing Physical copy, for Switch? Did you import?
Wouldn't Banjo Kazooie or Donkey Kong clarify for this award? Or even Twilight Princess for the Wolf Link sections?
@halljames I don't believe there are plans but I've ordered the Japanese version from Ebay as it was only about €30 (incl. P&P). It has an English language voice option which the Switch automatically detects once the Okami game cartridge is inserted.
Oddly specific category.... I wonder which game wins best game released on a Tuesday during a Winter month while Saturn was aligned with Venus?
@NEStalgia The planet or the console?
Cya
Raziel-chan
What about Chicken Wiggle!
@CupidStunt
To be fair the SNES Donkey Kong Country and Donkey Kong Country 2 did win a few Game of the Year awards back in the day.
I’m currently playing through this on the PS4. Cost me £14 brand new from Amazon, bargain! I’ve never played this before. It definitely has a Zelda vibe to it, from the structure and ‘dungeons’, to the eccentric human characters which make me think of the NPCs from OoT and Wind Waker. Also the constant messages to tell you what an item is for the millionth time of collecting it! Enjoying it though, fun game.
@Haywired
I din't remember this snd can't find anything.... Okami won several and has a higher critical reception (93% average) on Metacritic.
Library content in Okami HD. So how many download counted? Is it Worth it?
Have you notice that Okami HD like a Naruto Footage.
I thought the prize was going to be, "Game most re-sold to previous buyers across multiple platforms & generations..."
I've been considering importing the physical release of this and also Capcom Belt Action (the brawler selection with Final Fight) in a bundle when they're both available at this site i use. I see no reason to reward digital only when there's an import option in english no less.
I bought the physical version of Switch, even though it runs at 30fps like all the previous versions. Such an amazing and beautiful game! Even the old PS2 and Wii versions still look great(I have those discs also!).
@AlternateButtons no. You're not alone. I played it on PS2 and I can't stand the game. To be fair, some of my complaints might be specific to that version as there may have been improvements made over the years. However, some are inherent to the game. The unreliable brush mechanics have always been an issue. I've heard complaints about that in multiple versions. Because there are timed challenges as you described, it becomes a huge problem. As I recall, I couldn't skip cutscenes on PS2, so I'd have to watch the same stuff over and over as I retried the challenges. There were other things I didn't like too, such as the 20-minute opening cutscene, also not skippable on PS2 as I recall. That may not be an issue anymore, but it was bad design in the first place.
@AlternateButtons That part was giving me trouble as well until I realised I was doing it wrong. It's actually fairly simple and once you get it you'll wonder why it was giving you so much trouble. You have to draw from the flower to the boat, when you're hovering over the flower with the brush you'll see a green mist, just draw a line from there to one of the boat hooks. It doesn't need to be perfectly straight, nor does it need to done quickly. When it connects successfully to a hook you'll see the green mist again. Sometimes crossing vines over others can cancel it so just move onto the next one, you get plenty opportunities to connect them all. I find the analogue stick is best for controlling the brush. Once you get the brush controls down you'll be able to easily pull off every move 95% of the time.
Give it another go and stick with it. The best of the game is still to come. After about 15 to 20 hours of your adventure it really takes off.
It is an amazing, gorgeous masterpiece of a game.
@Shiryu
I would love to have an Ecco Collection for Multi-plat. I love those games. (Sans the second one, that one was horrible!)
@Tempestryke That soundtrack tought... <3
@sdelfin You can skip the cutscenes now thankfully. I couldn't imagine sitting through those everytime, especially the one that pops up after feeding a wild animal. If I had to watch those everytime I'd have quit after a few hours for sure. I was also struggling with the brush initially but after a while it clicks and you'll wonder why you were having so much trouble with it at the start. Once you hit a certain point in the game you start to understand why it's so highly rated, and when you do hit that point it just keeps getting better from there.
@Lone_Beagle
That'd be Resident Evil 4.
@Shiryu
Yes. I especially loved the music. The visuals were stunning, and the levels range from fun to fiendish.
@Shiryu I can still remember the day I bought Ecco. I'd been following its development for months and I had convinced myself it was going to be the greatest game ever made. Although it didn't quite reach those lofty heights, there was something really magical about it at the time.
@OorWullie I think it aged well, but it was definitely not kid friendly difficulty wise. Let us not think about those 3D outings...
@Shiryu @OorWullie Ecco Souls was the terror of its age. I loved that game. No game before or since had that same feel at all, nor the neat water dynamics. I'd just stay in the first reef and jump and splash for hours....that was fun.
The game however was obscenely difficult even back then. It starts out ok, but dang it gets rough. I never finished it. I both loved it and hated it, the mood was somewhat depressing, yet also tranquil...that kept me from playing it as much as I might otherwise have done. But I'll always have a soft spot for it.
"I'd just stay in the first reef and jump and splash for hours"
@NEStalgia That's exactly what I done haha. I was amazed by how good it felt to control but yep, it got really tough. I didn't finish it either,if I remember correctly I got stuck on the arctic level, I had to fight a large killer whale or shark something I forget.
Easily one of my favorite adventure games of all time.
@OorWullie good to know, thanks. Sounds like a pretty big game. If anything so far I really enjoy the world and the art style. I'll stick with it and see where it takes me.
@BlueOcean
Deadly Creatures looked neat although I never played it myself.
Other examples I can think of:
Ecco, as mentioned a bunch of times,
Shelter (badger & lynx)
Seasons after Fall (fox)
Never alone (player 2 is a fox)
Deer God
Snake Pass
Goat Simulator
I guess there are some super retro games like Snake/centipede and Frogger but they are incredibly simple.
Upcoming games include 'untitled Goose game' and the 'The first Tree'.
Let me know of any I've missed!
@Heavyarms55 It's subjective. If someone says it doesn't count, then it doesn't count.
Just because you bought a 12-year-old game and are enjoying it, doesn't mean everyone else is doing the same.
The quicker you fanboys understand subjectivity, the quicker you'll start ignoring people who have a different opinion.
This game captured my imagination on the Wii and is SO fun to mess around in and is really worth 100%ing. I still have my copy sitting around.
@OorWullie I thought I'd heard that they made cutscenes skippable, but was not certain. Do you know if that applies to the opening of the game as well? Thanks for the clarification and other info. I'm not really in a position to give the game another shot at the moment as the PS2 version has too many problems and I don't really have any other hardware to try out the improved versions, but if that ever changes I will consider what you have said.
I played this back on the Wii and really enjoyed it. The only aspect of the game that really irritated me was fighting the same bosses multiple times.
@WaitroseDad64 I agree with them, you have to be patient and stick with the game. It will improve and you will feel more powerful after the first third or so.
@AJWolfTill Ecco, that's right. I haven't played but I will, M2 made a 3DS remake.
Review here:
https://www.nintendolife.com/reviews/3ds-eshop/3d_ecco_the_dolphin
Snake Pass is another good example but I hate it, the snake feels half-dead. Not good physics or controls either.
The other games I don't know.
Deadly Creatures is definitely worth playing, it's not a long game, you play it at least twice (two stories) and believe it or not it has a deeper story than it looks. You meet human beings a few times and they behave like... human beings. Who is the animal? The gameplay and visuals are great, the controls too, I feel like playing it again.
@LUIGITORNADO Ah yes, I am okay with a port so I am just a stupid fanboy who doesn't understand what subjective is.
Shove that crap where the sun doesn't shine please.
Are people no longer animals?
@Bensei Sonic
@darkswabber don't forget Jazz Jackrabbit
@Bondi_Surfer Biologically we are but you know what they mean.
@Heavyarms55 well clearly you don’t because you were challenging opponents with your original comment.
I really like Okami, and I completed as much of it as I could on Wii, but shouldn't that silly animal award be going to Donkey Kong or Sonic?
Monty Mole could be a contender too, with Monty on the Run or Auf Weidersen Monty.
Okami is a great game though. I bought it on the Wii and now again on the Switch.
Let’s not forget NewZealnd story
Okami fan since 2016.
I expect that sounds pretty late to be getting into a game, but I'm willing to bet there are a lot of fans like me who completely saw past this when it came out, and only sought out a used copy a decade later when its small but vocal fanbase was crying out for us to try it. I'm really interested to see how this HD version sells on Switch.
Its sooo much better with the touch screen option in handheld mode. It never made sense to use motion controls; actually drawing it with your finger makes circles so much easier. There's occasions where I have to use the thumbstick version because its important to be able to freeze time before beginning your drawing. But drawing the simple circle with touch controls is a breeze.
@Bondi_S Best answer ever
@Platinumhobo I bought a copy when I was in Taiwan
I wonder what held the record before? (If there was any before that is.)
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