Prior to Hideki Kamiya leading the charge at PlatinumGames, he was working with Capcom and Clover Studio directing projects like the legendary action-adventure game, Okami.
Although we've seen a new version of the original title resurface on the Switch in recent years, there have also been calls for a sequel. In a recent interview with the YouTube channel Cutscenes, Kamiya discusses how he would also be interested in a sequel, as he feels he's got some unfinished business:
When I was making Okami, I would have never thought that I would leave Capcom and work somewhere else. Okami had been built on various ideas, and I figured that regarding things that didn't make it in, since I would probably have a chance to work on it again, I could foreshadow and expand on some things, addressing them in a sequel and answering player's questions while hinting at how the story ends.
When building a new IP, you get a lot of ideas mid-development that you want to implement. However, in the later part of development, some of these ideas cannot be implemented anymore for system or schedule reasons. You start saying: "Let's put what we couldn't do this time in the sequel."
In Okami, for both the story and Celestial Brush's mechanics, we talking about how we could take time and developer these further in a sequel, making it more fun and stress-free. We obviously wanted to make a sequel. Ultimately things took another turn. Okami wasn't a commercial hit back when we released it. It didn't sell that many copies. However, it gradually became a critical success, positively received by many people.
It eventually reached even more people with the release of Okami HD on various platforms. It grew the player base and allowed even more people to enjoy the game. At the same time, I started seeing people ask about these plot points that we left hanging, asking for a sequel. The more I see those, the more I feel this is work that I've left unfinished. There's always this part of me that thinks that I need to take care of this at some point. I want to do it someday.
There was a follow-up to Okami in 2011 for the DS titled Okamiden. However, Hideki wasn't involved in the project. It was directed by Kuniomi Matsushita, and according to the producer Motoshide Eshiro, it's a "spiritual successor" not a direct sequel.
Would you like to see an Okami sequel from Kamiya one day? Did you play the original game or the HD version? Comment and show your support down below.
[source youtu.be]
Comments 58
One of my longest outstanding games, I got far into it but still haven't finished it. Should really go back.
I'd also like an upscale/remake of Okamiden from the DS. My old cartridge died and it's pretty expensive to get another one these days.
Do it! Do it now! Since Capcom has to be involved anyway, crossover with Viewtiful Joe.
This is one my all time favourites and the only game I've ever drawn fan art of. As someone who has always been interested in mythology and lore, this game hits all the right buttons for me. I loved reading folklore tales after playing the game about all the different gods.
This is a very long game, much longer than it initially seems. But it is such an amazing game. I played it through on PS2, then again on PS4 and got the platinum. Now again I'm going through it on the Switch. It's one of those games for me I will always go back to and replay every now and then.
for those that didn't finish Okami - the final boss in this game is awesome, totally made in Platinum style (even before Platinum became a thing) and the one you wouldn't expect in Okami game.
So stop whining and go play it XD
@thiz I'm exactly the same. Think I've had it on 4 different formats but never got more than 2 hours in. Looked amazing but didn't hold my attention.
Every time I boot up Bayonetta it always reminds me of Okami. Really hoping for a sequel.
I played it on the Wii and finished it but I very nearly gave up because the Wii motion controls were terrible. However, I'm so glad I persevered because it's an amazing game and a long one too. I'm definitely going to play the HD version soon. I would avoid the Wii version though! Oh and Okamiden on the DS is great also
Fingers crossed he gets to work on Okami again someday. Played bits of it on PS2 and Wii back then, but just finished it for the first time this year on Switch and I'm glad I did. It absolutely deserves its reputation
@coleman83 I thought it was okay. There were some issues with some motions that made it hard though ( making the flowers bloom). But Wii also does not have the awesome end credits from the PS2.
Yes, it felt unfinished and needs a true sequel.
Just shut up and start making it already!
Maybe the reason that the first game feels unfinished is because a significant portion of the player base literally never got around to finishing it in the first place.
I’m embarrassed to say that I also have the game on more than one console, and… simply never found it compelling enough to stick with.
To me it has all the hallmarks of a Kamiya title: an impressively stylised world populated by a decidedly unlikeable cast of characters, centred around a few competent and well-realised core mechanics that nonetheless somehow end up feeling rote and repetitive before too long.
It’s the kind of game I desperately want to like. If a game looks good and plays well, it doesn’t feel like you can really ask for much more. Yet I never found it genuinely engaging.
The best video games make you forget you’re playing a video game at all. Playing Ōkami ultimately felt like going through the motions.
I picked up Okamiden in the last year or two for 20 quid. I still haven’t got around to playing it, but a lot of DS and 3DS games I’m glad I picked up when the Switch was new and no one was interested in these games. That certainly isn’t the case now.
I played and finished Okami on Switch, and absolutely loved it. The physical copy is beautiful too.
Unpopular Opinion but:
Okami should've ended after defeating Orochi.
It was hyped up all the game long but it still continued afterwards.
Never played after the Orochi battle since I lost interested. Until then it was a solid game though. Few times here and there where I got bored/stuck but it's enjoyable
Great game but yes, it does deserve more.
I'd probably buy the sequel four times, too.
Loved it on Wii and finished it but going back to it with the HD version on Switch…man. I adored the first 15 hours or so but there’s a point where the game feels like it should start wrapping up and it just keeps on going without enough interesting things happening to warrant the length. Packed it in around 30 hours in, was probably getting close to the end but it just became a drag.
Gorgeous game in every way but it’s bloated for sure. Would happily take a sequel though or just a new game with a different story but the same style of gameplay, art and humour.
I love this game! Played it for the first time on the Wii and even 100%ed it back then. Personally, I thought the brush controls fit the game's mechanics really well, even if they could be a bit finicky sometimes. Due to some similarities, I still credit Okami for getting me to try Twilight Princess again after giving up on my first playthrough.
To be fair, Okami's start is a bit slow, but it starts opening up more after the first village or so.
Okamiden is decent too, but it doesn't quite match the original IMO.
I've tried the game on both the Wii and the Switch. I at least gave it an honest try on the Switch. But ultimately, I realized it doesn't click with me. So I moved on and don't really see myself ever giving it another try.
I really enjoyed Okami, and would be super excited to see a sequel! I know they've been saying they want to make a sequel for a couple of years now.
Just please, no blockhead (or whatever he was called) puzzles anymore. Those gave me anxiety. lol
Heck yes, I’ll take a copy please.
@WeltraumDreamer In this case, yes. Okami and Okamiden both end with separate sequel hooks. It would take a third game starring both wolves to fully wrap up the story.
Okami for Switch is the only game I've ever imported given it wasn't released physically in Europe.
Did they already release a sequel for ds?
Nope, not everything needs a sequel. It's over, move on with your life.
Okami 2?!? Pleaseee make this happen and give it’s just due and proper resources! Okami is one of my Top 10 Favourite Games All-Time, maybe Top 5! Amaterasu, the lore, the world, the art style, characters etc. … so serene and captivating. It really feels and plays like an interactive piece of art. I loved Okami. I’d be super into a sequel, especially with the improved tech of today. In the meantime perhaps it’s time for an Okamiden HD Remaster? On Switch?
… Wun can only hope.
@CovidBarbie He’s the creator. If he wants to make one, he should.
@faint He's not entitled to funding just because he wants it, the original didn't make money and video games are a business. I'm glad there isn't a sequel, its unnecessary.
@coleman83 damn, I got the Wii version used from Gamestop. I do like some of it but I think I would be better off getting the Switch version instead.
My profile pic says it all, but I personally don't see this ever happening, though I would be pleasantly surprised.
@Dpishere I would like to see a sequel to this. I have the Wii version and I liked it but I didn't finish it. I might give it a 2nd try once I could get it on Switch though.
Will a sequel happen though? Not likely
I'm surprised to see how many people have picked up Okami but not actually beaten it (I get like that for some games). I first played it on the Wii with the terrible motion controls (I was never able to use the Mirror teleport ability amongst other things). I got it again on the PS4 and platinum'd it. I also completed Okamiden but it didn't grab me nearly as much and felt much more constrained/linear.
One thing I do agree with other commenters is that the second half of Okami feels...disjointed? Everything that happens around Shinshu Field, the first open are, feels like it's all connected. The Canine Warriors connected Kusa Village, which was much farther away, to previous locations/characters. Sei'an City was neat but it's where things seemed to drift apart. Then suddenly we're in a snowy landscape out of nowhere
I would love a proper Okami sequel. I remember hoping that we would get further info on the Celestials and the technology they had (looking at Waka's HQ and how literally out of place it is). I adored Okami and didn't even mind the repeating bosses. I had just wished that there were more varieties of them (ex: Spider Queen and Bandit Spider). I know it's not likely, but another Okami would probably be a day 1 buy for me.
@anoyonmus I have finished Okami a couple of times which is no small feat considering it isn't a short game, love it but even if there never is a sequel that's ok because the first one ended off so well. Like I said I would not complain about one though, games like that don't come along very often.
One of my all time favorites. Only beat it twice though. I would welcome a sequel.
Yes a new Okami sequel for Switch and PC would be awesome.
One of my biggest gaming wishes. My head would be gone.
@CovidBarbie Do you even know what you're talking about? Okami is a critically acclaimed game that sold over 3.5m copies, far from a failure and Hideki Kamiya is a co-founder of Platinum Games, he has access to all the funding he wants. The real barrier between him and a sequel is Capcom, who owns the IP for Okami.
I so wish Capcom would sell them the rights back to their games. Platinum has gotten way better since the ps2 era. Imagine if they made God hand, VJ, or okami with their skills now
@CovidBarbie You really think it hasn’t made any money after being ported to the Wii, PS3, XBox One, PS3, WiiU, PS4, Switch, Xbox S and Steam? You’re delusional. I mean, why on earth would a company like Capcom keep porting it if nobody was buying it? Just wild.
@Pepsiman_100 At lest Viewdful Joe. They don’t even port that franchise anymore.
I feel like this has been talked about for quite some time. I am starting to wonder if it will ever happen, though some of the people that helped bring the game to life are still younger. That gives us a better chance of a potential sequel someday. I don't know if I would ever play it though since it would be a timesink for me. I don't have as much time to game as I used to.
Absolutely, but I would like a more focused game. I loved Okami, however I think the game is paced very poorly and was maybe 15-20 hours too long. I remember fighting a boss halfway through that felt like the end of the game, and it was super satisfying, then nope!!!!!
Interesting to hear some of the complaints from other people. Unfortunately, slow pace and feeling overly padded(a complaint I have about Twilight Princess) would bother me. I say would because I wasn't enjoying Okami as much as I had hoped, but that was the PS2 version which had some infuriating design decisions, including a nearly-20 minute introduction that could not be skipped. I've been told that the updated versions improve some of the negative aspects of the original, which is nice to hear. As a result, I may look into trying it again and I was just thinking about that a few days ago. But I know the game has its fans. I liked some of its ideas and the visual presentation.
Ok i read like 20 minutes of script, and finally it let me save the game. Hope it gets better with the wolfie!
Don't tease us like this....
I really, really hope so, but i doubt it will happen.
@anynamereally Oh my god I thought you were going to spoil me for a sec.
@Warioware Totally get that, it can be a tough game to get into. I bought the original release on PS2, didn't finish it. Bought the Wii version didn't finish it. Bought the HD version for PS3, didn't finish it. I got to roughly the same point in all three attempts, but it wasn't until I bought the PS4 HD version that I actually sat down and made myself see it through to the end. And then, because I am apparently a psychopath, I bought it AGAIN on PC. That's 5 in total, if you're counting.
I adore Okami, it's easily one of my favorite games of all time (hence why I keep rebuying it), but I can't deny that it's too long and really, really drags in places. Luckily the gameplay is good enough, and exploration/experimentation is so rewarding, that it helps pull you through at time when there's not much going on otherwise.
Interesting to read that so many people never finished it or some had problems with the controls. I have to admit Okami started incredibly slow. But for me the enjoyment lied in the great characters and the upgrading of your weapon of choice like the stray beads. The upgrading kind of felt like Hyrule Warriors. The farther you play the game the faster you can end the battles. Also making fluent brush strokes with the wii mote was incredibly satisfying. I would love to see a sequel being made
Let me continue the praise of this game, what a great game! I agree the game went long, i would be happy with it ending at 20 hours. But the extra content simply gave me more time to enjoy the game.
Ah Okami, one of those games that I always feel like I should love but get bored midway and never finish. I've always found it comparable to the low tier Zelda titles, and felt like it only got high scores on initial release because it was a capable Zelda-like title exclusive for PlayStation. I remember all the Sony fan boys making claims like how it was better than any Zelda title, but then I actually played it and thought they were off their rockers.
@Snatcher
>Oh my god I thought you were going to spoil me for a sec.
spoiling 2006 game in 2021, no less!
@anynamereally LOL, IK I really need to get to it, I feel like i'm almost finished it, but I had that feeling 5 times now.
Let's goooooooo
@GeneJacket I got past the fakeout ending by some ways back on the PS2 but I didn't complete it for some reason. I really like it but agree it's too long! I then proceeded to buy it on the Wii, PS3 and now Switch also. I have every intention of one day finishing it but am put off by the fact that I've got to get through about 30 hours of familiar stuff to get to where I left off. When I eventually make 20 million dollars through sheer dumb luck I might have the time though!
The second will be made before I finish the first probably
@Rainbowjames same thing here. I my case it was because of the combat, which felt way too repetitive and after 2-3 hours of gameplay I just never went back to it.
I had the original and downloaded the HD on my switch. One of my all-time favorites— hope for a sequel! I’ve waited this long, I don’t mind waiting a little longer
I hope and pray every day that they make a sequel to this wonderful game I’ve had it since it ever came out on PlayStation 2 I love it so much and I bought it for every Consol upgrade that I’ve gotten over the years lol
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