Battles are pitched, so in many cases you can avoid them or seek them out as needed. Power-ups are plentiful, so you will rarely die, yet when I played I still felt there was sufficient challenge and satisfaction from a battle well fought or a puzzle finally unlocked. Many enemy types are recycled, including the bosses. The gameplay is fun, though it can get repetitive (it gets a lot more fun once you unlock the fire brushstroke). Many of the characters may seem annoying at first (especially since their voices are gibberish), but they grow on you. The graphics are absolutely beautiful, and some of the effects are breathtaking.
In this respect, Okami has been likened to some of the Legend of Zelda games. Some of the brush strokes are tricky at first, but it doesn't take long to get the hang of them. You will fight enemies with a combination of upgradable weapons, power-ups, and celestial brush. You accomplish this by traveling around and unlocking puzzles with your celestial brush, which allows you to paint your way to a goal. The world has been destroyed by an evil monster, and your job is to restore life to the world and defeat the monster (and some other monsters who happen along later). You play Amaterasu, a goddess in the form of a wolf. Okami is one of my favorite games of all time.
