During the Game Awards on Thursday night, Geoff Keighley, the show’s founder and host, caught everyone off guard with an emotional moment. It looked like he might actually shed a tear while announcing that Capcom is developing a sequel to the beloved PlayStation 2 classic, Okami, with its original director Hideki Kamiya.
This side of Keighley felt so genuine and relatable, and I found myself experiencing the same emotion. As the teaser rolled—a simple yet evocative piece with stirring music, a wolf sprinting across the screen, the Capcom logo, and Kamiya’s name—I found myself getting teary-eyed too.
Let me break it down for you. Released in 2006, Okami is a remarkable game. It’s an action-adventure journey reminiscent of Zelda, featuring a celestial wolf god battling spirits with her flaming disc while helping puzzled villagers. The game’s aesthetics, inspired by traditional Japanese art, are stunning, with characters drawn in bold, brushstroke outlines and filled with gentle watercolor washes.
Back when I reviewed Okami for Edge magazine, I gave it a solid 9 out of 10—a rating I still believe it deserves. While I wouldn’t rank it among my all-time favorites due to its lengthy nature and occasional awkwardness, it certainly stands above many when compared to the finest Zelda titles.
Here’s the deeper sentiment: Okami captures a unique era in gaming where leading Japanese studios pushed boundaries to elevate games to an art form. Yet, it also symbolizes the partial setback of those aspirations, as its sales were underwhelming, leading to the closure of the innovative Capcom studio, Clover. This downfall spurred Kamiya, Shinji Mikami, and others to leave Capcom and establish PlatinumGames.
Seeing Capcom reach out for redemption by teaming up with Kamiya, who’s since named his new venture Clovers, for an Okami sequel is more than a nod to the past. It signifies that the flame of that era’s creative spirit hasn’t been completely extinguished. Plus, it suggests the game’s various re-releases over the years performed well enough to make Capcom reconsider its earlier missteps.
The announcement for Okami’s sequel was an emotional ride. The live orchestral music was breathtaking, the fresh visual style—trading ink outlines for vibrant painterly colors—was captivating, and watching the animation of the wolf god Amaterasu racing through the landscape was exhilarating. But ultimately, like Geoff, I felt the emotions stirred by what this sequel represents.
The livestream cut to Kamiya in the audience, sitting behind his trademark red shades with a poker face, while Geoff basked in the announcement’s glow. I couldn’t help but chuckle, thinking Kamiya, the notorious Twitter provocateur, might be mentally blocking Geoff for showing such sentimental weakness. I suppose my emotional response could land me on his block list too.
