Ōkami creator tells fans to avoid Wii version ahead of sequel

Ōkami creator tells fans to avoid Wii version ahead of sequel
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Ōkami creator tells fans to avoid Wii version ahead of sequel
Author: Adam Starkey
Published: Feb, 10 2025 17:44

The director behind Ōkami has expressed his dislike for one version of the game, as he continues work on the follow-up. Developer Hideki Kamiya is known for directing some of the best games ever, between his work at Capcom like Resident Evil 2 and Bayonetta at PlatinumGames. One of his most beloved titles is Ōkami, which he directed under Capcom’s Clover Studio. The action-adventure game was originally released on the PlayStation 2 in 2006 (and 2007 in Europe), but was later ported to the Wii by another studio, Ready At Dawn, in 2008.

 [Okami screenshot]
Image Credit: Metro [Okami screenshot]

While the Wii version arguably had superior controls, with the motion controls allowing you to draw with the celestial brush, Kamiya has told players to play the other versions instead. In response to a fan who asked if they should play the Wii version over PC, Kamiya replied: ‘The Wii version is not the original. I made the PlayStation 2 version. ‘If you’re going to play it now, the best version is the HD version. Personally, I don’t want you to play the Wii version.’.

While he doesn’t give an explicit reason for his preference, Ōkami on Wii has a troubled history. The creative director on the port, Ru Weerasuriya, previously described its development as a ‘technical challenge’. ‘We started with no assets and literally reverse-engineered the whole thing back onto Wii,’ he told VG247. ‘It was not your typical port, but it was fun.’. Kamiya’s distaste for the Wii version might be because it doesn’t feature the original credits created by Clover due to legal constraints, something which he expressed back in 2008.

‘I’m not disappointed because my name was removed from the game,’ Kamiya wrote (via Eurogamer) at the time. ‘Of course, we all have pride in our work; we all want to stand up and say, ‘I made this’. Yet more importantly, I find it extremely regrettable that the [thoughts, emotions and messages] that went into the staff roll are gone from the game as well.’. Another ding against the Wii version is its box art, which was found to have an IGN watermark on it shortly after release.

Kamiya is working on a sequel to Ōkami at his new studio Clovers, alongside some of his former PlatinumGames’ colleagues. Little is known about the sequel, but Capcom has warned it’ll be a few years away yet. This isn’t the first Ōkami sequel though, with a spiritual successor, titled Ōkamiden, being released for the Nintendo DS in 2010. Email gamecentral@metro.co.uk, leave a comment below, follow us on Twitter, and sign-up to our newsletter.

To submit Inbox letters and Reader’s Features more easily, without the need to send an email, just use our Submit Stuff page here. For more stories like this, check our Gaming page. Arrow MORE: Metal Gear Solid Delta trailer leak confirms PS5 State of Play is soon. Arrow MORE: PS5 is getting two more Xbox exclusive games this year. Arrow MORE: Bayonetta maker PlatinumGames has lost every one of its top directors.

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