Let's start with the most obvious, superficial definition of art: something that looks pretty. Even better, Okami is a game that took an art form as the principal direction for its art style; the Capcom platforming title's cel-shaded graphics are obviously inspired by the ink wash sumi-e painting that spread throughout East Asia Japan especially during Feudal times. It looks really, really darn pretty, essentially. That was most of what the criticism at the time centred around. Okami is a game which, to this day, prized its aesthetics above all else. And that's fine. That's a type of art, just something that looks nice. But if it exists in a vacuum it means nothing; luckily, Okami had justification. The game also drew upon Japanese folklore, which meant that the sumi-e art style was reminiscent of bring old paintings of those stories to life. Painting was also an integral part of the gameplay, with the Celestial Brush allowing you to affect the game world by slashing through enemies or draw bridges in ink. Pretty and practical that's art, right?
Tom Baker is the Comics Editor at WhatCulture! He's heard all the Doctor Who jokes, but not many about Randall and Hopkirk. He also blogs at http://communibearsilostate.wordpress.com/
