Okami's getting (another) sequel
Wild! Never in a million years would I have ever thought this possible. It's been a constant roller coaster of emotions since I heard the news. I'm cautiously optimistic about it.
But I'm also... I don't know. Conflicted?
On one hand, this feels like an extension of where videogames are. Games at the the top level are closing in around the safe and familiar. Sequels to existing or long dormant franchises, remakes and remasters of old classics: everything you loved before is back or coming back, and everything you like now is still going. You could argue something like this is risky still and, yes – technically it is, I'll grant you that. But a new entry in a beloved series is far less risky than something entirely brand new. This, along with Onimusha coming back as well, feels like Capcom making a nostalgia play (and it's working). The continuing retreat into the familiar seems worrying.
But also... Okami is very near and dear to me. It is one my all-time favorite games. It played a huge role in pushing me to write about videogames. It is something I've returned to many times over the years and gotten me through times where I was at my lowest. For all its flaws, it deeply important to me. As a fan, to see it coming back and helmed by the original director is basically a dream come true. Hearing "The Sun Rises" kick in during the teaser trailer destroyed me. They fucking got me. Even just seeing the wave of fan art erupt across social media in the hours that followed was heartening.
Which is why I'm conflicted. The critic side of me sees the ways this feels like a part of a greater trend of where games are and have been going for a while. But the fan in me is just ecstatic – or wants to be. Trying to keep expectations in check because, well – one, this game is a long ways out, and two, who knows how it'll turn out. I want to be great, but I remember how I felt about Okamiden back in the day – and that game was... okay -- better than I expected, but it definitely wasn't what I wanted -- what I hoped -- a new Okami to be.
I don't know. Weird times! My thoughts are gonna be all over the place for a while. I pray the game will turn out well.