Okami Challenge - Canine Warriors and Sasa Sanctuary

I would up backtracking all the way to Kamiki village, as planned. As I went through Agata Forest, I ran into Kokari, the young boy. His dog Ume has dissappeared, but I can't help until after Sasa Sanctuary. In Kamiki Village, I battle Hayabusa, but learned that he is not the real Hayabusa, who was one of the Canine Warriors. His Power Orb, the orb that represents his duty to Princess Fuse, passed to me so he could stay in the village to protect Mushi.

I then proceeded back to Taka Pass, and into Sasa Sanctuary. The gate opened once I rescued the boss's daughter Chun from Mr. and Mrs. Cuter. I played the first digging minigame, which wasn't as hard as I thought given my low ink, and learned the Waterspout technique. I found one more Canine Warrior, and now it's back to Agata Forest!

Okami Challenge - Kusa Village II

OK, another in-progress update (still going here). I finished gathering the 5 Canine Warriors in Kusa Village. I explored a bit and found the entrance to the Gale Shrine, which was sealed by some magical barrier and guarded by the ghost of Yatsu, the fallen husband of one of the villagers (I believe).

Anyway, for the other Canine Warriors, I have to venture quite a ways so it's a good opportunity to backtrack a bit. I headed to Agata forest to save Ume, and I'm going to hit Kamiki Village and Shinshu Field while I'm here.

Okami Challenge - Kusa Village

Just a quick in-progress update (playing now, see here).

I'm in Kusa Village. The air was partially cursed, because the Divine Wind had stopped blowing. This happened because a monster, Crimson Helm, has taken over the source of the wind, the Gale Shrine. I found the leader of the village, Princess Fuse, and defeated some monsters that were agressing her. This cleared up the curse enough for me to get my ink and weapons back, which had been suppressed before. The Princess then gave me the Canine Tracker, and asked me to find the Satomi Canine Warriors, the legendary dog fighters that could destroy Crimson Helm and liberate the Gale Shrine!

I also ran into Mr. Bamboo, a bamboo craftsman. He's upset because he can't get to Sasa Sanctuary, which is where he gathers his bamboo, because they mysteriously closed their doors. He needs the raw bamboo so he can sell his work at the upcoming festival.

More to come!

Okami Challenge - Taka Pass

No real news, just gathering up praise. Will hopefully make story progress later today or tomorrow. I'll be heading towards Kusa Village and gathering up the dog warriors to restore the holy wind soon.

I found this old trailer for Okami, posted a few years ago by Sesshoumi (channel link here) and it shows off some parts of the gameplay for those of you who are curious. It also has a peek at the Spider Queen! Try to pick her out. Should be easy. Original video page is here.

Okami Challenge - Tsuta Ruins, Spider Queen and Taka Pass

So, I headed into the ruins after gearing up a bit. The ruins weren't any harder than I remember from last time. I zipped through, grabbing all of the praise that I could, learned the Vine technique and headed for the boss.

Right at the end of the ruins, in front of the boss's chamber, I was reminded of just how good Okami's atmosphere can be. The creepy music and decorations, combined with some awe-inspiring level design makes the run up to the boss really exciting. Unfortunately, in my opinion, this is broken a bit by the comedic custscene.

The boss itself is a lot of fun. The Spider Queen has a woman's head with no face but a horrid fanged mouth, and a flower-wrapped abdomen filled with eyes. It's amazing, but not too hard to beat. I wound up using a Steel Fist Sake and an Inkfinity Stone during the fight. I finished that off, grabbed Ume (the dog that Kokari, the boy in the forest, lost) and headed back to the forest.

Once in the forest, I reuinited Ume and Kokari, finished off the Sleepy Bear, and headed for Taka Pass. I found the Guardian Sapling, revived it, and gathered up all of the animals I could find. I also beat up some moles, and reunited the treasure that they stole with it's owner. Next up is Kusa Village and the Gale Shrine.

Okami Challenge - Agata Forest II

OK, change of plans. I wound up opening the ruins, but night fell just as I was getting supplies. I bought some feed and the Golden Lucky Cat, and headed back to Shinshu Field to try to get the wanted list done. Found two of them, and now only have one left. Back in the forest, I fed some animals and helped the Sleepy Bear, and by the time I saved and got ready for the ruins, it was night again. I'll have to come back to Kamiki later anyway, so I'm going to go ahead and do the ruins, restore the forest and move towards Taka Pass next time I play.