Okami

It's a sad truth that many abstract games, while offering tons of fun and a welcome break from the norm, usually sell poorly. Okami is no exception; it sold pitiful amounts when it was first released on the PS2 in 2006.

However, thanks to the Wii, this re-release gives Clover Studio's finest moment a new lease of life. In ancient Japan, a once bright and colorful land has been reduced to ruin by the evil eight-headed serpent Orochi. According to actual Japanese folklore, a great white wolf called Shiranui and the swordsman Nagi defeated the monster many years ago, only for it to be released once more.

Summoning the Sun Goddess Amaterasu inside the body of the legendary Shiranui gives the people of the land one last shot at hope for an end to their despair.

An adventure game, Okami is massive, chock-full of side quests and things to see and do. Graphically, this resembles a watercolour painting and is a feast for the eyes, although the ruined land looks a bit drab to begin with. This is where you come in. As Amaterasu, you must complete tasks and fight demons to gain "Praise" and win over the townspeople, in a bid to help the environment spring back into life and colour.

This is all made possible by her special talent, the celestial brush. This is both her main weapon and puzzle-solving tool. For example, if you see a withered tree, activate the brush and the screen goes flat and static, like a canvas. Using the Wiimote, fill in where the leaves would normally be and the tree bursts into life, with an explosion of leaves and blossoms, rewarding you with the Praise which triggers missions and progresses the game.

Slashing through enemies attacks them, painting a circle in the sky makes the sun come up and so on. Each of these commands lends character and charm to the game, and a style few can match. Combat is activated by making contact with evil seals that float around the game's many vast expanses and fields, handy if you're on your last legs and want to avoid a scrap.

Depending on your fighting skill, enemies drop gold after each fight, which can be spent on health restoration and upgrading at stores. All this adventuring to inevitably rid the land of Orochi makes for one captivating experience. But it's the little things such as helping townspeople with chores or trying to eat turnips while dodging an angry broom-wielding mother that make this game shine.

You will laugh at the great humour, be awed by some of the visuals and be warmed by the townspeople and their individual stories. if you buy one game for your Wii this year, make this it and give the now departed Clover Studios the credit they so sorely deserved the first time round.