Okami is too long. That's the undercurrent of my opinion on the whole game. Mirroring other games, especially Twilight Princess and other Zelda titles, Okami boasts an expansive world set in a world of hand-drawn Japanese folklore. In concept, this is a fantastic idea and leaves a lot of room for creativity, but unfortunately the game is bogged down in almost every avenue. The narrative is overly wordy and plodding, paced poorly across the 30 hours it takes to beat it. Treating it more like seasons of an anime may be more sensible, since the game has 2-3 natural endings which feel more like season finales. Doing this ruins the game's weight however, and you end up feeling just that the game doesn't know how to trim the fat. Ammy moves too slowly and doesn't pick up the pace fast enough, it takes too long to unlock fast travel, and exploring the world is never as fun or rewarding as it should be. Doing side quests and finding secrets seem usually useless, as the game is relatively easy (I didn't die once) and characters came off more annoying than charming frequently, especially with the slow text speed. That said, the game isn't bad and something compelled me to finish it. The brush mechanic, while finnicky, is very clever and has some nice puzzle mechanics to it when used in some of the smarter areas of the game. Dungeons are simple, but fun excursions that don't overstay their welcome. Combat is a highlight, but some enemies don't have as clear of a weakness than others do, and you can't do damage to later enemies until you stun them. There is a lot to like in Okami, and you may not be as turned off by some of the things I grew to not enjoy, but if you wanted to dive into the world of fictional Japanese mythology or you don't mind a slower paced Zelda-like, Okami is a good distraction to pick up in short bursts.