Okami was one of the more captivating titles in my recent memory, which is why I jumped at the chance to check out the new incarnation, Okamiden, at the Capcom booth.

For those of you not familiar with the original game, Okami incorporates a mixture of Japanese folklore and classical Japanese history to weave a whimsical tale of how the sun goddess named Amaterasu, reincarnated as a white-colored wolf, saved the land from darkness. The game puts you in the paws of this mystical white wolf, wielding a Celestial Brush that is imbued with magical properties and using different brush methods to tackle any challenge. The gameplay style is a hodgepodge of platforming, real-time combat using a combination of weapons, fighting techniques, and the Celestial brush, and puzzle-solving that are all akin to a certain Legend of Zelda. You are able to freeze the screen at anytime to open up a canvas and use the Celestial Brush on it for combat, to solve puzzles, or for any other general gameplay. For example, you can build bridges by painting them in.

Excitedly, I started up the demo, and almost immediately several things became crystal clear. Okamiden has adopted many of the same features that I and many others absolutely adored in the original, including the distinct cel-shaded graphics, which reminded me of those Japanese watercolor-style illustrations.

In place of Amaterasu, however, I am thrust into the role of Kuni (the kid) and Chibiterasu (the fox pup), a dynamic duo that pretty much possesses all the same—albeit less powerful—abilities as Amaterasu. Chibi gallops around with Kuni riding on his back, almost always acting as a single unit. You can, however, command Kuni to dismount, leaving him a little helpless and quaking in fear. But this action spawns an opportunity for you to apply some teamwork. New to the series is the ability to use a companion separately (in this case, Kuni) in order to retrieve an object that Chibi otherwise can’t. This is done by drawing a line from the separated Kuni to your desired destination. Keep in mind, though, that Chibi and Kuni cannot necessarily proceed on by themselves without the other’s company—at least it seemed that way in the demo.

Obviously, the game also retains the Celestial Brush and canvas-freezing features as well. Press the shoulder L and R buttons to gain access to the canvas, putting all gameplay to an absolute standstill. With the stylus as your brush, it is fluidly easy and intuitive to paint on the Nintendo DS. You do have a limited amount of ink and time to paint your masterpiece.

Some of the brush strokes that were available to try out in the demo included Bloom, Rejuvenation, Power Slash, and Guidance. Bloom stimulated leaf-less dead trees to blossom into beautiful cherry blossoms by drawing a circle that enveloped their branches. Rejuvenation restored broken bridges and other damaged objects. Drawing a straight horizontal line across a target invokes a Power Slash, instantly removing boulders or dealing damage to enemies. Guidance is the new teamwork application that I described previously.

Overall, Okamiden seems to be shaping up quite well. Its entry onto the Nintendo DS handheld will be met with nothing but enthusiasm, as the concepts unique to Okamiden fit right in with the DS’s easy-to-use touch screen interface, potentially making the experience a fantastic one. With a predicted release date of late 2011, Okamiden won’t be jumping into the homes of Nintendo DS-owners for quite some time, unfortunately.