Okage: Shadow King Retrospective Review
By: Nik S
Developers: Zener Works, Sony Computer Entertainment (co-developed)
Publisher: Sony Computer Entertainment
Platform: PlayStation 2, PlayStation 4 (PlayStation Store re-release)
Release Date: March 15, 2001 (Japan); October 1, 2001 (North America); March 23, 2016 (Europe)
I've never been one for clothes shopping; even now, as an adult, I will do what I can to avoid trying on new clothes. Back sometime in the early 2000's while at a Burlington Coat Factory, my mother was taking us clothes shopping. I was bored out of my absolute mind, and since I was around twelve or thirteen at the time my mother allowed me to wonder the store (within screaming distance of course). They happened to have a bargain bin full of random odds and ends, and it just so happened to have PlayStation 2 games inside.
The bin wasn't exactly full of high end quality games, mostly shovelware. There was one game, however, that really stuck itself out to me: Okage: Shadow King. The cover had a bunch of people standing on a hill with a shadowy figure looming of the character in the foreground.
What caught my attention was the tagline: "A shadow possessed... A spirit released... A journey taken..." Yes, the tagline has all those ellipses I promise I'm not being lazy.
A shadow being possessed? I've heard of people and objects being taken control of by unearthly means, but a nonphysical object? Sounds silly, but let's see where it goes.
The description states "In an unexpected twist of fate, the spirit of an evil king is unleashed and possess the shadow of an innocent young boy, named Ari. Wielding the burden of the evil ghostly being, Ari and his friends must journey across a wonderfully animated, whimsical world. In this struggle between good and evil, light and dark, manage your team carefully or forever be held captive by the evil king's spirit." Well, that explains the whole shadow possessing.
Okage: Shadow King, or as it's known in Japan as Boku to Mao (Me and the Devil King), is a role-playing game developed by Zener Works and co-developed by Sony Computer Entertainment. Not much is known about the development of the game, as the only thing I could turn up was that Japan had official figurines, a soundtrack (by "peak a soul+"), and a strategy guide.
The game received fair reviews, averaging in the 7/10 range for most critics. When the game was re-released on the PlayStation store (its first release ever in Europe), Metacritic gave it an overall score of 70/100.
The game's title screen shows a twirling mansion faded in the background, with the text of the game's title in the foreground. On the top and bottom of the screen are these weird little math equations with pictures.
If you don't have a PS2 memory card in the first slot the game will not save. Even if you have it in the second slot, it will refuse to read it.
So you have two options on the title screen: New Game and Restore Game (load). If you wait for a few seconds the game goes into an opening cinematic: the hill and moon from the cover are on prominent display as circus performers play and dance across the screen. They're followed up by their ringmaster who drops a weird looking vase. A strange man with swirly glasses arrives and picks up the vase and heads towards what we can assume is his home. He places the vase in what appears to be a basement, and after he leaves the frame the vase jumps and wiggles.
Starting a new game brings you to a screen which allows you to name the lead character; the default name is Ari, but you can name him whatever you want. Despite what you name him, the narrator during some cutscenes will only call you "boy" or "the boy".
The game, like most RPGs of this time, is divided into chapters (seven in total). It starts off with a normal family talking about what they will be having for dinner that night, and we're introduced to our hero Ari.
The translation of dialogue tends to flip-flop from good, allowing slang to take place, to literal, what you would get from Google Translate. This can either really hurts or helps the game, depending on whether it's a long cutscene or interactions with NPCs. During certain dialogues you actually have options to how you would like to reply. You're given three choices that vary in response, sometimes it's straight forward, and sometimes it can be very sarcastic. For the most part, your choices never influence how the story progresses. However, you do want to be careful on some of your answers depending on whom you're talking to. Some characters have this secret compatibility stat that can grow or shrink depending on your answer. The higher the compatibility is, the more likely you are able to receive a secret equipable item.
Each character looks like they came from a Tim Burton-esque world, due to their distorted figures, crazy eyes, and crooked smiles. Their design isn't bad, and it really sets it apart from most RPGs I've personally come across. The graphics are passable, as it really seems to fit the look they were going for. This game came out the same year as titles such as Max Payne, Conker's Bad Fur Day, and Final Fantasy X. So while it's not as great as others that came out the same year, it is by no means the worst.
When your mom asks you to go to the local village and pick up an item for her, we can finally take control of Ari. The D-pad and left analog stick control your movement, the default is run regardless of which you chose to use. In the overworld you can use the right analog stick or the L1/R1 buttons to turn the camera clockwise/counterclockwise. The L2/R2 is used to toggle the minimap in the overworld on and off. The X button, like in most games, is the interaction button to talk to people or do an action if Ari has an exclamation point (!) floating above his head. The Square button has no use at the beginning, but after towards the end of the chapter it allows you to talk to one specific character. The start button will pause the game instead of bringing up menus, while the select button is never used.
The Triangle button brings up the menu which shows your character information as well as different options to choose from. Each character has their name displayed, their health (both bar and numerical form), their level, and three circles to show their affinity (neutral, fire, ice, things like that), status ailments (poisoned, sleep, etc.), and curses from items or certain skills.
In the top of the character information you'll notice your LP (labor points) and the amount of money you're currently carrying (1,000 to begin with). LP is your team's collective pool of stamina to use for special attacks.
The first option you can choose from in the menu is status, which shows you the overall stats of your character and an explanation about them. You have EP (experience points), Attack power, "Dfence" or defense, magic power, luck, agility, and their current equipment.
Second on the menu is items, which just shows you the vast amount of items you are currently carrying (health and status, key, and equipment). Below that is special, which is your characters abilities they can perform. Ari starts with Decoy, where enemies attack you, and Overdrive, which bumps up your attack power. Be careful using Decoy, since if Ari dies at all during battle it's an instant game over even if you can revive him.
There's also an equipment option to change out your current weapons, armor, or accessories. Lastly, there's the configuration menu which just allows you to change your text speed and change your sound from stereo to mono.
After you set up the settings to your liking, you do a few errands for your mother you decide to head on over to the circus that's in town... that is until your father decides to talk your ear off. After your father finally realizes what time it is, he let's you go only to discover you're too late. Dragging your heels back home, you find that your sister has been attacked by a ghost and is now cursed to speak in Pig Latin. Your father decides to try and summon whatever entity is inside the bottle he found, in hopes it can break the curse.
Turns out, there's an Evil King by the name of Stanley HiHat Trinidad XIV who resides in the bottle with his Evil Butler, James, that must possess a shadow in order to take a physical form. The family goes through an observation to see whose shadow is worthy, and long and behold our hero is the perfect match. After freeing your sister of her curse (and accidentally turning her shadow pink), Stan decides it's time to show off his evil prowess to the village. After discovering other entities are trying to take over the mantle of Evil King, he decides it's time to embark on a journey to reclaim his title. Thus, finally allowing you to have play the game to its full potential.
You'll have to wait a good while until you can actually battle, a good three-fourths into the first chapter. In the overworld map, as well as dungeons, battles are non-random and appear as ghosts of various colors (primarily as red, white, and blue). The battle system is similar to that of Chrono Trigger and the Final Fantasy series from VII to X, where it's in real time and you have to wait for your action gauge to fill. You're allowed three characters in battle at a time and each has a different speed to their action gauge according to their stats. Once their gauge is full they are able to choose from four options: attack, special (your abilities), item, and defense. There's also a waiting mechanic once you have fellow party members, in which characters can attack one enemy together to deal more damage. You're only able to gain experience if every enemy is killed, and it is only awarded to those in your party who are still conscious.
Experience works rather differently in Okage than most other RPGs. When a character reaches 1,000 EP, he or she will advance to the next level and their experience returns to 0 (any remaining is added on). The EP assigned to any given monster will actually decrease depending on the level of your characters. According to an in-depth guide by "RBury", the EP for a monster will decrease for each level your character gains and what the monster's current level is. So, for example, say a monster's level is two, if your character is around the same level you'll be getting a lot of experience; as you gain levels, let's say to level seven, you'll only be getting one to five experience points due to the gap.
This game is an absolute gem and should be part of everyone's collection if they're a fan of RPGs! While it may not be the most polished role-playing game, it's definitely an experience. The art style is so different and whimsical, and the story keeps you locked in and engaged. During the climax, there is one scene that absolutely blew my young mind, and still made an impression on me for what to expect from RPGs. There's different side quests that arch themselves through the whole game in order to obtain the best equipment for your characters. It's a game that rewards you for exploring, and gives you a challenge if you try to grind for the next boss. This game will always be on my top ten for RPGs, and I don't see that changing any time soon.
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Developers: Zener Works, Sony Computer Entertainment (co-developed)
Publisher: Sony Computer Entertainment
Platform: PlayStation 2, PlayStation 4 (PlayStation Store re-release)
Release Date: March 15, 2001 (Japan); October 1, 2001 (North America); March 23, 2016 (Europe)
I've never been one for clothes shopping; even now, as an adult, I will do what I can to avoid trying on new clothes. Back sometime in the early 2000's while at a Burlington Coat Factory, my mother was taking us clothes shopping. I was bored out of my absolute mind, and since I was around twelve or thirteen at the time my mother allowed me to wonder the store (within screaming distance of course). They happened to have a bargain bin full of random odds and ends, and it just so happened to have PlayStation 2 games inside.
The bin wasn't exactly full of high end quality games, mostly shovelware. There was one game, however, that really stuck itself out to me: Okage: Shadow King. The cover had a bunch of people standing on a hill with a shadowy figure looming of the character in the foreground.
What caught my attention was the tagline: "A shadow possessed... A spirit released... A journey taken..." Yes, the tagline has all those ellipses I promise I'm not being lazy.
A shadow being possessed? I've heard of people and objects being taken control of by unearthly means, but a nonphysical object? Sounds silly, but let's see where it goes.
The description states "In an unexpected twist of fate, the spirit of an evil king is unleashed and possess the shadow of an innocent young boy, named Ari. Wielding the burden of the evil ghostly being, Ari and his friends must journey across a wonderfully animated, whimsical world. In this struggle between good and evil, light and dark, manage your team carefully or forever be held captive by the evil king's spirit." Well, that explains the whole shadow possessing.
Okage: Shadow King, or as it's known in Japan as Boku to Mao (Me and the Devil King), is a role-playing game developed by Zener Works and co-developed by Sony Computer Entertainment. Not much is known about the development of the game, as the only thing I could turn up was that Japan had official figurines, a soundtrack (by "peak a soul+"), and a strategy guide.
The game received fair reviews, averaging in the 7/10 range for most critics. When the game was re-released on the PlayStation store (its first release ever in Europe), Metacritic gave it an overall score of 70/100.
The game's title screen shows a twirling mansion faded in the background, with the text of the game's title in the foreground. On the top and bottom of the screen are these weird little math equations with pictures.
If you don't have a PS2 memory card in the first slot the game will not save. Even if you have it in the second slot, it will refuse to read it.
So you have two options on the title screen: New Game and Restore Game (load). If you wait for a few seconds the game goes into an opening cinematic: the hill and moon from the cover are on prominent display as circus performers play and dance across the screen. They're followed up by their ringmaster who drops a weird looking vase. A strange man with swirly glasses arrives and picks up the vase and heads towards what we can assume is his home. He places the vase in what appears to be a basement, and after he leaves the frame the vase jumps and wiggles.
Starting a new game brings you to a screen which allows you to name the lead character; the default name is Ari, but you can name him whatever you want. Despite what you name him, the narrator during some cutscenes will only call you "boy" or "the boy".
The game, like most RPGs of this time, is divided into chapters (seven in total). It starts off with a normal family talking about what they will be having for dinner that night, and we're introduced to our hero Ari.
The translation of dialogue tends to flip-flop from good, allowing slang to take place, to literal, what you would get from Google Translate. This can either really hurts or helps the game, depending on whether it's a long cutscene or interactions with NPCs. During certain dialogues you actually have options to how you would like to reply. You're given three choices that vary in response, sometimes it's straight forward, and sometimes it can be very sarcastic. For the most part, your choices never influence how the story progresses. However, you do want to be careful on some of your answers depending on whom you're talking to. Some characters have this secret compatibility stat that can grow or shrink depending on your answer. The higher the compatibility is, the more likely you are able to receive a secret equipable item.
Each character looks like they came from a Tim Burton-esque world, due to their distorted figures, crazy eyes, and crooked smiles. Their design isn't bad, and it really sets it apart from most RPGs I've personally come across. The graphics are passable, as it really seems to fit the look they were going for. This game came out the same year as titles such as Max Payne, Conker's Bad Fur Day, and Final Fantasy X. So while it's not as great as others that came out the same year, it is by no means the worst.
When your mom asks you to go to the local village and pick up an item for her, we can finally take control of Ari. The D-pad and left analog stick control your movement, the default is run regardless of which you chose to use. In the overworld you can use the right analog stick or the L1/R1 buttons to turn the camera clockwise/counterclockwise. The L2/R2 is used to toggle the minimap in the overworld on and off. The X button, like in most games, is the interaction button to talk to people or do an action if Ari has an exclamation point (!) floating above his head. The Square button has no use at the beginning, but after towards the end of the chapter it allows you to talk to one specific character. The start button will pause the game instead of bringing up menus, while the select button is never used.
The Triangle button brings up the menu which shows your character information as well as different options to choose from. Each character has their name displayed, their health (both bar and numerical form), their level, and three circles to show their affinity (neutral, fire, ice, things like that), status ailments (poisoned, sleep, etc.), and curses from items or certain skills.
In the top of the character information you'll notice your LP (labor points) and the amount of money you're currently carrying (1,000 to begin with). LP is your team's collective pool of stamina to use for special attacks.
The first option you can choose from in the menu is status, which shows you the overall stats of your character and an explanation about them. You have EP (experience points), Attack power, "Dfence" or defense, magic power, luck, agility, and their current equipment.
Second on the menu is items, which just shows you the vast amount of items you are currently carrying (health and status, key, and equipment). Below that is special, which is your characters abilities they can perform. Ari starts with Decoy, where enemies attack you, and Overdrive, which bumps up your attack power. Be careful using Decoy, since if Ari dies at all during battle it's an instant game over even if you can revive him.
There's also an equipment option to change out your current weapons, armor, or accessories. Lastly, there's the configuration menu which just allows you to change your text speed and change your sound from stereo to mono.
After you set up the settings to your liking, you do a few errands for your mother you decide to head on over to the circus that's in town... that is until your father decides to talk your ear off. After your father finally realizes what time it is, he let's you go only to discover you're too late. Dragging your heels back home, you find that your sister has been attacked by a ghost and is now cursed to speak in Pig Latin. Your father decides to try and summon whatever entity is inside the bottle he found, in hopes it can break the curse.
Turns out, there's an Evil King by the name of Stanley HiHat Trinidad XIV who resides in the bottle with his Evil Butler, James, that must possess a shadow in order to take a physical form. The family goes through an observation to see whose shadow is worthy, and long and behold our hero is the perfect match. After freeing your sister of her curse (and accidentally turning her shadow pink), Stan decides it's time to show off his evil prowess to the village. After discovering other entities are trying to take over the mantle of Evil King, he decides it's time to embark on a journey to reclaim his title. Thus, finally allowing you to have play the game to its full potential.
Experience works rather differently in Okage than most other RPGs. When a character reaches 1,000 EP, he or she will advance to the next level and their experience returns to 0 (any remaining is added on). The EP assigned to any given monster will actually decrease depending on the level of your characters. According to an in-depth guide by "RBury", the EP for a monster will decrease for each level your character gains and what the monster's current level is. So, for example, say a monster's level is two, if your character is around the same level you'll be getting a lot of experience; as you gain levels, let's say to level seven, you'll only be getting one to five experience points due to the gap.
Liked This Review? Check Out These Other Great Ones:
Deadpool 2 Spoiler Free Review
Ni no Kuni II: Revenant Kingdom Review
Guardian's Crusade Retrospective Review
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