In the meantime, players with a hunger for a new title may find intrigue with Okage: Shadow King. Unlike the majority of titles which attempt to outdo each other and rely upon assorted special effects and brand recognition, Okage stands in a class of its own. With a heavy emphasis on humor, Okage: Shadow King is one of the uncanny RPGs to be introduced in a very long time, and could very well garner interest for those looking for a unique adventure.

The premise of the story puts players in the role of a young boy (Ari) who makes an agreement with an evil demon, known as Evil King Stan, in order to save his sister from a mysterious ailment. In return for his assistance, Stan takes possession of the boy's shadow and orders him to seek out a myriad of imposter Evil Kings who've siphoned the lost remmants of his power. In addition to Stan's instructions to eradicate the false deities, you're also expected to help him take over the world.

Thus, you'll routinely travel to various villages, in search of the pretenders in possession of the title, Evil King. And this is essentially where the core of Okage's comedic elements originate. Upon speaking to new townspeople, Stan will appear, (arrogant and all), commanding them to bow down to his mighty power and so forth. Much to his disappointment, no one ever takes his comments seriously. Instead of cowering in fear, they chalk it up to a gimmick created by the young boy; in effect calling it a "shadow trick" and becoming jealous of his special gift. Of course, Stan isn't too pleased with this at all, and literally goes ballistic. It's the running gag which is consistently utilized throughout the duration of the game, which never becomes an old hat.

In fact, the humor doesn't end there, as your main character gets in on the fun as periodically, you'll encounter a break in the dialogue and be allowed to choose from a selection of witty comments. Unfortunately, the novelty behind this feature is somewhat insignificant, as it bears no impact on the actions of the person you converse with...or the future events of the game itself. Okage doesn't take itself seriously in any regard whatsoever. Townspeople vary from odd designations such as " it's quite apparent that the title was designed to break away from the typical parameters generally featured in traditional RPGs.

Depending on your perspective, this can be a refreshing change, or acknowledged as a game that doesn't meet your interests. Regardless, one can not deny the fact that Okage is exceptionally unique. The battles are driven on a turn-base system. Party members, much like typical RPGs can execute various actions, such as casting magic, use items, defend, and attack enemies. Periodically, Stan provides assistance, and as you progress throughout the game, presents you with a quiz in order to enlist his "services". Taking a page from Suikoden, you can also execute joint attacks from your party members. For those who aren't very fond of random battles, will be delighted with the fact that enemy encounters can be avoided. However, the further you prolong battles, the more enemies will appear -- possibly right in front of you. Like other RPGs, battles tend to be quite repetitve and exceptionally long, but you can escape an encounter at any time.

Uniqueness notwithstanding, Okage gradually reverts to the typical RPG atmosphere. The amusing antics begin to taper off and enemy encounters are increased. Since the battles themselves aren't very exciting to begin with, the entire experience feels more mundane than anything, not to mention they're simplistic and lacking substantial challenge. Personally, I am somewhat spoiled after the fact that I've accustomed o a intuitive battle system. Final Fantasy titles for example, are known for their diverse degree of customization and intricacy, which enhances the gameplay environment substantially. As expressed earlier, the battles function on a turn-base system, but much like the story - it's very linear, with no freedom and variety to speak of. To its credit, Okage does feature a number of side quests, but there's truly no mystery behind the challenges. Usually, you'll pick up a variety of hints simply by engaging in a series of conversations with the townspeople alone, or by consulting Stan, directing you as to where to go next. It's on this basis alone that Okage becomes a shorter adventure than expected, although the game offers approximately 30 hours of play.

Graphically, Okage is a mixed bag. I found the design of the characters and world to be very unique, reminiscent of those seen in Tim Burton's "The Night Before Christmas". However, Ari and company aren't don't possess an great deal of animation, but are exceptionally smooth. Beyond that, during battle sequences, the enemies appear to be 'dancing' to the music; something that could be rather charming to younger players.

The game enviroments, despite their level of detail offer no interaction whatsoever. Visually, they're quite impressive, which gave me the impression that you can explore beyond the surface...but alas, it's purely eye candy. When analyzed from a technical standpoint, Okage isn't one of the most graphically intense titles to grace the PS2 - small traces of pop-up and redundant textures are just some examples that slightly detract from the game's visual appeal. Futhermore, the game's camera serves as a further detraction to the visuals. It's quite an annoyance, since you'll constantly need to manually rotate it simply to be aware of the objects which obstruct your view of the characters. I haven't experienced such awkwardness since Sonic Adventure, and it's really something that I hoped became a quip of the past.

The sound effects are very solid albeit a composition of odd soundtracks. Unfortunately, with the game being clocked at roughly 30 hours, there's not enough diversity, thus you end up hearing the same tracks are played far too often. In addition, Okage aside from the narrator, the game feature no audible sound effects. Not a major undercut, but its incorporation would've helped to enhance the overall atmosphere of the game. Perhaps it was for the best, in fear of hurting the localization due to poorly dubbed voice acting.

Overall, Okage might fit the bill for players who are looking to quench their thirst for a new RPG. With a high emphasis on humor, seasoned players might see little interest in a game that feels exceptionally immature and not be impressed. Okage is a suitable introduction to players who've never experienced an RPG. Perhaps the biggest shortcoming is that Okage doesn't remain consistent throughout, namely with humor being the game's strong point. RPG purists are likely to wait it out a bit long, given the fact that titles including such as Final Fantasy X, Hoshigami and Grandia Extreme lay in the horizon. Nevertheless, Okage delivers a relatively distinct perspective to the typical nuances in traditional RPGs and qualifies as a recommended rental at best. With a stream of RPGs due for release in the 2002 and the fourth quarter, Okage definitely qualifies as a meritable rental.

Screens courtesy of: Gamespot

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