Next on the list of games at Capcom's Captivate event is Okamiden. There's a slurry of new information on the handheld sequel to Okami, one of the best games you've never played. Okamiden brings back the Celestial Brush and sets you on another adventure against an evil demon. While you won't be playing as the powerful Amaterasu, you do become a reborn version of Ama. A smaller, and much more adorable version. It might be incorrect to call Okamiden a sequel though, seeing it will be the same basic premise ported to a new console. Here's what producer Motoshide Eshiro has to say on the matter:

"I should clarify for you that I don’t consider it a sequel so much as a spiritual successor. I think the team is just happy to be involved in an ÅŒkami project, and for them the joy of being involved in an ÅŒkami project is greater than any pressure or stress they might feel to make this game good. In fact, I think being able to to work on this motivates them further, and spurs them on to try to make something good, and they want to make the best game they can on the DS."

Make no mistakes about it though, despite Okamiden representing itself as a simple "spiritual successor" it still seems to capture everything we loved about the original. And as much as Eshiro would object, Okamiden does represent itself as a sequel.

For instance, here are some details about Okamiden that Nintendo Everything has compiled:

  • Chibiterasu is Amaterasu’s child
  • One button for attacks
  • Can use Celestial Brush with L or R
  • Press X to make Kumi go off Chibiterasu’s back
  • New areas, also has same settings from first game, new buildings
  • Many demon enemies from the first game are back as well as new ones
  • More than 20 hours of gameplay

That's not the last of our Okamiden information though. No, we also have a great new trailer for the game. And Okamiden definitely looks just as amazing on the DS as Okami look on the Wii. I can only hope that Okamiden is successful enough to garner its own sequel, since the franchise is so deserving.

Paint it up with Okamiden in this great new trailer:

Have you had the privilege of playing the original Okami, Ranters? Does Okamiden look like a worthy successor? We'll see when it finally gets a release in North America and Europe sometime in 2011.

Source: Nintendo Everything