Today marks the 20th anniversary of the beloved action-adventure title Ōkami, which has players control a wolf with divine powers.
Published by Capcom and developed by the now-defunct Clover Studio, the original tale of Shinto sun goddess Amaterasu launched on the PlayStation 2 in Japan on April 20th, 2006.
Despite Ōkami receiving critical acclaim upon its release, the game’s director, Hideki Kamiya – the man behind huge hits such as Resident Evil 2, Devil May Cry, and Bayonetta – revealed in 2024 that its low sales figures led to the closure of Clover Studio.
Nintendo fans were introduced to the game in 2008 when Ōkami was ported to the Nintendo Wii, where its unique Celestial Brush mechanic was considered greatly improved upon with the Wii Remote’s pointer controls. The game is also commonly compared favourably to The Legend of Zelda series, which made it feel even more at home on a Nintendo system.
A HD re-release launched on PlayStation 3 in 2012, which later saw ports to Windows, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One in 2017, and a Nintendo Switch version in 2018.
A sequel, Ōkamiden, released on the Nintendo DS in 2010. Like its predecessor, it received positive reviews, with the DS’ touchscreen being another perfect conduit for drawing symbols with the Celestial Brush.
In February, Capcom launched a 20th anniversary website for Ōkami, teasing that “merchandise and events” were planned for 2026.
An Ōkami sequel was confirmed to be in development in December 2025, with Kamiya returning to direct. It currently has no planned release date.
“I didn’t think the day would really come, where I’d return to Ōkami and continue the story with my own hands,” Kamiya said in a statement as the project was announced.
“Even at this very moment, my body is filled with both a cautious surprise that this is not a dream, and a joy that cannot be described in words.”
In 2025, Kamiya revealed that he originally conceived the first concept for Ōkami in the mid-’90s, where the idea began as a 2D side-scroller.
Nintendo Wire gave Ōkami HD a perfect score in its review, which said: “It will forever be a landmark of style, remaining vibrant and vivid long after its release. It is a feast for the senses, a splendor of divine properties, and one of the finest games to ever be made.”
Ōkami isn’t the only game celebrating a significant milestone today, as the Japan-only RPG Mother 3 also turns 20. While the future of the Mother series remains as uncertain as ever, at least Ōkami fans can celebrate knowing that the next chapter in Amaterasu’s story is just over the horizon.
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Written by Reece Heather
A veteran Zelda Universe editor and First-class journalism graduate, Reece emerged with a Nintendo 64 and a lifelong obsession after a narrow escape from Santa’s Naughty List in 1998. Outside of games, he’s reading Punisher comics, being bossed around by his cocker spaniel, and cornering innocent bystanders to rant about the importance of game preservation.
