[PS2] Okami

Hey guys, looks like I'm a bit late on the Okami train. Anyways, I was wondering if at some point in the game I gain access to gold dust again, because after I finished upgrading the solar reflector and the sacred beads weapon, it went out of stock in Agata. Or do I have to advance to story for them to be available again.?

Oh, one last thing: I've already got the Lucky Cat and the resting mat items from the Demon Fang trader. The only thing left is that Peace Bell. Will more items become available via that or not? Same goes for the Dojo (he says he has no more to teach me).

Jam it back in, in the dark.

Originally Posted by PiccoloNamek

If you traded fangs with the emperor, you must be in the city. You should be able to buy gold dust there. Also more items (and moves) become available as you progress in the game. There is another Dojo in the final area of the game, and you can get a tablet from the emperor that lets you walk on water.

Emperor? I'm only at the pass, which I'm still trying to finish/purfiy completely. I think the only thing I have left to do there before moving on to Kusa (that's where I have to go next, right?) is that fucking old lady who keeps attacking me. I detroyed the roof with a bomb but that's as far as it goes, and there's nothing in the surroundings that hints at what else to do.

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Tell me, have you been collecting ALL of the stray beads? How are you enjoying the game so far? Awesome, isn't it?

I've been scouring older areas as I've received more Celestial Brushes, and I found the ones in Agata and Kamiki today. I don't remember where I found the others, but I have more than just those two.

The game is a blast, and is absolutely gorgeous. Seriously, if anyone's planning on making the leap to an HDTV, get one that does SD very well because it's worth it. I mentioned it to my sister time and again, that it's like I'm playing with a piece of art. The timecycle, battles, dialogue, character art, etc... Incredible, really.

Which also pisses me the fuck off, since I'm going into this knowing that Okami won't have any possibility of a sequel nor of a title with a similar approach/art style. If the game gets better from where I currently am (after 2nd Waka fight, have to go to Kusa) then I'll make sure to get a second copy for safe keeping/collector's purposes.

There's nowhere I can't reach.

Originally Posted by PiccoloNamek

Sorry, I didn't read your post closely enough. I also forgot that there was more than one fang trader. Oh well. You'll find the second one soon enough, and more gold powder there as well.

As for the knife lady, wait until night time, when the moon is out, jump down the hole, and drag her into the light.

The problem is, she's asleep, and the only interactive option it gives me is Listen. I knew that was all I had to do, but the game isn't letting me do it. Thanks for the info on the gold dust, I want to power up that reflector I got from that spider thing (that fight was confusing for a bit, and then it went by like nothing).

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Damn right. It's like a living sumi-e painting.

What really gets me is how well every thing is animated. The world is just unbelievably cohesive, it doesn't really take you out of it at any point (at least so far).

This thing is sticky, and I don't like it. I don't appreciate it.

Originally Posted by PiccoloNamek

In that case, you should go ahead and go to Kusa village and fix the problem there. A certain quest needs to be activated before you can mess with the old lady again.

Ah, I figured as much. I think I got everything in Taka Pass, though I might have missed a demon gate or two, like I did in Shinshu field when I went back there exploring.

Originally Posted by BlueBomber

And just so you know, you have plenty more gold dusts that you will be able to get as you progress the game. Isn't there just enough gold dusts to max out every weapon in the game?

Nice, that's good to hear, since I didn't want to find out that I'd used some limited resource on two weapons (apparently, early ones going by the equipment menu).

Most amazing jew boots

Originally Posted by SouthJag

I've acquired every single gold dust possible, and it's left me with two weapons I can't upgrade -- the Tundra Beads and the Solar Flare reflector, the most powerful weapons of their type.

....Whoa. So should I say 2 Gold Dust for those two and neglect some other weapons?

I was speaking idiomatically.

So, to avoid missing out on upgrading my weapons, which two shops should I avoid buying them from until I have those two?

What kind of toxic man-thing is happening now?

Originally Posted by SouthJag

Oh, you can buy/acquire all the Gold Dusts you want to, by all means. Just don't upgrade two of your weapons until you get the final two. My advice is to not upgrade one of your swords and one of your reflectors. Reason being? Swords can be charged for uber-attacks, and reflectors are best kept as shields and not weapons, therefore their damage rating doesn't need to be considered. Soooo leave out one sword and one reflector.

Damn it, I've already upgraded all the reflectors (and with the new Mirror tech, they do a ridiculous amount of damage, and quickly too) that I have (Sun, Beast and Infinity), the first beads and I think the second. I don't think I've upgraded any swords.

BTW, I think they're not all that good. The uber attack's damage can be outdone by that double shield equip, since I tried it on those new red scroll enemies that have been showing up.

Hopefully I haven't screwed up and left myself with 2 weapons left hanging.

FELIPE NO

Originally Posted by PiccoloNamek

Even if you did, you can upgrade them later when you start your new game +.

....Holy shit. This game just keeps giving and giving. I just passed the even where you earn Tsukuyomi. Man, I loved the music in that dungeon and the fight against that boss. But that was earlier yesterday, now (as I said before) I bought all the stuff I could in the Dojo aside from that ridiculously expensive technique at the bottom.

Thanks for the info though, Piccolo. Definitely lets me be at ease with the whole upgrading business. I'm split though, should I focus on getting more health or ink?

What, you don't want my bikini-clad body?

Hey, can anyone give any hints on how to draw that Kanji symbol over in the Capital.

Jam it back in, in the dark.

Originally Posted by PiccoloNamek

Are you doing the side quest with the little girl who keeps drawing stuff? Be sure your stroke order is correct.

Strike order? I keep it at 4.

1. First horizontal line, the longest one
2. The second horizontal line, the short one
3. Left downstroke starting from the middle of the first line down and to the left
4. Right downstroke starting from the middle of the second line down and to the right

That's 4, just like the demonstration the little girl's thought bubble gives, and I keep doing it and nothing. I'm wondering if the thickness has to be just right, or maybe the space between the lines is too small (or too big?). Sadly, this is probably something I'll never get to finish because I've searched and there doesn't seem to be a picture of a player-made version that I could copy.

I'm not kidding, I tried doing it about sixty or seventy times, and each time come up empty. It doesn't help that the guy blabbers on before/after each attempt.

There's nowhere I can't reach.

Originally Posted by PiccoloNamek

Well, it took me several tries to get it as well. It's certainly not impossible. Whatever you do, don't give up. You absolutely must get all of the stray beads on your first playthrough.

All I want is some sort of hint or anything to tell me when I close to drawing the symbol correctly. I'm already drawing the brushstrokes in the correct order, but it sems like the game is being nitpicky about some part of it. That's the irritating part, not knowing where you're screwing up.

Oh and...

Spoiler:

I just did that whole thing with the Dragon Palace/Evil Rao/Oni Island/Ninetails. That whole part was amazing, and the dungeon was actually pretty fun. A few questions though:

1. How long was the Ninetails impersonating Rao? Was it ever since we saw it in the Dragon Orb or farther back? From what I figured out, the real Rao's been dead for years since there's a lady in line who mentioned how she had always been that beautiful even from way back. Plus the whole deal with the ship supports this too.

2. Are there any missable beads? I don't think I got all the treasures on the island. So the beads don't carry over into the next game?

This thing is sticky, and I don't like it. I don't appreciate it.

Originally Posted by PiccoloNamek

The beads do carry over, but the prize you get for getting all of them is so awesome, you don't want to have to do a second playthrough just to get them all.

I do not believe there are any missable beads. They are all either in the overworld or in areas that you can return to later. (Or from sidequests.)

Minor, non storyline spoiler:

When you go to get this bead:



Be prepared for the fight of your life! Puts Yiazmat to shame. Bring lots of Golden Peaches.

Ah, got it. Don't worry about that challenge, Piccolo. I blindly walked into one those things when I first got to Ryoshima, and didn't get killed. Some enemies are fucking bastards though, as in they wallop you something fierce.

Thanks for the heads up on the beads. That finally got me to stop worrying about it, as I've been doing while playing. Oh, I have 4 Gold Dust right now (from the wanted monsters lists), do I get any more? I was counting the weapons and all I need is a few more until I can upgrade what I have and still have some left over for the rest.

How ya doing, buddy?

Originally Posted by PiccoloNamek

The final spider cave is nothing like those. It is harder than anything you have seen. It took me nearly an hour to beat it, I used 13 Golden Peaches, all of my astral pouches, all of my inkfinity stones, and just barely scraped by with 3 health units left at the end. The attacks never stop, and you're constantly bringing up the canvas just to deflect all of the projectiles. You're lucky to even get a chance to attack. The enemies have a huge amount of health and take very little damage. It is by far the most difficult part of an otherwise fairly easy game.

Jesus, sounds like madness. I'm guessing there must be more projectile-happy enemies coming up, eh? That was the only "round" in the one I did that gave me trouble. Looks like I've got something to spend my money on now. How many peaches/stones/godly charms do you think I should bring?

I was speaking idiomatically.

I found the symbol online (it's the one on the right):


http://japanese.about.com/bl50kanji5_tengoku.htm

What the hell, I just copied that thing down to the shape/size and strokes the game is giving me and... nothing. I'll say it right here: I'll probably complete that final challenge before I get this right.

What kind of toxic man-thing is happening now?

Originally Posted by PiccoloNamek

You know, I think I may play through to the City again, just to help you out. I have the super secret ultra power up with me, so it won't take long at all.

Thank God. This, a like 5 or 6 other beads are all that I need to finish the stray bead search. I've been sitting here for a good hour and a half, maybe two, just repeating what the little girl has in her thought bubble. Still coming up empty. I try the one I posted above, which is literally the exact same thing, nothing. If I were one of those folks, I'd say something's wrong with my game.

Oh and I found out that there's a way to completely drain the challenge out of the continuous Demon Gates. Have everything else (Peaches, stones, etc..) but get a ton of vengeance slips and steel fist sake. From how it was explained to me, if you have enough, you're essentially super-powered and invincible.

Sounds like hot stuff, but the only downside to this is that it's extremely costly to use it (since the slips and sake cost a ton).

FELIPE NO

Originally Posted by BlueBomber

Weird...I swear I got this on my first time. It's the one on the right you say? I could have sworn it looked a lot more like the one on the left...maybe I still have a save from around there. I'll check it out.

Whoops, you're right BB. It's the one on the left. That's why I'm baffled as to why something so simple could hold me up so badly, especially when I've been replicating both the example AND her thought bubble over-and-over again.

How ya doing, buddy?

Originally Posted by PiccoloNamek

Fear not, Metal Sphere, for we Occuria have chosen you, and you alone. Now take this helpful quicktime video, and use it to destroy Venat. Or solve the Kanji puzzle, if you want.

http://www.sendspace.com/file/wx27tu

Heh, thanks. But it says the download link's been updated, but that there's an error or something. SouthJag, I only have these left:

48 - The one Piccolo's helping me on now
65 - This one I'll tackle before the other one
79 - Doing this one right after #65, after considerable stealing+battling for enough money/horns for Peaches/Stones/Steel Soul-Steel Fist items.

Question:

Stray Bead challenge/weapon spoilers:

What weapon setups did you guys go in there with? I stick with dual mirrors because, as the game says, the offensive/defensive setup is fantastic. The perfect counter is a nice way to avoid damage, and after all the relevant dojo training, the combos are savage especially when you're abusing an enemy with Steel Fist+Vengeance+Mist. I tested that out on the Bandit Spider in #65's cave. This thing went down fast. With the amount of each I'm already nearing, and considering the long effect time of vengeance and inkfinity, I should be in the green, right?

There's no Brown Rage/White Fury using bastards in there, right?

Most amazing jew boots

Originally Posted by PiccoloNamek

Really? I'll try again then.

Yeah, I clicked the download link and it opens another window and says something about an error and the file being updated.

How ya doing, buddy?

Originally Posted by PiccoloNamek

Ok, let's try this:

http://www.sendspace.com/file/vxax7b

Edit: Verified functional.

HOLY SHIT.

Not two seconds pass after I saw your symbol (dear god, where did it say the two horizontal lines had to be that far apart?), I nail it. Jesus, you don't know how fucking grateful I am to get this out of the way.

Now, I'm off to slaughter some folks over in K-land, and get enough money/items (50 of each, maybe 60) to last me in that uber-challenge.

Originally Posted by SouthJag

Metal, I'm using a sword/shield combo. Having the sword as a primary weapon lets you abuse the charge attack easily, and the shield as a secondary weapon still lets you use that counter ability. Uber damage can be done with two swords equipped, since you can charge them both simultaneously.

The problem with the swords is that they're entirely too slow. I don't know if it's because of their size, but they take far longer to inflict damage than a Mirror/Mirror combo. I mainly use that one because of the damage per second savagery that the dual mirror setup allows. It's not as fast as the beads, but they're much stronger and hit far faster than the next step up. Not to mention, I find any "downtime" in battle for holding buttons down/waiting for the glaive to swing dangerous, since it does leave you open a bit, without covering the much larger range of the mirrors.

Now if I was going one-on-one with an enemy? I'd go with the glaive, though I'd use a certain brush technique to negate its slow attack speed.

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I rarely use rosaries except when my godhood runs out. Those bead weapons allow for long chains, and high combo chains restore godhood.

I don't use them at all, as they don't stun, and it only seems to embolden enemies. If I lose godhood while fighting, it's just a notice telling me that I need to pay more attention/stop fucking up. I don't think running out will be a problem with a good supply of slips.

This thing is sticky, and I don't like it. I don't appreciate it.

Originally Posted by PiccoloNamek

LOL, no problem. I had a bunch of cheats turned on, so it only took me a few minutes to get into the city. Good luck with the Waka/Nagi/Evil Rao clone challenge.

Ah, I see. I was wondering if I had put you though too much trouble just help me out, and here you are zooming through. I've upgraded everything completely and all I need is 3 more Sun Fragments for my final piece of health, any ideas where they might be?

One more thing: Do you get rated in this game? Like deaths, money, etc? I played FFXII thinking you might get rated because there was a lot of potential stats to track, but that turned out to be wrong. I guess I assumed that since Tales of the Abyss rates you (monsters, time, money, battles,etc).

How ya doing, buddy?

Originally Posted by PiccoloNamek

Well, relatively speaking. All in all, it took me about an hour, I'd say. I still had to do the Lucky Hammer quest, and kill Blight, and some other random stuff.

....

In an hour? Holy shit, you must be using some insane cheats to manage all that that quickly. Still it still sees like a bit of a chore.

story spoiler:

How'd you like chilling with Evil Rao, now that you know? Oh and what story twists really struck you? For me so far, it'd have to be Susano and his chickenshit self actually killing Orochi, the whole Rao business and Himiko getting killed. That last one really surprised me, since I figured this game wouldn't actually off someone. I'm amazed there wasn't any funeral scene and that only a few of the NPCs actually acknowledged her death.

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Yes. Battles, money, praise, deaths, all that good stuff. Ratings range from a dead, wilted tree, to a cherry tree in full bloom.

Wow, then I must have an A+++ grade or something, because I have an immense amount of battles under my belt (never ran away) as well as monsters killed. Praise, I'm worried about. Is getting enough to fill all your bars enough?

Damn, I've got to get these last two beads to see what I got.

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You know, I read in a FAQ that when drawing that kanji symbol, the biggest thing you have to make sure of is the top horizontal line being larger than the middle one. Not that any of this is relevant, as you already completed it.

That's what all the ones I checked kept saying. None mentioned the distance between the first line and the second, which seemed to be the grand salvation Piccolo delivered unto me (and anyone stuck on the damn kanji).

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I realize that the dual reflectors is probably the most effective combo, but I hold true to my heart - I am, and always will be, a sword whore. Plain and simple.

Oh, no doubt. Sometimes I just feel like using the swords because they're just awesome to see in action. It's just that I'm used to a fluid/responsive combat feel.

I was speaking idiomatically.

Originally Posted by PiccoloNamek

I started a new game with all of the brush techniques already available, so I only did what I absolutely had to, and nothing else.

Heh, you must've blazed through the game, since I remember taking forever to get to the city. Your brush techniques carry over?

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Best story moments?

Spoiler:

Well, I really liked that whole Dragon Palace scene, but I'll be damned if there was one thing that scared the shit outta me during the game, it was when you're near the Dragon Palace and swimming around in the water...

BAM!

Giant sea dragon swallows your furry white ass. Holy hell.

Spoiler:

Heh, after that whole Rao incident and the dragon trying to eat us on the way back to shore, I didn't go out to sea unless I was on Orca. What spooked me was heading into the Dragon Garden and wondering where it was only to get startled by the snoring/growling and gaping maw right in front of me.

Quote:

Edit: Wanted to add that I acquired the last Stray Bead I needed to before completing the game (still on my first run. I put it down for a while once I realized the only thing I had left to do was collect the beads), and it was a bitch to get.

Spoiler:

Had to race Kai through Yoshpet. She can run faster than Ammy can at her fastest speed! Only way I could beat her was to use a few Vengeance Slips -- those things kept me fromgetting hurt when running into the vine walls and even though I took damage, it kept me from getting frozen for a couple seconds when I ran into snowballs/ice spikes/stalagmites.

Spoiler:

Heh, that was the 4th one I needed outside of the three I posted above. It was a breeze, I just went through the entirety of Yoshpet (normal and inner) and purified the trees and generally memorized the layout. Since the race only takes place in the first 3 screens before Ponc'tan, that wasn't too hard. The trees throw way faster than back in Agata, but once they're bloomed, you have much less to worry about.

I will say this though, there's 3 massive shortcuts and a small one in the first screen. The other 2 are in the final map, simply jump when you see the wooden stakes in the ground and you literally leap over a gigantic section that normally you'd run. Once you hit the ground you see another bunch of stakes, jump over these and it's a hop and a skip away from the end. The other one is in the giant snowball map, right at the section where a ton come streaming down, stick to the right all and there's another convenient cut.

You're right about her being ridiculously fast, but with this I managed to catch up to her from two screens back the first time I screwed up. The next time? She was nowhere to be found.

Of course, the only thing keeping me from some awesome time was the damn purple vine crap. I have the jumping/timing skills of a pregnant cow, so I'd often mess up there.

BTW, I finished the final challenge thing before heading off to bed. I even semi-timed the whole affair.

• First Round, 4:49-4:55
• Second Round, 4:56-4:59
• Third Round, 5:00-5:02
• Fourth Round, 5:03-5:06
• Fifth Round, 5:07-5:11
• Sixth Round, 5:11-5:16
• Seventh Round, 5:16-5:18
• Eighth Round, 5:18-5:21
• Ninth Round, 5:21-5:25
• Tenth Round, 5:25-5:31

With Piccolo's help, I got #48 and I pulled off #65 as a quickie before hitting the sack. So now I have all the beads, and if I have time later today, I'll wrap Okami up (not really, I'm probably going to replay this game several times).

This is using the Steel Fist+Slips, so this is nothing compared to the feat you guys accomplished. The last few are ridiculous.

Spoiler:

The Waka and Evil Rao round? What the hell, the Wakas are brutal (constant sword spamming) and Rao constantly does that evasive roll (Nagi does the same too). The fifth round, BTW, was just some Bull Chargers, IIRC.

What kind of toxic man-thing is happening now?

Originally Posted by SouthJag

Spoiler:

The worst thing about that particular Demon Gate was Nagi. Especially the multiple clones. 4 Nagi's all spamming that flaming, homing sword technique? Hard as hell to dodge.

I was there was a way to extend the Mist technique. Certainly would've helped. 4 seconds is crap. ; ;

Yeah, it's entirely too short but, it's also too easy to abuse even at its current setting. Maybe 6 seconds would be a nice medium, but that'd be ages for a monster.

Spoiler:

Yeah, his sword "missiles" was the #1 spammed move towards the end of that. His clones essentially did nothing more than use that irritating roll dodge like the Evil Raos, and the sword thing.

It didn't help that he had absolutely immense defenses. Even with the steel soul thing going, the damage being inflicted wasn't exactly spectacular. Heck, I even switched to a sword, but found he didn't take that much more damage. Again, I have to give it to you guys who did it the old fashioned way.

Me? If the enemy is coming rigged, so will I.

Edit: Just beat the game! Wow, that was great. Anyone have a link to the ending track? I was surprised that 1. it wasn't like most of the music in the game and 2. it had vocals, but it actually worked very well. I'll put some thoughts on the ending later.

Spoiler:

I got Karmic Transformers 1-9, is that all of them? I also got a stray bead, and a nice looking one at that, which created a necklace. Haven't checked out the new file yet, though.

How ya doing, buddy?

Originally Posted by PiccoloNamek

That necklace is the most awesome thing in the whole game. Open up your clear game file and check it out. And yes, you got all of the karmic transformers on the first try.

Spoiler:

How did you like the part where the world was offering its prayers to Ammy? I nearly cried during that part. I'm a big softy.

Yeah, I was definitely surprised with how awesome it is. Secrets in games have been meh for a long time now, glad to see Clover wasn't afraid to award you for all that trouble. BTW, what the hell does the Karmic Transformer #2 do? A lot of them are ridiculous, and that last one is... very odd to see in a heavily stylized game.

Spoiler:

The prayer thing reminded me of FFX and all of Spira singing the hymn of the faith to calm Sin down. It was really well done, I thought, for a game where the main character doesn't speak. One scene I that was pretty sad was the one after you defeat Yami's first form and Ammy "sees" old Issun asking for the howl, only to have him disappear. The sorrowful howl after was definitely tugging at my heartstrings, so you're not alone fellow softie!

Where was the F, D, C, B, A and S rating thing at the end? I never caught sight of the trees (only the ones given to me after the final Yami fight) and the next thing after the credits and all was me getting the Karmic tranformers (it went down the list, Deaths, etc..)

Oh, and the art on the disc? I have to have it. Direct me to where I can pick it up. I love both of Orochi's pieces, Yami's is nice too. Did you see the things they cut from the game? I would've loved to see where the Restoration Shrine, Deshima (city/town) would've been. Seeing that they had planned on a town for the Dragon Palace kind of makes me wish it hadn't been snipped, since it would've given that area a whole lot more appeal/relevance/etc...

One final thing: They left the game completely open for a fucking sequel. I was turn between glee at finishing such an awesome game, and realizing that all their hinting towards another title would produce anything.

What, you don't want my bikini-clad body?

Originally Posted by PiccoloNamek

Spoiler:

The saddest part for me was when the little sister of that atheist lady (the one who was standing under Sakuya) said something like "Is that doggy crying somewhere?" Aw!

Are you sure you didn't skip it? When I beat the game, at the very end, after all of the credits, I got a ranking screen.

Speaking of Yami, just what is Yami anyway? The machine, or the fish/seal thing inside? Both? Is the machine using the organic being as some sort of magic source, or does the organic part control the machine from the inside?

One word: Kaguya. She is clearly a member of the Lunar tribe, just like Waka. If there was a sequel, she would certainly feature in it. She left in the rocket and we never heard from her again, so she would be perfect for a sequel.

Spoiler:

Oh, that one was up there, but the one where Ammy howls after realizing Issun was never there (did you notice that when you used Mist, you could see the folks who died during the adventue. I caught Rao, for example). It may have been that Yami made that illusion to distract/dishearten Amaterasu. Or maybe it was just being used to Issun after so long.

I mentioned in the post before that I did get something that had Deaths (0), Enemies Defeated (1756), Money earned (9 million), Demon Fangs earned (~660). Was that it? After each of those I got a little goofy wolf icon, ones that greatly resemble the karmic transformer icons I have now.

I guess I never saw the tree, thought it must've been blossoming if I got everything. The bead surprised me though.

Not only that, but Waka's apparently the only one who stayed and helped Amaterasu fight Orochi, essentially the original chosen one. The rest of the Moon Tribe apparently foretold of this event and left the celestial plain and went to a place called the Lunar Realm or something. Notice how Kaguya was called to that ship and departed before the world started turning to shit, aka before the Day of Darkness.

The way the game ended, with them closing in on the Celestial Plain, and a ton of red/bold text mentioning brand new things/places/peoples all point to a sequel having been in mind.

Jam it back in, in the dark.