A sequel to the award-winning, critically acclaimed PS2 adventure title Okami is on the way to the Nintendo DS! 

So far, the sequel, Okamiden: Chiisaki Taiyo, or Okami Chronicles: Tiny Sun, looks great. 

Here’s the official trailer; see for yourself:

IGN’s 2006 Game of the Year, Okami was a terrific title with engrossing, Zelda-esque gameplay, gorgeous, Japanese watercolor-influenced graphics, smooth flowing animation, and a massive storyline that drew deeply from Japanese mythology and folklore.   (Also, one of the very last games I ever purchased!)

Although the game sold only 200,000 copies in its initial release (by comparison, Batman: Arkham Asylum, released less than a month ago has already sold more than 2 million copies), Okami was universally praised and well-received by the gaming community as a whole. 

Due to the disproportionately low sales given the industrywide accolades the game received, a follow-up, while eagerly anticipated by fans, was thought to be out of the question.  However last year’s rerelease of the game for the Nintendo Wii (read more about the Wii version of Okami here) and its favorable reception may have helped convince Capcom’s higher-ups that an Okami sequel was worth pursuing, albeit in a scaled down, portable format.

I’ve always felt that the paintbrush gameplay mechanic introduced in Okami (as Amaterasu, players are able to wield a Celestial Brush and paint onscreen to create various in-game effects) would be perfectly suited to the Nintendo DS stylus and touchscreen. 

Here’s a pic of the game’s protagonist, Chibiterasu:

Aw.

The original starred the Sun Goddess Amaterasu in the guise of a white wolf.  Here’s the cover of the PS2 release with Amaterasu looking particularly fierce:

Here’s a screenshot from the sequel:

Apparently, at least one of the original’s colorful cast of characters, Sakuya, the wood sprite, is returning for the sequel.

Here’s the logo:

And finally, another pic of Chibiterasu:

You know, just because the lil’ guy’s so darn cute!