__
.~' `---.--- .'./' ,~--`-.--._
| _.- / /.' | |
\_.--.__.-' | | \_ _.~'
/ / .--__ `. /
_-'_ / / \. \ \ |
_.-' `._ / .' / \ |/
.' `. .' .' / /\ \ //
/ ._ .--`. \ / _.---. / _`-- \ \\
/ .' `' \ \ / /_.-' | / / `--- \ .`- ||
| | | | | .' \ / \ \ | \ .-_ |
| | | | / .__.-'. `. ' `-.\ / | / \ \\
\ `-______--' | / | \ \ / \.' / ||
\ _/ _.' .' `._.' / |\ /| | ||
`--.______.-' .-' / .' / `--/ | | ||
/ _.-' .-' _/ !.' ||
`-._.' `---' .-' `-_.'
| ',
\._ _-_/
`'
(Thanks to 1337mangamaster for the art!)
.==========================================================================.
|Okami FAQ/Walkthrough |
|Author: forweg |
|Version: 1.00 |
|Started: 11/28/06 |
|Last Updated: 10/30/07 |
|E-mail: paridoxicallyidiotic@hotmail.com |
.==========================================================================.
.---------------------------------------------.
| Table of Contents |
.---------------------------------------------.
| |
|1. Intro |
|2. Controls |
|3. Game Basics |
|4. Walkthrough |
| 4.1 River of the Heavens |
| 4.2 Kamiki Village |
| 4.3 Shinshu Field (Cursed) |
| 4.4 Hana Valley |
| 4.5 Shinshu Field (Restored) |
| 4.6 Kamiki Village (Second Time) |
| 4.7 Agata Forest |
| 4.8 Tsuta Ruins |
| 4.9 Agata Forest (Post-Tsuta Ruins) |
| 4.10 Taka Pass |
| 4.11 Kusa Village (Cursed) |
| 4.12 The Cutters and Sasa Sanctuary |
| 4.13 Agata Forest (Return Trip) |
| 4.14 Shinshu Field (Return Trip) |
| 4.15 Kamiki Village (Return Trip) |
| 4.16 Gale Shrine |
| 4.17 Kusa Village (Post-Gale Shrine) |
| 4.18 Taka Pass (Post-Gale Shrine) |
| 4.19 Full Moon |
| 4.20 Moon Cave |
| 4.21 Festival |
| 4.22 City Checkpoint |
| 4.23 Ryoshima Coast |
| 4.24 Sei-an City (Cursed) |
| 4.25 Sunken Ship |
| 4.26 Imperial Palace |
| 4.27 Sei-an City (Revived) |
| 4.28 There and Back Again |
| 4.29 North Ryoshima Coast |
| 4.30 Catcall Tower |
| 4.31 Sail On, Sail On |
| 4.32 Watcher's Cape |
| 4.33 Dragon Palace |
| 4.34 Inside the Dragon |
| 4.35 Betrayal |
| 4.36 Oni Island |
| 4.37 Northward Bound |
| 4.38 Kamui |
| 4.39 Wep'keer |
| 4.40 Ezofuji |
| 4.41 Yoshpet |
| 4.42 Ponc'tan |
| 4.43 Inner Yoshpet |
| 4.44 Spirit Gate |
| 4.45 Wawku Shrine |
| 4.46 Backtracking through Nippon |
| 4.47 Ark of Yamato |
|5. Bonuses, Rankings, and New Game+ |
|6. Side Quests |
| 6.1 Wanted Lists |
| 6.2 Guardian Statues |
| 6.3 Blockhead Grande |
|7. Celestial Brush Techniques |
|8. Bosses |
|9. Items |
|10. FAQ |
|11. Contact Info |
|12. Version History |
|13. Legal Garbage |
|14. Credits |
-----------------------------------------------
Note: If you want to quickly find a certain section of the guide, use the
Find function (Ctrl+F). Then, enter the title of the section you're looking
for. For example, if you wish to find the Hana Valley section of the
walkthrough, enter "4.4 Hana Valley".
Also, if you wish to know the location of a specific stray bead, type the
number symbol (#) followed by that bead's number. For example, typing "#13"
leads to the location of Stray Bead #13.
============================================================================
1. Intro
============================================================================
Okami follows the dazzling adventures of the wolf/goddess Amaterasu through
the land of Nippon (Japanese for Japan). She is accompanied by a tiny green
sprite named Issun, who rides on her back. Issun can be somewhat compared to
Navi from Ocarina of Time, although he takes a much more central role in the
story. He is also the "voice" of Amaterasu in a sense, since she never
speaks.
The visuals of Okami seem to garner it more praise and attention than
anything else, and rightfully so. I know it sounds horribly cliched, but
they really do have to be seen to be believed. This CANNOT be called
cel-shading. It is something entirely unique.
Okami also seems to be frequently tagged as easy, perhaps too easy. I have
no clue where this comes from. Sure, it starts out rather light on the
difficulty, but the challenge level ramps up about a third of the way
through. Don't get me wrong, Okami is never insanely hard or anything, but I
certainly wouldn't call it easy either. In fact, I personally found it
harder than any 3D Zelda game.
Speaking of Zelda, I've often heard Okami called "the PS2 version of Zelda"
or "a Zelda clone". Puh-leeze. Where does this garbage come from? Sure, they
are both adventure games. Yeah, the player explores villages and dungeons in
both. Aside from minor or vague similarities, what else is there? Just stop.
(Little side-note: Amaterasu is featured in another PS2 game as well: Shin
Megami Tensei: Nocturne. She is portrayed as a floating woman with radiant
light surrounding her. Like with all of the "demons" in Nocturne, you can
fight her plus she can join you as an ally. She may be in other SMT games as
well, but I wouldn't know.
I adore Nocturne, so I just had to get a little plug in there. Both games do
feature mythology heavily.)
One more thing: Xenophobes and racists, steer clear. Just don't play the
game. You don't deserve to.
OK, enough rambling from me. Enjoy the game, and enjoy the guide!
============================================================================
2. Controls
============================================================================
X: Jump; Select on the menu screen
O: Talk; Examine things; Bark; Cancel on the menu screen
Square: Headbutt or dash; Attack; Paint with the Celestial Brush
Triangle: Dig; Bite something or someone; Use sub-weapon; Paint with thicker
strokes
Left Analog Stick: Walk or run; Move the cursor on the menu screen
Right Analog Stick: Control Camera
Control Pad: Move the cursor on the menu screen
L1: Press to change camera distance; Hold to change to first-person view
L2: Display Map
R1: Use Celestial Brush
R2: Use Fleetfoot skill (You must learn it first)
R3: Reset Camera
Select: Open Options Menu
Start: Open Fan Menu (which is basically the standard Pause Menu)
============================================================================
3. Game Basics
============================================================================
This section is going to be quite large, because there is just *so* much to
do in Okami!
.-------------.
| Exploration |
.-------------.
Okami's world of Nippon is a huge one, so you better be prepared for lots of
exploring.
Amaterasu will explore large, wide open plains, villages, dungeons and lots
of other areas. Many places will be blocked initially, and you'll either
need a special brush ability or a key or another item to enter them.
Like many modern adventure games, time progresses naturally in Okami. There
are many differences between day and night. People will appear in different
places, some animals may appear only during the day, and special places to
dig appear only at night.
You may sometimes grow weary of Ammy's slow trot. To speed up, press Square
to dash. Ammy will begin running much faster. Run a bit more, and she'll
break into a full sprint. This is handy for getting to places much more
quickly.
.---------.
| Jumping |
.---------.
Yep, even jumping gets its own section.
You start out with the regular jump, of course, plus a Wall Jump. To Wall
Jump, perform a normal jump by pressing X, then, while in contact with a
wall, press X to jump again. This allows you to jump twice as high as a
regular jump.
You also begin with the ability to jump, then press Square to dash in
mid-air. Doing this lets you reach slightly further distances. It doesn't
have an in-game name, so I'll call be calling it my own generic name: "Super
Jump". Creative, eh?
At a certain point in the game, you will have the opportunity to buy the
Double Jump (or "Holy Eagle", but meh, Double Jump is easier to remember,
right?). It is basically the same as the Wall Jump, except you don't need a
wall to use it. Plus, you can dash after the Double Jump too, so I'll call
that the "Super Double Jump".
.-----------------.
| Celestial Brush |
.-----------------.
The Celestial Brush is a very unique feature present in Okami. Hopefully you
will enjoy it, because you'll be using it quite often!
Press and hold the R1 button to freeze the world around you into a painting.
Press Square to paint with the brush, or Triangle for slightly thicker
strokes.
If you're ever stuck somewhere and don't know what to do, you most likely
need to use the Celestial Brush in some way.
.--------.
| Praise |
.--------.
Ammy will earn Praise for doing good deeds. Feeding animals, blooming trees,
restoring decayed environments, destroying Devil Gates, and many more
activities will earn Praise.
Praise sort of serves as the "experience points" of Okami, although it isn't
earned in battle. Praise is used to power up your four Divine Attributes.
They are health, ink, the Astral Pouch, and the purse.
Enhancing health, ink pots, or the Astral Pouch increases the maximum number
of each of these things you can have. Enhancing the purse increases the
maximum amount of money you can hold.
.--------------.
| Astral Pouch |
.--------------.
The Astral Pouch is an odd little implementation of 1UPs. Amaterasu can fill
the Astral Pouch by eating various types of food. Most food fills it only
one unit, but some types of food can fill it by as much as five units.
When the Astral Pouch reaches 200, it serves as an "extra life". In other
words, if Amaterasu dies with the Astral Pouch at 200, she'll be revived
with full health.
You start out with only one Astral Pouch, but can obtain more by enhancing
the appropriate Divine Attribute.
.-----------------.
| Feeding Animals |
.-----------------.
Amaterasu will come across a wide variety of wildlife on her adventure. The
animals can be fed Seeds, Herbs, Meat, or Fish. These portions of food can
either be bought from merchants for 500 Yen, or they can be found in jars
or other such things. Most animals prefer only one of the four types of
food, although some like more than one.
Ammy will earn Praise for feeding animals. Usually, the bigger the animal,
the more Praise earned. You can also check the Animal Tome on the Fan Menu
to see what percentage of each type of animal you've fed. If 100% is reached
for all animal types, you will obtain a nice reward.
Plus, little hearts will appear over the animals' heads after they've been
fed. Yay!
.---------.
| Digging |
.---------.
Ammy can dig a hole in the ground by rapidly pressing Triangle. Lights
shining onto the ground indicate where you should dig.
White lights only appear at night and indicate that a treasure chest is
below the ground. Green lights will appear at any time and mean that a Lucky
Clover (Clover Studio shoutout!) is below the ground.
Lucky Clovers need to be restored using the Bloom brush technique. Once
restored, they'll give Ammy a bit of Praise.
.---------------.
| Sun Fragments |
.---------------.
If you're at all familiar with the Legend of Zelda series, you should know
what Heart Pieces are. Well, Sun Fragments are extremely similar. Collect
three Sun Fragment, and Amaterasu will gain a new unit of Solar Energy.
.-------------.
| Stray Beads |
.-------------.
If you collect all 100 stray beads, you'll receive a very nice prize at the
end of the game. Some of them are quite far off the beaten path, so it is
quite a difficult goal to accomplish, especially if you're not using a guide
like this one.
This is their only use. If you don't plan on obtaining all 100 stray beads,
then there is no use in getting even one.
.--------.
| Saving |
.--------.
Saving is performed in Okami by stepping on something called the Origin
Mirror. This is a circular object on the ground with light shining out of
it. The game itself advises you to keep multiple save files, and I would
generally recommend doing this as well. You never know when you might
need a previous save for some wacky reason.
Origin Mirrors also fully restore your health and ink.
.--------.
| Combat |
.--------.
The vast majority of non-boss combat takes place with Demon Scrolls. They
can be found wandering all over Nippon. If Amaterasu comes into contact with
a Demon Scroll, she'll be forced into combat with multiple foes in an
arena-like environment.
These battles don't earn you any Praise. The only reward for fighting them
is Yen. You can earn more bonus Yen by defeating enemies quickly, and taking
as little damage as possible.
The combat itself is generally rather easy against Demon Scroll foes. You
can escape from these battles by finding cracks in the surrounding barrier
and breaking them. You should never really need to escape, though, unless
you're really low on health or something.
Avoiding Demon Scrolls isn't difficult at all. You will indeed probably find
yourself avoiding them quite frequently, as there just isn't enough of a
reward to merit fighting them. I recommend only initiating combat with them
when you desperately need some money, want to try out a new weapon, or just
feel like fighting.
.-------------------------.
| Weapons and Sub-Weapons |
.-------------------------.
Amaterasu will find MANY different weapons over the course of her journey.
Generally, the later the weapons are found, the stronger they are.
Gold Dust can be used to power up weapons. It can only be used once on each
weapon.
Sub-weapons can also be equipped, and can be used in battle by pressing
Triangle. Each weapon serves a different purpose as a sub-weapon. Some shoot
ink bullets, some are used as shields etc.
.-------------.
| Devil Gates |
.-------------.
Devil Gates are small, crude constructions that simply look evil. If you
enter one of them, you'll have to fight a series of fiends. These battles
are only slightly more difficult than normal ones. After defeating all
enemies, the local environment will be restored, Ammy will earn some Praise,
and a group of animals will appear.
.-------------.
| Demon Fangs |
.-------------.
Demon Fangs can be used to trade with a few special merchants for some nice
items. There are two ways to acquire them.
After a monster dies, it will temporarily be suspended in the air before
dying. While it is in the air, use a Power Slash on it to extract a Demon
Fang. Some, more powerful foes will hold more than one Demon Fang.
The other way to obtain them is screwing around with the loading screen. If
the screen is blank, rapidly tap X to make paws appear. Get enough, and
you'll receive your Demon Fang. If little paws start showing up at the
bottom of the screen, you need to press X just as they are about to appear
to make them bigger paws. Create a row of big paws, and the Demon Fang is
yours.
.---------.
| Godhood |
.---------.
Godhood acts as a shield, preventing Ammy from taking damage in battle.
Getting high combo counts (which are just consecutive attacks) or using
Traveler's Charms increases Godhood, while running from battles, taking
damage, drowning in water, or dying in cursed zones decreases Godhood.
The Godhood symbol appears at the lower-left corner of the screen during
combat only. A skull is the symbol for the negative Godhood level. The
positive levels appear as a wolf shape with a color surrounding it. From the
lowest to the highest, the colors are red, yellow, and green.
.-----------------.
| Mermaid Springs |
.-----------------.
Mermaid Spring allow you to teleport large distances instantly. A Mermaid
Spring is a small body of water with greenish-blueish light coming out. Toss
a Mermaid Coin into the spring to make the warp point appear.
Mermaid Coins can be bought from merchants for 1000 yen, but only after a
certain point in the game. Therefore, Mermaid Springs are not immediately
accessible.
============================================================================
4. Walkthrough
============================================================================
Yay, finally you were able to sift through all the crap to get to the good
stuff.
The purpose of this walkthrough is to provide a guide in getting through the
main game, while at the same time giving info on all possible bonuses and
side tasks. Collecting all stray beads, feeding all animals, obtaining all
unique treasures, etc.
I'll be including a handy checklist for every section of the game. These
checklists will consist of only the things that I consider important.
Things the checklists will include:
-Animals to feed (By the way, I'll be calling all animals "sets", even if it
is actually only one animal, for the sake of convenience.)
-Stray Beads
-Travel Guides
-Unique Treasures
-Rare, unique, or otherwise important items
-Divine Instruments (Weapons)
-Wanted Lists
-Devil Gates
Things the checklists won't include:
-Common items
-Common Treasures
-Maps
-Clovers
-Trees to bloom
-Miscellaneous Praise
This doesn't mean, however, that I won't include these things in the
walkthrough itself.
Lastly, if you see anything wrong with my walkthrough or anything missing
from it, don't be afraid to contact me! Spot a stray bead or animal(s) I
missed? Contact me! Find a common, crappy item or clover I missed? Contact
me! Notice a minor grammar or spelling error? Contact me! I can't stress
this enough.
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Important: One more thing I need to say here, after receiving several
confused e-mails. I use compass directions throughout the walkthrough. When
I say east, I mean the actual direction on the map (hold L2). East does NOT
mean right.
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
4.1 River of the Heavens
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
.------------------------------.
|River of the Heavens Checklist|
.------------------------------.
|*Astral Pouch |
|*Stray Bead #1 |
--------------------------------
Okami starts with a long, expository scene that explains the background of
the story. Yes, it may be a tad overly long, but if you plan on following
the story at all, you should pay attention. After a few more scenes, which
introduce Amaterasu, Issun, and Sakuya, you'll finally gain control. Go the
only way you can, through the light-filled opening. (Remember to try for
those Demon Fangs on the loading screens!)
Issun will explain some of the basic controls. This entire area is sort of
like a tutorial stage. After he's done, and after marvelling at the dazzling
environment around you, head forward towards the bridge. He'll start yapping
again, this time about Origin Mirrors, so go ahead and use this one to save.
I agree with Issun, you should keep at least two save files at all times,
just in case something goes wrong. Head on across the bridge.
Issun explains wall jumps. First, though, headbutt the jars in the area to
collect a bit of Yen. Now turn right, then north to find an unfenced area to
wall jump onto. Open the immediate treasure by headbutting it. Inside is a
Holy Bone S, the basic recovery item. Go north to a nearby broken bridge.
Issun fixes it for you, so cross.
On the other side, if you approach the stone sign, Issun will babble a bit
about the River of the Heavens. Ignore it for now, and go up the eastern
hill. A constellation shows up. Issun will explain how to use the Celestial
Brush, and commands you to fill in the missing star. Do so, it's very easy.
The god of restoration, Yomigami, appears to give you his power. Yippee!
Run down to the river, and fill it in using your new power. It helps if you
press Triangle (and press it hard!) to make thicker strokes. You'll still
probably need to fill it in multiple times. Once you're across, open the
obvious treasure chest to acquire the Astral Pouch. You can find food to
fill it with in some nearby jars. Proceed through the big, shiny opening.
You'll be at the base of a long, elevating pathway. Just follow the path
until you reach a bridge connecting the Fountain of Nagi, but don't cross
it yet. You see that big waterfall nearby? Well, swim to an alcove to the
right (east) of the waterfall. Open the treasure chest on the alcove for
your first bead (Stray Bead #1). Now you can cross the bridge. Continue
along the path, up the stairs, and into the Cave of Nagi.
After a bit of dialogue from Issun, head further into the cave. You should
notice that the big statue of Nagi's sword is broken. Come on, you should
know what to do. Fill it in using your Rejuvenation skillz! Ooh, another
constellation. Replace the one missing star again.
Tachigami, another god, will grant you the Power Slash technique. Issun
forces you to slash a boulder in half, so do it by drawing a straight,
horizontal line. After more Issun chatter, follow the magical arrow and
slash those wooden posts down.
Outside, run back down the stairs. You can cut down trees now, if you like.
Once you reach the bottom of the steps, you'll get your first dose of combat
with two Green Imps. They are laughably easy. Just slash 'em and kill 'em.
Oh, but make sure you Power Slash them while they're dying in mid-air to
glean some Demon Fangs. After you're done laughing at how pathetic they
were, head all the way back down the pathway until you get into another
fight, which is exactly same as the last one. Yep, just as easy. Proceed
through the door.
Back at the River of the Heavens area, simply swim across the river and go
all the way back through the big, light-filled door you entered at the start
of the game.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
4.2 Kamiki Village
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
.------------------------------------------.
| Kamiki Village Checklist |
.------------------------------------------.
|*Animals to Feed: |
| *4 Sets of Sparrows (Seeds) (Day only) |
| *1 Set of Hares (Herbs) |
| *1 Set of Dogs (Meat) |
| *1 Set of Chickens (Seeds) |
|*Stray Bead #2 |
|*Rabbit Statue |
--------------------------------------------
Once you're back out in Hell, Power Slash that fruit hanging from the big
tree. It makes Kamiki Village all purty again.
Advance down the hill. When you reach the intersection, you'll see a "stone
statue". Oh dear, we've all seen this in video games before. Choose the
left path and proceed until you reach the wooden deck stretching to the
left. Go onto the far end of it and Issun will make a little comment. Okay,
great. Now go back, choose the other path this time, and head into the
actual village.
Hmm, seems old Kamiki isn't quite fully restored after all. Don't bother
going into any houses or anything yet, there's no point. There's an Origin
Mirror at the far side of the village (across the bridge) if you want to
save. Examine a few of the stoned people (teh lolz!) and Issun will
recommend "going to a high place". Ugh, time to go back to the "sacred
deck".
Once you're there, Issun whines about there being no sun. If only a sun god
was around... Just draw a circle in the sky to make a WW2-era Japanese flag,
er, I mean the sun. Mr. Orange drops by to say some stuff, just when three
evil, vicious Green Imps attack! Nope, sorry guys, adding one to your
numbers still doesn't make you tough. Clobber those foos to earn your first
twenty Praise points.
Open the chest right in front of Ammy for a Feedbag (Seeds). And whaddya
know, a flock of sparrows are located right at the top of the nearby hill.
Feed them the seeds you just obtained to receive 5 Praise.
Run down the hill to the intersection. Talking to the guy in the weird mask
named Kumoso leads you into a fight. Be sure to fight his imps quickly
enough so that he congratulates you. It's important for later.
At about the starting point to the right (west) path, tilt the camera
upwards to see some wooden beams located below the deck where you met Mr.
Orange. Two treasure chests lie atop the beams.
The first one isn't too difficult to reach, but does take a bit of skill.
Wall jump off of the wall to the left of the beams, and onto a beam right
across from the lowest treasure. Then, perform a regular jump as far as
possible onto the beam with the treasure chest. Trust me, you will NOT go
too far (unless you accidently run off after reaching the beam). Open the
chest for Stray Bead #2. (Be careful not to fall off while opening it!)
Getting to the second chest is considerably harder. Get back to the first
beam you were on, the one across from the first chest. You need to wall jump
using the nearby mountain wall. The second jump needs to be directly back
from the first, to the beam right above the original beam. The reward this
time is Glass Beads.
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Correction: There is actually a much, much easier way to open the two
mentioned chests. Simply Power Slash them. Thanks to a couple of GameFAQs
message board posters for informing me of this. I cannot remember the names,
sorry.
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Progress into the actual village. You can play a little mini-game here in
the turnip field. Dig up a turnip, and Mushi's Mama will slowly come over
and try to beat you! Cover her with ink to delay her, and continue to dig up
turnips. You need to get all ten before either getting hit or leaving the
field. Pick up the last one and give it to Mushi, who is located to the
right of the field with his dog. He'll reward Ammy with 7 Praise.
You can now enter the houses on the other side of the street. There isn't
much in them, though, other than a bit of food and Yen. Talk to Kushi, who
is working in a field between two houses. Speak to her multiple times, and
she'll babble about Susano.
To the left of the village bridge Mrs. Orange is doing her laundry. Speak to
her a few times and she'll complain that her drying pole is missing. Well,
that looks like a perfect job for us. Draw a line connecting the two posts
and she'll hang the laundry. But now she whines that the sun isn't shining
brightly. Gee, hard to figure out what to do, eh? Make her a sun. She will
reward you with 7 Praise, plus she'll invite you to her house for some
cherry cakes at night. They really fill the old Astral Pouch.
Now cross the bridge, and continue along the path until you reach (what
would be) the village exit. Speak to the merchant trying to remove the giant
boulders, and a Red Imp, along with two of his green buddies, will attack!
Red Imps are slightly trickier than the green ones, because they'll often
block you with their instruments. Just Power Slash them when they do this,
though, and the Red Imps aren't much of a problem.
30 Praise, nice! Looks like you can enhance a Divine Attribute now. I
strongly suggest Solar Energy (health). The merchant will ask for you to
retrieve Susano. Let the magical arrow guide you to him (Go into his house,
break the big jar to the far right, and drop down into the basement).
Headbutt the buffoon and listen to his nonsense.
It seems Susano enjoys riding Ammy. Carry him back to the merchant by the
boulders for a scene. Follow the coward to his training ground behind his
house. He'll mumble something about sake, so go back and talk to Kushi, the
sake brewer, still working in her field. She's upset that her water mill is
broken.
The water mill is located a bit to the east of Kushi. Just use rejuvenation
to fill in the top half. Follow Kushi into her house (right beside the water
mill) and speak to her again. She'll offer Ammy some sake, so pick it up and
head back to Susano.
After he drinks his sake, talk to Susano again. Slash the dummies and the
rock with your brush right after Susano does the same with his sword. He'll
gain the courage to slash the boulders blocking the exit, so do the same
thing here. Susano takes all the credit for what you did. Get used to it,
you'll be dealing with this nuisance a lot. Sakuya shows up as well, and
marks some Gaurdian Saplings on your map.
You may now exit Kamiki and continue on your quest, but there's lots still
left to do in the village. First off, the merchant has opened up his shop
right beside the exit. Sell the Glass Beads if you got them, because
treasures never, ever have any other purpose than to be sold. Buy some
Feedbags. Buy at least 4 Seeds, 1 Herb, and one Meat. You don't need any
Fish for now.
We'll start out by feeding the animals in the village. Run a bit northwest
of the merchant stand to find some hares wandering around a plant-filled
area. Feed them herbs. Now go behind Susano's house to the right of his
training ground to find some sparrows. They like seeds, and also note that
sparrows appear only during the day.
Next, return to Mushi beside the turnip field and feed his dog some meat.
You'll also find some sparrows in the turnip field itself, so feed them too.
Now go directly west from the turnip field to find some chickens in between
two houses. Feed them seeds. Finally, go back to the intersection with the
weird mask guy to find more sparrows to feed. Whew, that's all the animals
in Kamiki Village.
Now I'll list the buried treasures, as well as other miscellaneous
treasures. Please remember, the buried ones only show up at night! They
appear as white lights shining down onto the ground. You need to dig them
up.
Important Note: I actually realized later that I was incorrect about this.
The buried treasures can be dug up at any time, but are just much easier to
see at night.
Traveler's Charm (Buried): Near Kumoso, at the intersection
Dragonfly Bead (Buried): Located on the turnip field
Wooden Bear (Buried): Located on the western island, away from the village
Dragonfly Bead: It's located on the same island, behind the big rock
Vase: Underwater, beside Kushi's field. Power Slash the chest to open it.
Glass Beads: Underwater, just north of the village bridge
Rabbit Statue: Underwater, right beside the Glass Beads
Okay, that's all there is to do in Kamiki for now. It may be a wise idea to
buy more feedbags before leaving, especially seeds. Exit the village.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
4.3 Shinshu Field (Cursed)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
.--------------------------------.
|Shinshu Field (Cursed) Checklist|
.--------------------------------.
|*Nothing yet |
----------------------------------
This place is in bad shape right now. Don't step in the evil-looking areas,
because you'll die if you stay there long at all.
Advance down the linear pathway and Issun will comment on the pathetic state
of the Guardian Sapling in the area. Nothing can be done about it now,
though. Personally, I always try to avoid the Demon Scrolls wandering
around. The extra Yen just isn't worth the annoyance. Your choice, though.
When you reach an intersection of the path, go left (north). Just keep
following this path until you reach the Nameless Man's house. Talk to him if
you like, and continue across the little wooden bridge. On the other side,
turn left (northwest) into what looks like a big cave opening.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
4.4 Hana Valley
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
.-------------------------------------------.
| Hana Valley Checklist |
.-------------------------------------------.
|*Animals to feed: |
| *1 Set of Boars (Seeds) |
| *1 Set of Boar Piglets (Seeds) |
| *1 Set of Monkeys (Anything but Herbs) |
|*Stray Bead #11 |
|*Sun Fragment |
|*Travel Guide: Greensprout Tips |
|*Travel Guide: Digging Tips |
---------------------------------------------
There's an Origin Mirror right there at the beginning, so save. Progress
down the linear path, pick up a Traveler's Charm from the chest, and cross
the log bridge. You'll find some imps partying. Kill the hooligans.
Head through the small tunnel, and on the other side you'll run into your
first Evil Tree. They throw fruit at you, which takes away some health.
Power Slash their fruit right back at them, and run by while they're
stunned. Continue along the path, fighting off more evil trees on the way,
and cross the long, wooden bridge.
Turn right at the junction to run into a Yellow Imp and friends. You have to
wait until he comes above ground to hurt him. Finish them off. Great, the
charming Susano is here, too. Examine the big mural to the north. Issun
points out that something is missing. Indeed. Draw a sun where the sun
should be in the picture. The path to Susano's hiding place opens.
Go the same way Susano did, wall jumping when necessary. Head into the room
with the tiny sapling. Nothing to do here yet, so cut down the posts barring
the western entrance. Enter, and save at the Origin Mirror. Advance further
to find Susano and a foul beast. Cut the four torches and the beast, just as
you did last time when dealing with Susano. Sweet justice, foul beast!
After Susano leaves, you should notice a crystal sphere. Roll it all the way
into the room with the tiny sapling. You should see a little pool of water
above and to the north of the sapling. Roll the sphere up one of the ramps
leading up there, and into the pool of water. It will begin elevating like a
fountain.
Go north as far as possible to see a small chunk of sky. Draw a sun there
and tada! the sapling grows, plus a constellation appears. Fill out the
constellation (two missing stars this time).
Sakigami grants you the power to Bloom. So, draw a circle around the
withered Guardian Sapling to restore the whole Hana Valley. Lotsa nice
Praise, too. Return through the south exit, and down the path to area with
the mural.
After disposing of some imps, feed the boar and boar piglets seeds. If you
don't have any seeds, remember to feed them later. Exit south, past the
waterfalls. As Issun advises, after stunning the Evil Trees, you may now
finish them off by Blooming them. Be sure to do so.
Continue along until you come across a gloomy patch of grass. Try fill most
of it in, but especially the darker black areas. You'll receive Travel
Guide: Greensprout Tips for your efforts. Ignore the bridge, and go north to
find an Evil Tree in the corner. Bloom it.
Now cross the bridge. Progress down the path, making sure you bloom all Evil
Trees AND all regular withered trees along the way. Beat down some imps
through the cave tunnel, and feed the monkeys that appear in their place.
Monkeys will eat anything but herbs. Be sure to bloom all of the trees in
this area, too.
"Super jump" over to the little western island. The chest contains Travel
Guide: Digging Tips. Now, dig up the area where the green light is shining
down and bloom the clover for some Praise. Also, remember to bloom the
solitary tree on this island.
When you bloom all of the trees, a chest will appear in the mural area. It's
quite easy to miss a tree or two, so let's review. Along with the four Evil
Trees, there are:
-2 trees near the entrance
-1 tree on the western island
-6 trees around the campfire
-3 trees along the pathway leading to the long, wooden bridge
Open the chest for a Sun Fragment.
Before leaving Hana Valley, there's one more important item to retrieve. At
night, go to the northern side of the cave tunnel to see a dig spot. Dig up
the chest and open it to receive Stray Bead #11.
There's also a clover across the river from the first Origin Mirror. It's on
the narrow eastern shore. Now we've picked Hana Valley clean, so leave.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
4.5 Shinshu Field (Restored)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
.-------------------------------------.
| Shinshu Field (Restored) Checklist |
.-------------------------------------.
|*Animals to feed: |
| *3 Sets of Hares |
| *1 Set of Horses (Herbs) |
| *1 Set of Pigs (Seeds) |
| *2 Sets of Boar Piglets |
| *1 Set of Boars |
| *1 Set of Sparrows |
|*Stray Bead #5 |
|*Stray Bead #6 |
|*Stray Bead #7 |
|*Stray Bead #8 |
|*Shinshu Field Wanted List |
|*Rat Statue |
|*Travel Guide: Fleeing Battle |
|*Travel Guide: Legend of Orochi |
|*Travel Guide: Feeding |
|*4 Devil Gates to destroy |
---------------------------------------
(Before I begin this section, I'd like to note that you'll almost certainly
notice some statues around Shinshu Field. Issun will suggest making an
offering to them. You *cannot* do anything with them yet. Wait until later
in the game.)
Well, Shinshu Field isn't quite restored yet, but it will be soon. Issun
points out the (mostly) useless journal. Make your way back to the dead
Shinshu Field sapling. Bloom it for more nature power! As Issey Ogata says,
it's time to explore Shinshu Field. Obviously, open the chest right in front
of the revived sapling for Travel Guide: Fleeing Battle. Also note an Origin
Mirror that shows up near the tree.
Shinshu Field is a very large area, and there's quite a bit to do here.
You'll be feeding many animals, so buy a decent amount of feedbags from the
merchant just southwest of the Guardian Sapling, especially focusing on
seeds and herbs. Sell your treasures while you're there.
I'm going to start covering tasks around the Nameless Man and go sort of
clockwise around the map. Be sure you start beside him as well.
First, cross the bridge to encounter a Devil Gate. Enter it and kill a pack
of Red and Green Imps inside to restore the area. Feed the hares that appear
on the hill between the houses. Also, just past the left (west) house is a
buried treasure in the corner. Grab Stray Bead #8 inside.
Now go past the houses east along the new path and you'll run into Ida. He
takes your Traveler's Charm and rewards you with some Praise. Next, turn
southwest off of the path and run along the river edge (behind the sapling)
until you reach another Devil Gate. All three Imp varieties in this one.
After the gate is destroyed, feed the hares that show up in its place. Just
south of this area, up past a little ledge, is a buried treasure with Stray
Bead #7 inside.
Go directly east to find a buried Clover. Wall jump up the wall directly
beside the Clover to find some more hares to feed. From the hares, follow
the southern path until you reach a sign that reads "To Pyrotechnist's
House". Go the direction the sign indicates, down the bridge. At the bottom,
a Dead Fish blocks the way. Power Slash it to knock it down, and pummel it
on the ground.
Tama the pyrotechnist's house is down here. Right in front of his house is a
chest containing Travel Guide: Legend of Orochi. If it's currently daytime,
feed some sparrows just west of Tama's house. You must wait until night to
gain entrance to Tama's residence. When you can, go ahead and enter.
Make note of the design on the far wall before speaking to Tama. Talk to him
a few times and he'll throw some explosives into a pot. Mimic the design on
the wall with your brush, which is a circle with a small slash through the
upper-right corner. Appreciate the purty fireworks and fill in the two
missing stars on the constellation. Bakugami gives ya Cherry Bomb.
Cherry Bomb the cracked wall Issun points out. The chest inside contains Rat
Statue. Now head back up the upwards, stairs-like bridge, and then across
the normal bridge. Go left down the steep path, just past the stone sign
that says "Lake Harami".
When you reach the bottom, make an immediate U-turn right (southwest). At
the end of this little path is a buried treasure. Dig it up for Stray Bead
#5.
Turn back and enter the close-by Moon Shrine. Speak to Priest Mika inside.
He gives Ammy a wanted list of monsters. Exit the shrine. Outside, you'll
automatically run into Toya of the Short Temper, so kill him. Go ahead and
cross out Mr. Short Temper.
You *could* hunt the other four wanted monsters of Shinshu Field now, but I
strongly advise you to wait until later in the game when it becomes much
easier with a new brush technique. Remember, they only appear at night.
While you're here, go down the narrow strip of land to a new area. Issun
is surprised that the Moon Cave isn't here. Continue along the linear path
and intentionally run into the purple barrier. Looks like you can't get in.
Okay...
Exit this evil-looking place and Issun will say it's time to head back to
Kamiki Village. Yeah right, bug. There's still more to do in Shinshu Field.
Moving on, head back up the steep path. Because it's probably still night,
I advise you to run straight ahead (west) and to the Dojo. Ignore the Dojo
itself for now, and go behind it to find a night-only buried treasure. Stray
Bead #6 waits inside.
Go back in front of the Dojo to find a Devil Gate. Kill the yellow and green
imps to eradicate it and reveal some pigs beside the dojo. Feed them, of
course. Now you can finally enter the dojo.
Inside, talk to yet another annoying Okami character, Onigiri Sensei.
He can teach Amaterasu new techniques. The bottom two are unavailable for
now (most likely). If you can afford both Fleetfoot and 4 Winds, then I
recommend buying both. If you can only afford one, though, get 4 Winds. By
the way, when the Sensei is teaching you the new techniques, you don't
actually have to wait until he says it's okay to leave. You can leave at any
time after performing them at least once.
Back outside the dojo, run straight ahead, just past the training equipment,
to find some horses to feed. Now make your way back to the gate leading down
to the Moon Shrine, but don't go down there. Go southwest, past the gate, to
find a sign that says "Agata Forest Port".
Open the chest beside the sign for Travel Guide: Feeding. Right beside this
is a group of boar piglets and boars to feed. On the other side of the little
pond is some gloomy grass to restore. Cherry Bomb the crack that appears in
the ground to find a chest containing Coral Fragment.
There's nothing left to do in this little area, so head down the winding
path past the dojo (the one leading back to Kamiki). A Devil Gate in between
Kamiki and the Guardian Sapling stands out obviously. As usual, murder the
imps inside to destroy it. A treasure chest appears in the middle of an odd
circle, so open it to receive a Vengeance Slip.
From where you're standing, you should see a patch of gloomy grass to the
north, so hightail it over there and clean it up. Feed the boar piglets that
show up.
Here is a listing of miscellaneous goodies that I didn't feel were important
enough to include in the walkthrough:
Vase (Buried): Right beside a dock of the big lake, on the same side Tama's
house is on.
Clover: Down a little path directly behind the merchant
Wooden Bear (Buried): Just west of the above clover
Traveler's Charm: Right behind the Guardian Sapling
Exorcism Slip S: Inside of a cracked wall to the far east
Whew, finally done with Shinshu Field! Now it's time to get your buttocks
back to Kamiki Village.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
4.6 Kamiki Village (Second Time)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
.---------------------------------------.
|Kamiki Village (Second Time) Checklist |
.---------------------------------------.
|*Stray Bead #3 |
|*Sun Fragment |
-----------------------------------------
Hmm, seems the village is bustling again. If you haven't saved in a while,
then of course do so. Near the Origin Mirror a dancing Kumoso (weird mask
guy) will basically inform you that you need to bloom all 15 of the trees in
the village. He'll also keep track of how many you have left, so talk to him
when you want to know. Start out by blooming the tree right beside him.
The location of the remaining fourteen trees will be provided on this handy
list below.
-1 to the left of Susano's house
-2 near Mrs. Orange's laundry pole
-3 mixed in with the main line of houses
-4 up the winding path to where Kumoso usually stands
-4 by the little pond near Mr. Orange's sacred deck
When you bloom all fifteen, and you should know by the dramatic change in
music, go up and talk to Mr. Orange on his sacred deck. Bloom the blossoms
on the tree. It can actually be mildly difficult if you're not good at
making circles.
Sakuya joins the party to give Ammy some free praise. Plus, another
constellation shows up. Two missing stars again on this one. Hasugami awards
Ammy the Water Lily brush stroke.
Do as Issun says, and draw some circles on the water to make lily pads.
Issey interrupts to mark a spot on the map. After he shuts up, "super jump"
to the treasure and open it for a Sun Fragment.
There's a further island past the one you're standing on. Make several lily
pads in the water to reach it. An obvious clover is buried in front of the
big rock, while there are two buried treasures right beside the clover. One
contains Stray Bead #3, the other an Inkfinity Stone. Nice loot.
Head back to the mainland and go to where Sakuya and her Guardian Sapling
are located, which is the north-most part of the village. After the
dialogue, cut down her Guardian Fruit to receive a Bull Horn. As Sakuya
explained, you can come back here for a new fruit each time you revive a
Guardian Sapling. They never disappear or anything, though, so it isn't
urgent.
You may want to stock up on more Feedbags before leaving. Personally, I
always try to keep at least ten units of seeds, meat, and herbs, while maybe
five units of fish. When you're ready, exit Kamiki Village.
Back out on Shinshu Field, go to the area Issun marked on the map. It's near
the dojo, in the southwest corner. Make a long line of lily pads down
through the water tunnel. When you reach the cracked wall at the other end,
do what you always do to cracked walls. Cherry Bomb it and head into the new
land.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
4.7 Agata Forest
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
.---------------------------------------------.
| Agata Forest Checklist |
.---------------------------------------------.
|*Animals to feed: |
| *3 Sets of Hares |
| *5 Sets of Deer (Herbs) |
| *1 Set of Monkeys |
| *2 Sets of Sparrows |
| *1 Set of Nightingales (Seeds) (Day only) |
|*Stray Bead #12 |
|*Stray Bead #13 |
|*Stray Bead #14 |
|*Divine Instrument: Devout Beads |
|*2 Gold Dusts (Must be bought) |
|*2 Devil Gates to destroy |
|*Travel Guide: Battle Tips |
|*Travel Guide: Enhancing Weapons |
-----------------------------------------------
This place is cursed, too. :(
Run down the narrow ledge and take the left (southwest) stairs down to a
beach. Go into the cave to the right (west). Ignore those flaaaaaming
treasures, they can't be opened now, and use the Origin Mirror to save. Now
enter the lone house down here.
Inside, open the chest for Stray Bead #12. The fortune teller, Madame Fawn,
resides here. She'll give you vague hints about what to do next at any time
for 500 Yen. Kinda pointless when you have this sucker you're reading right
now, huh? Exit back out to Agata Forest.
Go the direction directly opposite of Madame Fawn's place, which is east, to
find a very narrow ledge alongside a body of water. Run along this ledge
until you find a small cave behind a waterfall. Enter and Cherry Bomb the
cracked wall inside. Ah, there's that pesky sapling. Naturally, bloom it.
Captain Planet!
Open the chest to obtain Devout Beads. Issun gives an explanation about
weapons and sub-weapons. I suggest equipping Devout Beads as your main and
Divine Retribution as your sub. There are some hares to feed to the right of
the sapling and a clover lies behind it.
Exit the cave and swim or hop south a bit to run into *another* major
annoyance, Waka. No, he doesn't have a Jamaican accent. Uh oh, this Waka may
not be so friendly...
****************************************************************************
* Boss: Waka *
* *
* Yen Earned: 2000 *
* *
* Waka will occasionally either try a combo or charge attack with his *
* sword, Pillow Talk, but most frequently fires little red daggers(?) as *
* projectiles. Don't let Waka get close enough to use Pillow Talk. Always *
* keep your distance, so that Waka is continuously throwing his daggers. *
* *
* The trick to winning this battle easily is Power Slashing his daggers *
* back at him. He'll fall down, stunned for a few moments, giving you free *
* reign to beat him madly. This strategy pretty much makes Waka a *
* cakewalk. *
* *
* One more thing: Try to keep both yourself and Waka on the central *
* island. It's hard to maneuver in the water. *
****************************************************************************
After the battle, Waka chats about Orochi and prophecizes a truly horrifying
future event: "a log and big thrills". Ugh, I shudder just thinking about
it.
Anyway, it's time to explore Agata Forest. This is another sizable area,
although maybe not quite as large as Shinshu. From the island you're
standing, jump west to another island with a big tree. You'll find a Giant
Bud. Bloom it to receive Glass Beads.
Hop south to a bigger island with two Giant Buds. They contain Holy Bone S
and Lacquerware Set. Just west of this island is yet another island with a
Giant Bud. The prize this time is Coral Fragment. On the southwestern most
island is *yet another* Giant Bud, this one containing Steel Fist Sake.
Now head to southeastern most island and talk to the boy in the rabbit ears.
(Hey, he reminds me of Gummo. I'm sure nobody reading this has any idea of
what that is. Okay, I'll shut up now.) His name is Kokari, and his dog Ume
is apparently missing in Tsuta Ruins. Talk to him until he starts crying,
then give him a good headbutt.
Thus begins the fishing mini-game. The game explains things just fine, I
don't really think my input is needed here. When you catch two of the small
fish swimming around a bigger one shows up alone. Reel it on in. The Giant
Salmon spits out the Ruins Key. Just drop it and let Kokari steal it, we'll
return to take it back later.
Now it's time to complete all of the various tasks in Agata Forest. Return
to Madame Fawn's to find some hares to feed beside her house. Exit the cave
and go up the nearby stairs.
Take the western path until you come across a merchant. Do any business you
like with him (I recommend buying at least one Gold Dust), and take the
northern path leading upwards. Hitoshio Spring is at the top. Feed the deer
standing to the right of the big tree behind Hitoshio Spring.
There's also an easier path leading back to Shinshu Field up here, but you
certainly don't want to go back there now, so return to the merchant.
East of the merchant is Kokari's father, Karude, to speak to, and a Devil
Gate near him. Slaughter the Dead Fish and Yellow Imp to reveal some monkeys
for you to feed. Near them is a Giant Bud with an Inkfinity Stone inside.
Now go south until you come across a fenced path with some signs at the
entrance. At the beginning of this path are some sparrows to feed. If you go
further down the path you'll just find a broken bridge you can't do anything
about right now.
Just south of the fenced path is a chest containing Travel Guide: Battle
Tips, plus the fang trader, Kiba. This guy will trade you items for your
Demon Fangs.
I strongly recommend not trading for anything until you save up fifty Demon
Fangs to get the Golden Lucky Cat. It's a very useful item that works like a
magnet in attracting goodies to Ammy. Of course, it's possible that you may
have fifty Demon Fangs already, so if that's the case, buy the Golden Lucky
Cat and don't forget to equip it!
Head southeast from the fang trader to find some deer to feed, and continue
along the same way to find more deer. Further along, again in the same
direction, is Susano, and just past him is a Devil Gate. Annihilate the imps
inside to make some sparrows appear.
Past this point are yet more deer to feed, plus a chest with Travel Guide:
Enhancing Weapons. The entrance to Tsuta Ruins is also located here, but we
aren't entering just yet.
North of Tsuta Ruins are, believe it or not, yet more deer to feed. Continue
north until you come to a ledge to your right. U-turn onto it. Up here,
you'll find a buried treasure with Stray Bead #14, plus a cracked wall you
can Cherry Bomb. Unfortunately, nothing can be done in there yet.
Go back down to the lower level and west a bit and you'll see a house. Go
behind the house to find a buried treasure with Stray Bead #13, with a group
of Nightingales back there as well. There's nothing interesting in the abode
itself other than some food.
A bit north of the house is a dead patch of grass to restore, which in turn
makes some hares appear. Right beside them are two Giant Buds containing
Exorcism Slip S and Wooden Bear.
The only other two random treasures I've found around Agata Forest so far
are...
Dragonfly Bead (Buried): Beside the small set of step leading down to Madame
Fawn's cave
Steel Soul Sake (Buried): On one of the middle islands in the water
Lizbeth Ulrey e-mailed me another one:
"I just wanted to let you know that I've found something you missed. In
Agata Forest, by the Hitoshio Spring, you can go behind the waterfall. Make
a path using lilly pads and there's a small cave back there. There's some
bad land you have to revive, and then you get a giant bud with an incence
burner inside."
...And you're *finally* ready to enter Tsuta Ruins, so go snatch that key
back from Kokari! Remember, he's on the southeast most island of the chain
of them. Headbutt him to dislodge it. Once you have the key, head southeast
and enter Tsuta Ruins!
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
4.8 Tsuta Ruins
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
.----------------------------------------.
| Tsuta Ruins Checklist |
.----------------------------------------.
|*Divine Instrument: Snarling Beast |
|*Stray Bead #18 |
|*Stray Bead #19 |
|*Stray Bead #20 |
|*Travel Guide: Enhancing Divinity |
|*Travel Guide: Godhood Tips |
|*3 Devil Gates to destroy |
------------------------------------------
As Issun warns, the water in here is nasty. Don't jump in if you don't wanna
get hurt. Near the entrance is an Origin Mirror, so go ahead and save.
Right at the beginning is a junction, with paths leading left and right. The
left (west) path leads to a dead end, though, so take the right (east) one.
Open the impossible to miss chest and Giant Bud to obtain Travel Guide:
Enhancing Divinity and Traveler's Charm. There's another Giant Bud further
along (past an Evil Tree) with a Steel Soul Sake inside. Progress into the
new room.
There are two Evil Trees to fight off in here. The one on the tall island
has a clover beside it. Continue east, through another door.
Run along the linear pathway, grab the Incense Burner from the Giant Bud,
and wall jump up to a higher level. Look back from where you just came and
you will see a path of high, narrow walkways. A clover is waiting at the end
of them.
Go back to the body of water and cross it using lily pads to reach northern
land. A "round stone" is perched on top of a hill. Bloom the Giant Bud to
the left of it for a Steel Fist Sake. Now go down the hill to meet a new
foe, Bud Ogre. Beat it until a circle appears around the bud, then bloom the
bud. Attack the exposed core to finish off the Bud Ogre.
The sphere changes colors and is now moveable. Push it down onto the switch
at the bottom of the hill. A door in the vicinity will open and stay open,
so head on through.
This time, two Bud Ogres ambush. Rinse and repeat. If they give you trouble,
try Power Slashing their fruit back at them. A large log appears in their
place. Examine it and Issun will pine for some sunshine. Obey thy master.
Whoa, dem's some big mushrooms. Use them as platforms to reach a higher
plane. Cherry Bomb the cracked wall up here, and run down a long, linear
path through a cave and across a bridge. You'll come across a long, elevated
pathway.
That punk Issun sneezes, and the walkway starts crumbling from behind. Dash
and run, run, run without ever stopping and you should make it. Advance
further to find an odd eye (well, I don't mean Oddeye from Shining Force 2)
hanging from a door. This is called a Lockjaw, and is basically a locked
door you need a key for.
Just take a leap right off the edge of the platform. Introduce yourself to
Blockhead. When he's finished, tackle him. His body will flash momentarily
and two dots will appear in succession. Reproduce the dots with your brush
in the order they appeared. Blockhead crumbles, and an Exercising Arrow
appears, which serves as the key you need.
Go up some platforms to the east, then go across viny logs leading upwards.
On the third ledge between the logs stands a black wall behind some statues.
Cherry Bomb it to reveal Stray Bead #18 inside of a bud.
Continue up the logs and stab the eye. It looks pretty gross. Inside the new
room is a Giant Bud containing Exorcism Slip S, plus a lonely, wandering
Demon Scroll. Head east to find a broken bridge. Rejuvenate it, honeydoll.
On the other side, save at the much-needed Origin Mirror. Jump up a few
levels north of the Origin Mirror to find a clover on a ledge. Return to
where you were and go through the eastern door.
In this room, destroy the three Devil Gates surrounding the central mound.
There are also a couple of buds containing Holy Bone S and Lacquerware Set
to the north of the room.
When the Devil Gates are gone, another 'shroomy log appears on the mound.
Make another sun in the sky and the mushrooms shall grow again. Use them to
leap up to a higher level, and run along the ledge to find some gnarly,
poison-spouting statues. Headbutt these evil fiends to clean up the water.
Just behind the statues is the Tsuta Ruins Map, by the way.
Take a dive into the water and down the waterfall. As soon as you fall down
to the base of the waterfall, turn around and swim into it to find a small
alcove. Cherry Bomb the wall and grab Stray Bead #19 from the bud inside.
Now return to the unpolluted water and continue swimming down the stream,
occasionally using lily pads to prevent drowning.
You'll wind up back in the starting room of Tsuta Ruins. Now you can go down
the left (western) path to find two close-by islands in the water. One is
home to an Evil Tree and a clover, the other has an Exorcism Slip S inside
of a bud.
Go back to the entrance of the entire Tsuta Ruins, and you should see some
newly formed islands to the north. Hop across them to the big, shiny light.
Inside, cheer up the three patches of gloomy grass to reveal a new
constellation. Fill in the two missing stars. Tsuta, the final flora god,
gives Ammy the power of Vine (creative title, eh?). Draw a line from the
Konohana Blossom to Ammy's body to pull her up to it.
If you want to collect another stray bead, I actually recommend you to stop
what you're doing right now and go all the way back to the room where you
had to roll the ball down the hill. It's really not as bothersome as it may
seem. As soon as you enter the room, look up to see a Konohana Blossom. Drag
yourself up there to reach an elevated pathway.
Go north to find Stray Bead #20 inside of a bud. Turn back and head south
from the Blossom to find a clover.
A mysterious Vase also appears on the eastern side of the large beginning
room.
Okay, time to head back where you were, the room with all the blossoms. Pull
Ammy from blossom to blossom, higher and higher, until you come to a door
leading to a new room.
Ignore the first two blossoms in here, and pull Ammy up to the third one you
come across. Now keep pulling Ammy to progressively higher blossoms and
eventually you'll reach a weird structure. Pull vines from each of the four
surrounding blossoms and attach them to the four yellow hooks. Jump into the
bottomless hole. Is Amaterasu's real name James Sunderland?
Be sure to save down here. Smash the one hundred million statues for food
and Yen if you want. Go down the long, northern path, which is the only way
you can go. Open the two obvious chests for Holy Bone S and Travel Guide:
Godhood Tips. Up the steps and through the Golden Gate we go. Uh oh, I hope
nobody playing Okami has arachnophobia...
****************************************************************************
* Boss: Spider Queen *
* *
* Yen Earned: 5000 *
* *
* The Spider Queen has three offensive attacks that I know of. She'll hurl *
* several strands of webbing, throw purple spheres, or melee attack with *
* her legs up close. All of these are easy to avoid by employing an *
* incredibly simple strategy: Constantly run around her and never stop *
* moving. *
* *
* How to damage the Spider Queen, you ask? Well, she has four small hooks *
* located on her posterior. Attach two vines from the surrounding Konohana *
* Blossoms to her hooks to make her "open up". Smash the revealed eyeballs *
* as fast as you can before she recovers. Watch out, though, because you *
* will get hurt if you're still inside of her when she closes back up. *
* (Geez, this is starting to sound dirty.) *
* *
* Also, occasionally an odd brown thing will appear on top of the Spider *
* Queen. Power Slash it to stun her. This just makes it easier to connect *
* the vines to her hooks. *
* *
* Destroy all of the eyeballs to vanquish the beauty. Overall, a long, but *
* not very difficult battle. *
****************************************************************************
Snarling Beast is yours.
"But first", said Issun, doing his best Julie Chen impression.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
4.9 Agata Forest (Post-Tsuta Ruins)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
.-----------------------------------------.
|Agata Forest (Post-Tsuta Ruins) Checklist|
.-----------------------------------------.
|*Animals to feed: |
| *1 Set of Dogs |
| *1 Set of Hares |
|*Stray Bead #15 |
|*Stray Bead #16 |
|*Travel Guide: Ink Bullet Tips |
-------------------------------------------
After Kokari and Ume leave, head for the small chain of islands. All of the
Giant Buds have been replenished for some reason, so you can take their loot
again. Tilt the camera up to spot Konohana Blossoms in the air above the
islands. An eastern one leads to Bull Horn, while a western one leads to
Stray Bead #15.
Head further north now, up to the Hitoshio Spring. It's in the northwest
corner of the map, if you forgot. Look up to the top of the tree spitting
out water. Vine up using the Konohana Blossom and open the chest to obtain
Stray Bead #16. (It's easier to Vine up from the right side.)
Now it's time to follow Kokari and Ume to the broken bridge. It's located to
the far south. Here, you'll be introduced to quite possibly the worst
mini-game in video game history.
You'll be atop a tree trunk rapidly flowing down a river. Your goal is to
connect all six of the hooks on the log to Konohana Blossoms on the river
banks. You are given three minutes to accomplish the objective. There are
several problems with this.
First of all, the blossoms go by so ridiculously fast that it is extremely
difficult to react in time to freeze them on the canvas. But much worse, the
STUPID vines don't usually connect to the STUPID ****ing hooks, even if you
put them RIGHT ON ****ING TARGET!
Honestly, I love the vast majority of Okami, but this part is just horrid,
wretched, disgusting design.
...Well, that was my rant before I discovered a much easier method in
getting through this. Just drag the vines to the vicinity of the hooks and
they will automatically be magnetized to the right spot. In other words,
just let the game do the work for you. I wish I had known this my first time
through.
After that ordeal is over, a log bridge will form, allowing you passage to
new lands. First, though, feed Ume. Now cross the bridge and feed the hares
on the other side. Open the chest to receive Travel Guide: Ink Bullet Tips,
and head south to Taka Pass.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
4.10 Taka Pass
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
.------------------------------.
| Taka Pass Checklist |
.------------------------------.
|*Animals to feed: |
| *1 Set of Nightingales |
| *3 Sets of Deer |
| *2 Sets of Horses |
| *1 Set of Tigers (Meat) |
| *2 Sets of Dogs |
| *1 Set of Boar Piglets |
| *1 Set of Sparrows |
| *2 Sets of Foxes (Meat) |
| *1 Set of Monkeys |
|*Stray Bead #21 |
|*Stray Bead #22 |
|*Stray Bead #23 |
|*Tiger Statue |
|*3 Devil Gates to destroy |
--------------------------------
Oh dear, this place is cursed, too.
Speak to the two stressed out guys to the left if you like, one is upset
about some mischievous moles. A merchant has his shop set up right beside
them. You should have lots of treasures to sell, and again, if you're low on
feedbags, resupply.
Also, there's a buried chest with Glass Beads right inside Taka Pass to the
left of the hut where the two "stressed out guys" are standing. It's between
the rock and the patch of bamboo trees. (submitted by Lizbeth Ulrey)
Advance past the merchant and save at the Origin Mirror to the right. Now
continue to follow the only path, and Cherry Bomb the cracked wall to the
west (left). It's right beside a sign. Advance into the cave until you meet
up with Herr Frenchie again.
Wait, he may have been the one behind that evil log? BRUTALIZE HIM!
****************************************************************************
* Boss: Waka (Rematch) *
* *
* Yen Earned: 3000 *
* *
* Waka is quite a bit harder than the last time you fought him, mostly due *
* to his massively increased health bar. I swear, it seems at least five *
* times bigger. *
* *
* He has all the same attacks as last time, with one new addition: a *
* floating torpedo charge that goes back and forth, attempting to strike *
* Ammy multiple times. Simply jump over him when he gets near. *
* *
* Just use the same tactics against Waka you did previously. Keep your *
* distance and Power Slash his red daggers back at him. Sure, Waka doesn't *
* fire them quite as much this time, but he still does it enough to use it *
* against him. *
****************************************************************************
After the clash, Waka spouts out a prophecy about something "DOG-gone" or
other. Har...har.
Examine the right-most body of water closely and you should spot some
bubbles slowly rising out. Power Slash the water precisely where the bubbles
are coming out and you will release a stray bead from a hidden chest. Swim
over and grab Stray Bead #21. Also, feed some foxes near the area you fought
Waka.
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Correction: Actually, the foxes don't show up until after the Guardian
Sapling has been revived. As with all animals. Also, there's a clover behind
the tree in the same area. Thanks to TyrannisUmbra for both the correction
and the omission.
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Run up the wooden ramp, and run all the way through the long cave at the
top. Again, there's nothing you can do about those flaming treasures yet.
Outside, head all the way down the long path to reach a broken bridge. You
can bloom some withered trees on the way for a pittance of Praise.
Do what you always do to broken bridges, rejuvenate it. Bloom the
all-powerful Guardian Sapling on the other side. Ah, these scenes never get
old.
Beside the revived Sapling are some nightingales you can feed. Head back
down the path, and beside the second tree to the right are some deer to
feed. Now go back until you reach the cave tunnel again, but instead of
entering, go a bit right (west) of it to find some horses.
Run north from the horses to a wooden fence and tilt the camera up. A
Konohana Blossom is floating above. Vine up to it and from this blossom,
look east to see many more. Vine to each subsequently higher blossom until
you come to a choice between two blossoms. Choose the one pointing down
above a ledge with three clovers.
Once you've revived the clovers, vine back to the last upward pointing
blossom you were on, and from there, choose the higher blossom you didn't
last time. Continue up yet more blossoms and you will eventually be dropped
onto a big boulder with a chest. Open it to find the the Tiger Statue.
Jump off of the boulder, then make a big leap over the fence to return to
the lower level. Go back to the Origin Mirror down here and save if you
desire.
Just southwest of the Origin Mirror is a Devil Gate with some Dead Fish and
a Bud Ogre inside. Kill them and feed the tigers that appear a bit north.
Run southwest from the tigers, back towards the main path, to find a rather
friendly dog behind a big rock.
From the dog, go northwest to find those mischievous moles. They'll pop up
and down from the circle of holes. You need to attack the leader, Moley, who
is the only one wearing blue. It basically just comes down to luck. Wait
beside a hole and hope Moley pops out of that one. Once he's been hit three
times (Hou shoutout!) he'll relay his sad, sad story, plus throw out a
yellow object. Pick it up and feed some nearby boar piglets while you're
here.
Take the yellow thing back to the Tea Mastah by the entrance to Taka Pass.
He trades a Golden Mushroom for his Teacup. The Golden Mushroom won't be
used until much later.
Follow straight along the dirt path to reach another lone dog at a junction.
After feeding it, head northwest at the junction to the Cutters' House. Not
exactly friendly folks. Avoid the wrath of Mrs. Cutter and run to the left
side of their house. Beside the murky pond is a buried chest with Stray Bead
#22 inside. Leave this hellhole.
Take the west path past the dog to come immediately to another junction. The
left path had a sign next to it that says "Kusa Village". That's where you
need to go to advance the game, but there's still more left to do in Taka
Pass, so take the right path.
Cross the bridge over the stone river and you'll come to another junction.
Take the path labelled "To Sasa Gate". To the right of the gate are some
sparrows. You can go through the gate to enter Sasa Sanctuary, but you won't
be permitted to enter, so there's no point.
Go directly south from Sasa Gate, off of the paths, and wall jump up a
ledge. Head left (east) up here and you'll come to a sign that reads
"Mermaid Spring", along with a distressed Spring Girl. The Mermaid Spring
has been turned to stone. Right beside the sign is the source of the
problem, a Devil Gate. Enter and murder the Ogre Bud and Yellow Imp. Mermaid
Spring revived.
Mermaid Springs serve as warp points, but can't be used just yet. Feed some
deer a little east of this one.
Go back to path and progress westward. North of the path, somewhat near Sasa
Gate, are some black horses to feed. Continue west and you'll spot a Devil
Gate to the left (south). Mutilate the Dead Fish and Yellow Imp inside and
feed the deer that appear afterwards. Now cross the path directly north from
the deer to find a buried chest containing Stray Bead #23.
Go further north to meet a guy named Bingo, with some foxes near him. If you
go all the way west you'll find the entrance to City Checkpoint. There are
actually treasures and other things to find there now, but going there is
mandatory later, so those things can be left for then.
Head back to the "Kusa Village" sign and go up the path it indicates. Go all
the way up the path into Kusa Village, feeding some monkeys along the way.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
4.11 Kusa Village (Cursed)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
.-------------------------------------------------------.
| Kusa Village (Cursed) Checklist |
.-------------------------------------------------------.
|*Animals to feed: |
| *2 Sets of Monkeys |
| *2 Sets of Chickens |
| *2 Sets of Sparrows |
| *5 Sets of Dogs |
| *1 Set of Raccoons (Meat or Fish) |
| *1 Set of Pigs |
|*Divine Instrument: Infinity Judge (must be bought) |
|*Pinwheel (must be bought) |
|*2 Gold Dusts (must be bought) |
|*Stray Bead #27 |
|*Stray Bead #28 |
|*Taka Pass Wanted List |
---------------------------------------------------------
Geez, why can't any place in Nippon start out healthy? The evil state Kusa
Village is currently in prevents usage of the Celestial Brush, which is
certainly rather debilitating.
Head into the village and use the Origin Mirror to the left to save. The
merchant here has a few items of interest. The Infinity Judge is quite
expensive at 50,000 Yen, but I recommend buying it if you can. He also sells
two Gold Dusts at 10,000 Yen a piece, plus a Pinwheel you should buy for
1000 Yen.
Past the merchant, the place isn't exactly happenin'. Speak to the villagers
to hear the obvious: Kusa Village isn't looking too healthy. Take the
western, upward path and take it all the way until you reach a choice of two
paths. Take the west one up the stone steps and talk to a possessed Princess
Fuse on top.
A Blue Imp and his pals attack. You can't use the Celestial Brush for this
battle, but you shouldn't need it anyway. These guys aren't tough by any
means.
After the battle, talk to Princess Fuse. She explains that you need to find
the 5 Satomi Canine Warriors, and gives you a Canine Tracker to aid this
mission. It always faces the direction of the nearest Canine Warrior, so
follow it.
Before taking off to find them, though, there's a bit more to do in this
area. Go left of Princess Fuse's house. Just past the bridge leading to her
house is a buried chest with Stray Bead #27 inside. Now go behind her house
and follow a path to the Gale Shrine. You can't enter the shrine just yet,
but you can feed some monkeys and revive a clover just outside of it.
Go back to Princess Fuse, and down the steps past her. Some chickens are
waiting to be fed near the bottom. Now take the path the chickens are near,
the one you didn't take before, and feed some sparrows at the end.
Cross the bridge close-by and use Konohana Blossoms to reach a high
platform. Feed more monkeys on top. Cross the skinny log. Be careful and
walk slowly to reach the other end. Blockhead is waiting to play his stupid
game again. Remember, make the dots in the order they appeared. Two clovers
and a Bull Horn are the rewards for defeating him. Kinda disappointing.
Go all the way back to the base of the stone steps leading to Princess Fuse.
Instead of going up them, cross the northeast bridge to a Konohana Blossom.
Vine up to it, then the wooden platform. Feed some chickens up here and go
to the end of the platform to find a chest with Glass Beads inside.
Go back a little jump to an elevated cave between the chest and chickens.
Canine Warrior Ko waits inside. Feed him some meat from the Fan Menu to send
him on his merry way. Exit the cave and head west, off of the platform.
Continue back west and as you start walking onto the bridge, you should
notice the Canine Tracker spinning wildly off the left side. Leap off that
way.
Feed the raccoons below and revive the nearby clover. Kumoso is here as
well. Again, fight his monsters until he congratulates you. After that,
Cherry Bomb the obvious cracked wall to reveal Canine Warrior Rei. Feed him
meat too.
Leave this area by dropping off the little ledge by the clover. Go left
(west), feed some sparrows, and continue down the winding path to meet the
eccentric Mr. Bamboo. Head past him to come to his house. Just left of that
is a bamboo tree marked by a big, sparkling spot. Cut it down to reveal
Canine Warrior Chi. Feed this mutt his meat, too.
While you're here, enter Mr. Bamboo's house. Dig up a buried chest near the
entrance door to receive Stray Bead #28. Not much else of interest in here,
so exit.
Head back to the main part of the village, where most of the villagers and
houses are. Go north to find a sad little girl you've probably already
spoken to. Right beside her is a dead patch of grass, so obviously revive
it. Canine Warrior Shin pops out. As usual, feed him some meat.
Issun says you should return to Princess Fuse now. First, though, there's a
couple more things to do here. Feed some pigs in a garden between two
houses.
Next, enter the inn, which is the biggest building, next to the upward path.
Head up to the second floor and headbutt the door in the back. A woman named
Haruka doesn't enjoy such invasions of privacy.
Leave the entire inn, and go right back in and up to the second floor.
Haruka is now standing in the room to the right, so bust down the sliding
doors and talk to her a few times. She'll give you the Taka Pass Wanted
List. Fair enough. Now you should indeed go back to Princess Fuse.
Canine Warrior Tei stands in her place. Pick a fight with the fleabag.
****************************************************************************
* Mini-boss: Canine Warrior Tei *
* *
* Yen Earned: 1500 *
* *
* Get of his way when a light begins shining on his chest, as that's when *
* he starts unleashing his attacks. I don't believe he *ever* attacks *
* without having that light shine on his chest first. *
* *
* Other than that, just get behind him and beat him. I can't imagine Tei *
* giving anyone much trouble. *
****************************************************************************
After the battle, Princess Fuse says there are still 3 Canine Warriors
unaccounted for, and marks the locations of the stupid mutts on your map.
These are four other goodies I know of in Kusa Village:
Incense Burner (Buried): Near the path leading to Gale Shrine.
Clover: Behind the fence near a sleeping Susano.
Lacquerware Set: "There's an underwater chest in the pond next to Princess
Fuse's house." (from Lizbeth Ulrey)
Ezorcism Slip S: "Dot eye on giant head inside inn." (from Lizbeth Ulrey)
You fed lots of animals, so you may need to stock up on food again. When
you're ready, leave the village.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
4.12 The Cutters and Sasa Sanctuary
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
.----------------------------------------.
|The Cutters and Sasa Sanctuary Checklist|
.----------------------------------------.
|*Animals to feed: |
| *4 Sets of Sparrows |
| *2 Sets of Mice (Anything but herbs) |
| *2 Sets of Tigers |
| *1 Set of Dogs |
| *1 Set of Hares |
|*Stray Bead #30 |
|*Stray Bead #31 |
|*Stray Bead #32 |
------------------------------------------
(Note: Everything on this checklist is located in Sasa Sanctuary.)
Much like with Shinshu Field, it is possible to slay the monsters on the
Taka Pass Wanted List, but I don't recommend doing so until later.
The three remaining Canine Warriors are located in Sasa Sanctuary, Agata
Forest, and Kamiki Village. We'll start with the one in Sasa Sanctuary, as
it's the closest. First, though, you need to pay a visit to the Cutters. You
should remember where their house is from being there previously. It's right
about in the middle of the map.
Make sure it's night before attempting this, otherwise it won't work. Go to
back of the house and up a log. Cherry Bomb the floor with wooden boards
covering it and drop down.
Bite Mrs. Cutter with Triangle and drag her into the nearby circle of
moonlight. Secret revealed! Wait for symbols to rapidly appear around the
Cutters (as Crow Tengus) and get out of the way. Their dive-bomb will miss
and leave them stunned, stuck into the ground. This is your opportunity to
strike and kill them.
Chun of the Sparrow Tribe is set free, so it's time to set out for Sasa
Sanctuary. You should remember where the Sasa Gate is, too. It's in the
western area of Taka Pass, to the north. Chun tags along with you there.
(A little oddity: I was able to feed the deer by the Mermaid Spring again. I
have no idea whether this is a glitch, normal, a different set of deer, or a
hallucination of mine. Just thought I should note it.)
After Chun is safely returned, dig up a buried treasure containing Stray
Bead #30 left of the entrance gate, and save at the Origin Mirror, of
course. Jump up two ledges south of the Origin Mirror to find a clover.
Before entering the big building, feed two separate flocks of sparrows on
each side of it. Enter. Talk to the sparrows inside of the Sparrow Inn if
you feel like it, and go behind the steps to feed some mice.
Go up the steps, and then up the left set of steps when you have the choice.
Enter the first door in this hallway. A merchant is doing business inside.
At the back of the room, behind the merchant, is a big, weird head. You may
recognize these from Katamari games. Regardless, dot its white eye with the
brush, and pick up Stray Bead #31 when it pops out. Exit the room.
Now enter the second room in this hallway. Bust open the watermelon at the
bottom-right corner and feed the forced out mouse. Exit this room, too.
There's not much in rooms at the right hallway, other than some nice food,
so go up the elevator in between the staircases. Treasures galore! Open up
all ten of them. Nothing amazing, but hey, you can't have quantity and
quality. Approach fat old Jamba and watch the scene. Something about the hot
springs? Okay, that's where we're headed next.
To get there, go to the only place you haven't been yet, which is the
passage just east of the entrance. Speak to the dancing sparrow in the dried
up spring. Mr. Bamboo arrives to save the day! Agree to help, of course.
Ugh, another stupid mini-game...
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Digging Game: Sasa Hot Springs
Time: 3:00
The game explains the basic mechanics well enough. Your goal is to guide
your partner (Mr. Bamboo) down to the bottom with you. Whenever you see a
bud, bloom it to receive an additional twenty seconds to the clock. There
are several different types of blocks you'll need to navigate your way
through. They are:
Light, whitish blocks: Headbutt or dig at them once to destroy them.
Darker, brownish-red blocks: Headbutt or dig at them twice to destroy them.
Cracked, blackish blocks: Power Slash them to destroy.
Black blocks: Cannot be destroyed.
Spiky, red blocks: Cannot be destroyed. If you or your partner run into
them, five seconds are taken from the clock.
In addition, all but the spiked, red blocks and black blocks can be
destroyed by Cherry Bombs.
I'll provide the route that I find to be best. This is by no means the only
way to the bottom, just the one I've found to be quickest. As with all of
these digging games, the real annoyance is your partner. Try to get him to
stick with you whenever possible.
Start by dropping down to the bud to the right and blooming it for a time
bonus. Destroy the left-hand white block, followed by the one beneath it.
Power Slash the block you're standing on. Come out of the water to the
right, destroy the two white blocks below, then a cracked and a brown to the
left, then a cracked and a white below, followed by two cracked blocks to
the right. Destroy the white block to the right of the water to reach the
bottom level. Go right down here to lead Mr. Bamboo to the correct dig spot.
Dig there and You're Winner!
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Look, Ammy! It's happening again! Fill in the three missing stars. Nuregami,
a bizarre snake-in-a-ball, grants Ammy the power of Waterspout. Do exactly
as Issun commands, and draw a line of water to the sparrow. Now draw a line
up from the power spring. Revive the clover up here and head back down.
There's a big bamboo tube located left of the spring. Draw a line from the
water to the opening of the tube to open up a new passage. Obviously, go
this way.
Go up the steps and feed the sparrows. Go up the steps and feed the
sparrows. (That was intentional, in case you didn't notice.) Talk to Crybaby
Tai beside the second group of sparrows. The Canine appears and points to
the north, upward path, so follow it.
Feed the tigers roaming around the bamboo trees, and advance further to the
left to feed more tigers. Now you're supposed to cut down the bamboo tree
that lights up among the circle of them. I think you have to cut down
whichever tree is lit up when you freeze the picture, but I'm not entirely
sure. The correct tree was the left-most one for me, if that helps.
Pick a fight with Canine Warrior Gi.
****************************************************************************
* Mini-boss: Canine Warrior Gi *
* *
* Yen Earned: 1600 *
* *
* Canine Warrior Gi is pretty much exactly like Canine Warrior Tei, except *
* he's quicker, more agile, and can leap off of walls. Use the same *
* strategy, too: Avoid him when he shines, and attack him from behind. *
* What a pushover. *
****************************************************************************
Take/Gi hands over the Duty Orb. After the scene, feed Take some meat from
the Fan Menu. Head past these fellows and into a small "room" to the far
north. Feed the hares inside. Past them are two buried chests. Open them to
receive Stray Bead #32 and a delicious Golden Peach.
Head back to the hot spring and Mr. Bamboo will toss you a Mermaid Coin.
You can now use the Mermaid Springs. Our next destination is Agata Forest,
so you can either use the Mermaid Spring to warp there, or go the long way.
It's honestly not that long at all, so I just tend to run there the regular
way. By the way, if you take the long way, you can give the guy beside the
Tea Master the Pinwheel you (possibly) bought in Kusa Village for ten measly
Praise.
Oh, and before I forget, two other miscellaneous treasures in Sasa:
Lacquerware Set (Buried): At the hot spring, near the big bamboo tube.
Incense Burner (Buried): Near Crybaby Tai, to the left of the upward-leading
stairs. (submitted by Lizbeth Ulrey)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
4.13 Agata Forest (Return Trip)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
.------------------------------------.
|Agata Forest (Return Trip) Checklist|
.------------------------------------.
|*Stray Bead #17 |
--------------------------------------
Regardless of which way you took to get here, go to the northern Mermaid
Spring. After chatting with Kushi, draw a line from the water to the top of
her sake barrel to fill it. Do it three times and Power Slash the six
multiracial imps during the Susano scene.
After the hubbub is over, the Canine Tracker appears. Ignore it for the time
being, and head to Madame Fawn's place. Put out the fires guarding the chest
by using the pool of water nearby. Open them to receive Holy Bone M, Bull
Horn, and Stray Bead #17.
Create a power spring from the jutting water to gain access to a high ledge.
"Super jump" up to it and open the chest for a Lacquerware Set. Bleh.
Follow the Canine Tracker out of the cave and to Kokari, who's fishing at
his usual spot. Agree to help catch the legendary Whopper. Catch two fish,
then Whopper. Power Slash him twice to reel him in. Another constellation
appears, so fill in the three missing stars. Yumigami gives Ammy the power
of Crescent. About time.
Draw a crescent in the sky, making sure the "mouth" is facing left. Pick a
fight with Canine Warrior Jin.
****************************************************************************
* Mini-boss: Canine Warrior Jin *
* *
* Yen Earned: 1500 *
* *
* Canine Warrior Jin is just like the two previous Canine Warriors, but *
* with two new moves. *
* *
* One of them is planting land mines on the battlefield. They look like *
* little yellow things. Simply avoid getting near them and you should be *
* fine. His other new move is digging holes in the ground. If you come *
* into contact with a hole, Ammy will get stuck in the ground, defenseless *
* for a period of time. Simply avoid them, and if you see him digging one, *
* back off. *
* *
* Jin also has a slightly bigger health bar than his previous comrades, so *
* he is tougher than them. Still, he shouldn't too much of an obstacle. *
****************************************************************************
The Justice Orb is yours. You can't feed Ume/Jin, as you've already fed him.
Head north to Shinshu Field.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
4.14 Shinshu Field (Return Trip)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
.---------------------------------------.
| Shinshu Field (Return Trip) Checklist |
.---------------------------------------.
|*Gold Dust (must complete Wanted List) |
-----------------------------------------
Now is a good time to complete the Wanted List here. While you're hunting
the wanted monsters down, don't forget to occasionally draw a crescent in
the sky to keep the sun at bay.
I believe the names are random, but I'm not entirely sure. For example,
Onimaru the Incorrigible appeared outside of the pyrotechnist's house for
me, but Izo the String Cutter may appear there for someone else. Regardless,
I'll list them as I found them.
-Toyo of the Short Temper: Outside of the Moon Shrine. You automatically
fight him as part of the game.
-Onimaru the Incorrigible: Near the pyrotechnist's house.
-Biwamaru the Vandal: Southwest from the Guardian Sapling, near the sign
that reads "To Hana Valley".
-Akuzo the Interloper: East of the Nameless Man's kiln, on the road behind
the Guardian Sapling.
-Izo the String Cutter: South of the Nameless Man's house. (Not his kiln!)
Return to Priest Mika in the Moon Shrine for your reward, a single Gold
Dust.
You can also race Ida the postman for some Praise. He'll be running along a
road somewhere. When the race begins, simply catch up to Ida and headbutt
him to win. You can only race him once for now.
You may also offer vases to the Guardian Statues now. Talk to the Nameless
Man beside his kiln to acquire them. (He works only during the day.) There
are a total of five Guardian Statues, but the Nameless Man only presently
offers three vases. (He'll only make one vase a day, so advance the time by
using Sunrise and Crescent.)
Here are the locations of four of the five Guardian Statues (the fifth one
isn't accessible right now):
-South from where the Nameless Man is located, across the river.
-Along the winding path that leads to Agata Forest and the dojo.
-Inside of a cracked wall to the east, beside a cat statue.
-In the area leading to the Moon Temple (to the left when you run down the
slope).
When you're ready to advance the story, head into Kamiki Village.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
4.15 Kamiki Village (Return Trip)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
.--------------------------------------.
|Kamiki Village (Return Trip) Checklist|
.--------------------------------------.
|*Animals to feed: |
| *1 Set of Dogs (In Kusa Village) |
|*Stray Bead #4 |
----------------------------------------
The Canine Tracker pops out soon after entering, but first, there's a stray
bead to be collected. Head along a southern ledge past the Origin Mirror,
and look up. Vine up to the Konohana Blossom and revive a clover on the
nearby ledge. Vine to another blossom, across the waterfall. Go along the
path behind the waterfall to find Stray Bead #4.
Let the Canine Tracker lead you to Hayabusa aka Canine Warrior Chu. As
usual, pick a fight. (He'll only fight at night, though.)
****************************************************************************
* Mini-boss: Canine Warrior Chu *
* *
* Yen Earned: 15,000 *
* *
* Chu is exactly like Jin except a) he doesn't lay land mines, b) he digs *
* holes more frequently, and c) he flings harmful debris while digging his *
* holes. *
* *
* Just use the same strategy against Chu as you did against the other *
* three Canine Warriors. *
* *
* Lizbeth Ulrey adds: "Canine Warrior Chu does lay landmines, just not *
* often. Also, I don't know about the others, but if you get stuck in one *
* of Chu's holes he will urinate on you and you lose all of your equipment *
* temporarily." *
****************************************************************************
Chu hands over the Loyalty Orb after his defeat. You can pay another visit
to Sakuya's sapling now to obtain a Golden Peach and a Crystal.
As Issun said, it's time to return to Kusa Village. (The nearest Mermaid
Spring is outside of the dojo in Shinshu Field.)
In Kusa Village, speak to Princess Fuse in her house. Ooh, I didn't know
Ammy liked jewelry. You may now feed Tei, the big, brown dog to the
lower-right.
Head into the Gale Shrine, which is behind Princess Fuse's house. You'll
gain entry after chats with Susano and Yatsu.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
4.16 Gale Shrine
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
.---------------------------------.
| Gale Shrine Checklist |
.---------------------------------.
|*Animals to feed: |
| *3 Sets of Mice |
|*Stray Bead #33 |
|*Stray Bead #34 |
|*Rabbit Statue |
|*Sun Fragment |
|*Divine Instrument: Life Beads |
|*Travel Guide: Brush Tips |
|*1 Devil Gate to destroy |
-----------------------------------
Head down the path into a circular room. Three treasure chests are submerged
in the central pool of water. Power Slash them to collect Holy Bone S,
Dragonfly Bead, and Bull Horn. Check the map to see two unexplored paths; a
western one and a northern one. Choose the northern path and enter the Devil
Gate at the end. Slay the lone Chimera inside by beating until it turns
gray, then beating it some more.
Pick up the Exercising Arrow, return to the circular room, and take the
western path now. Head past some windmills and open the Lockjaw in the next
room. Use the Origin Mirror beside it to save. Head into the elevator.
Examine the symbol in the middle. Look familiar? It's the Cherry Bomb
symbol, so place a Cherry Bomb there. Step off at the second floor, but
don't actually enter. Place another Cherry Bomb on the elevator, sending it
up to the third floor.
Jump down beneath the elevator. There's a group of mice to feed, two
clovers, and best of all, three chests containing Holy Bone S, Rabbit
Statue, and Stray Bead #33. Go back up using the shining light in the
center.
Actually enter the second floor now and kill the Demon Scroll here. Take the
Exercising Arrow and return to the elevator. It's back down on the first
floor, so Cherry Bomb it twice to ascend to the third floor. Enter through
the formerly locked door.
Ascend many counter-clockwise stairways to reach a big windmill. Looks like
evil, black air is blowing. Paint over the black wind with your brush in the
opposite direction it is blowing, which is left the first two times and
right the last one. Predictably, another constellation appears, so fill in
the three missing stars. Kazegami grants Ammy the power of Galestorm.
Draw the same shape, going right, to make the little windmill blow too.
We've tidied things up here, so start heading back. As you begin down the
steps, stop and look across. There's a hidden passage above them. "Super
jump" to it and open the chest to receive a Sun Fragment.
Head back down the stairways. You may now use Galestorm to put out fires
around chests. Do so to open the chest outside of the elevator and take Gale
Shrine Map.
Use the elevator to return to the second floor. Go out onto the balcony and
douse the flames around the chest to receive Stray Bead #34. Go back to the
first floor.
Head north into the room with two windmills. Blow the wind *towards* the
first windmill you come to. In other words, don't blow the windmill itself
left or right; rather, blow the wind into it. A new path appears back where
the elevator was. You may not even realize it at first, but it does.
Take this path and open an immediate chest for Travel Guide: Brush Tips.
Progress further into the hallway and open another flaming chest to obtain
Pearl. Run back a little and look up. Vine to the Konohana Blossom.
Open another flaming chest behind a nearby pillar for Lacquerware Set. Go
across the western beam and Vine up to another blossom. Grab the Steel Soul
Sake from the chest and Vine to another blossom below, further to the west.
Yet another flaming chest awaits here, containing an Inkfinity Stone. Go
further west, across more beams, to feed a set of mice.
Drop down and return to the first blossom you Vined to. Vine up to a
different blossom than the one you did before, to the west. Up here, cross
the beam to reach some banners hanging down. Blow them up and jump across
them to another beam. Grab the Wooden Bear from a chest and cross more
banners to reach another chest, this one containing Exorcism Slip S. Drop
down off the ledge to the west.
Feed a group of mice down here, and be sure to use the Origin Mirror before
advancing through the door. Blow away the pyres of fire using Galestorm, and
continue through another door.
Ah, that crimson fellow we've been hearing about...
****************************************************************************
* Boss: Crimson Helm *
* *
* Yen Earned: 7000 *
* *
* Crimson Helm has three main attacks that I know of: Simple slashes of *
* his two huge swords, breathing big waves of fire, and charging forward. *
* Try to position yourself behind him or to his side to avoid all of *
* these. *
* *
* You can't directly damage Crimson Helm at first, so simply hit him until *
* his outer shell breaks off. His body is consumed by flames. Use *
* Galestorm to douse them, then rapidly attack his fossil-like body before *
* his shell returns. *
* *
* Mr. Helm can't take much punishment at all, and should go down quickly. *
* To top it off, the eight Satomi Power Orbs protect Ammy throughout this *
* battle, meaning you can take up to eight hits without damage to your *
* health. All of this taken together makes Crimson Helm one of the easiest *
* bosses in the game. And after all that build up, too. *
****************************************************************************
Do the usual Power Slash stuff with Susano, and make three gusts of wind
when he asks for them. After more Susano fun, Ammy obtains Divine
Instrument: Life Beads and converses with Divine Tool: Waka. Save when
asked. (Why wouldn't you?)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
4.17 Kusa Village (Post-Gale Shrine)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
.-----------------------------------------.
|Kusa Village (Post-Gale Shrine) Checklist|
.-----------------------------------------.
|*Animals to feed: |
| *1 Set of Chickens |
|*Stray Bead #29 |
|*Sun Fragment |
-------------------------------------------
Issun says it's time to head back to Kamiki Village. Not yet, buddy boy.
Go to the big wooden platform. You found one of the Canine Warriors in a
cave up here previously. Blow the carp streamers (I recognize these from
Katamari Damacy) up and cross them to reach another platform. Feed the
chickens and open the two chests to collect Stray Bead #29 and a Sun
Fragment.
You can now return to Kamiki Village if you want to advance the plot.
However, I find this a very convenient time to explore Taka Pass further,
and I advise you to follow along. If you really don't want to, just skip the
next section.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
4.18 Taka Pass (Post-Gale Shrine)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
.----------------------------------------.
| Taka Pass (Post-Gale Shrine) Checklist |
.----------------------------------------.
|*Stray Bead #24 |
|*Stray Bead #25 |
|*Gold Dust (must complete Wanted List) |
|*Sun Fragment
