Okage: Shadow King (2001 Video Game) User Reviews

A rather simple and humorous RPG released on the PS2.

[Aaron1375 · 8/10 · 19 January 2021]

When I think RPG games, three consoles come to mind: The Super Nintendo, the Sony Playstation and the PS2. The SNES was the first console to have a very large number of RPG games that had well defined stories, the original Playstation was home to Square's greatest achievements, while the PS2 had more variety from many different companies. This one is brought to us by Sony and is a rather fun tale of a boy and adventure, originally called Satan and Me in Japan. Not sure where the heck the Okage portion of the title in America came from and not sure what it even means as there is nothing in the game called this, though the Shadow King subtitle is appropriate.

The story, a boy's father finds a bottle and when opened a entity known as Stan (Satan in Japan) is released and he curses the boy's sister into speaking pig Latin. So of course, the boy's parents give up their son willingly to be a slave to Stan so that Stan can acquire more power to take over the world! Rosalyn the hero wishes to defeat Stan and help the hapless boy and he will also be joined by a professor and a few surprise figures as he tries to find evil kings so that Stan may grow in power and also maybe figure out the mystery of the strange land they inhabit.

The game play is standard for the day featuring villages to explore, lands to traverse and dungeons to conquer. The combat is turn based which is like taboo now, but quite frankly, my favorite format for combat in RPG games. It is more like chess and is more strategic than action based where you spam the super powered attacks and repeat. This game is one of the few RPG games I know of where sleep spells and defense spells are actually very useful thus adding to the strategy. The game can be one in just under 30 or just over 30 hours, harking back to a time it didn't take forever to get through a game, but still long enough to entertain for a good bit of time.

So, a fun game, it is not without its flaws though as for some reason as with other games that are a bit more on the humorous side as far as narrative, the game can be very challenging and difficult at times meaning lots of grinding for experience and money. There is also no voice acting other than a narrator that comes in here and there, this leads me to almost believe that this game was being developed for the first Playstation as voice acting in a game on PS2 was commonplace. Still, overall it is a fun game and the world in it is very reminiscent of Tim Burton's Nightmare Before Christmas as is the art style of the characters.

An Obscure Gem Revived On The PS4!

[eyeofthetigress · 8/10 · 9 July 2022]

Just to clear up the confusion, the title of Okage is a pun of sorts with a deeper meaning. The word "kage" means "shadow" in Japanese, the honorable "O" prefix often used when addressing a king. Moreover, the word "okage" itself is found in the term "okagesama de" which is a bit difficult to translate into English. Roughly, it's a very polite term that can mean something akin to "thanks to your support" even when the person it's spoken to had little involvement.

The reference to that phrase, in my view, relates to how Stan inadvertently helps Ari become braver, stronger and socially active. As this story is a coming-of-age tale, we see our ordinary, average boy leave his hometown where all the villagers and even his own family often overlook him. He's the kind who blends into the background, never really speaking up for himself and therefore getting treated like a doormat.

But due to unforeseen circumstances, whether he likes it or not, Ari's chosen by his family and Stan, the eponymous Shadow King, to be the latter's slave. This newfound lack of freedom ultimately leads the boy on an adventure to discover himself and the shocking truth of his seemingly whimsical world.

The main characters are quirky, humorous and diverse while the story itself starts out as a tongue-in-cheek satire of the usual RPG cliches before diverting into its surprising but welcome twist.

Rather than just being another RPG that pokes fun at itself and its predecessors, Okage takes the high road into questioning the world we've been shown so far and the place of each character in it.

On the more technical side, the gameplay isn't for everyone. I'm fine with turn-based combat and my preference is to see it coming. You almost always can, although there were occasional surprise ghost spawns for me.

And just to make sure it's better understood now, this game really isn't a grinder. The game mechanics work against that even though it's possible and works well in specific locations.

One notable complaint is the camera, but this truthfully applies to several games during the PS2's lifespan. Okage was released early on as well, so it's not something that bothers me as much as others.

The worst problems? The translation and marketing outside of Japan are honestly bad. Still, the translation gave us so many funny, quotable lines that it isn't something I'm willing to hold against it over. Instead, there's one specific complaint to that end. The final cypher text wasn't translated properly given how it's understood in Japanese, making it difficult for anyone without knowledge of the game's native language. Although it's worth stating that such makes it more of a challenge, albeit an unfair one.

Another issue lies within the coding, one of Stan's many "pop-up" questions leaving players unable to answer properly in the original PS2 version. I've played the game myself, one of those who bought Okage after its initial release along with the Prima guide. The question is so broken that it has only one viable answer, unfortunately.

Although I'm probably biased, Okage my favorite solo game of all-time, the reason I'm giving it an 8/10 is partly due to what I believe the story was meant to convey and based on the fact that it was originally meant for the PS1 system, getting the unfortunate short end of the stick.

Whenever that happens to a game in-progress, it can leave the final product with cut content and errors, so that's part of the reason that giving it a 7/10 doesn't feel right. Besides, the story still shines through to me.

The reason it's an 8/10 is largely based on the previously mentioned coding error (which I think is the cause of the problem) along with an even bigger issue affecting game file saves. Some people encountered losing theirs on the original discs, so be forewarned that such can occur.

I can forgive the shoddy camera controls, translation problems, some annoying mechanics that are more like pet peeves and the final cypher text requiring knowledge of the game's original language. However, for all of that together taking away from the final product as a game and not merely a story, it's enough to take off about half a point.

Another half is deducted due to the sheer fact that the dungeons can be so annoying that more dedicated players even crafted their own maps, partly due to the Prima guide lacking proper information.

So that leaves one whole point deducted from my score. Why? It isn't just about the game's marketing being abysmal beyond Japan or the sense of incompletion that leaves me thinking some of the story was unfortunately cut from the final product. No, the final strike against the game that really deserves a lower score is how unruly it truly is to navigate the story itself.

It's the massive scope of not only talking to ALL the NPCs who might have information about the world, which helps players better understand the story, but the additional shifts that work both for and against the game.

The NPCs can move to new positions during your playthrough, allowing for new dialogue, and you can unlock events by speaking to NPCs without any warning. It's almost as if the game needs a warning: "If you blink, you might miss something!"

That's why Okage is the kind of game you can and SHOULD replay - and yet the thought is daunting. You can easily miss something the second, third, fourth time. If it didn't feel overwhelming, maybe it wouldn't detract from the experience for most players.

So, all in all, those who love the story after the first playthrough should play it again more than twice. It's easy to notice something you heard before only to see it in a new light and reconsider its meaning.

Dedication is required and the story isn't as simple as it seems from the start, so it's easy to understand why Okage gained a cult following rather than the larger fanbase I wish it had.

Hopefully, despite my love for this game, I've given it a reasonable score by considering the problems faced by its creators and its actual flaws. Either way, I'm grateful that this game was made. It's one of few stories that truly changed my life for the better. Which means I'm now able to say with heartfelt sincerity to its creators, "Okagesama de."

An off-beat picturesque RPG

[painkilleradict · 5 September 2003]

I am a man of many tastes in terms of video games. I prefer games that go against the flow rather than with the flow. Okage: Shadow King is one of those games. It's animation resembles Tim Burton's "The Nightmare Before Christmas". That is a good thing too. The characters are deep and diverse, ranging from a Ghost Scholar, an over-weight fighter, a spoiled bratty princess, to a quiet boy named Ari, our main character. The title Okage means shadow king in Japanese. Plus it refers to the other main character; Stanley, the descendant of a great evil king.

Now, all the chaos starts when Ari's sister gets sick and can only be cured by Stan who is a Shadow Evil King, how one becomes a shadow Evil King i'll never know. So, the only way Ari can save his sister is to make a pact with Stan to become his slave and let him haunt Ari's shadow until Stan is put back into his power. Ari of course agrees and thus begins his journey to raise Stan back to his former status. As for the rest of the plot.... you'll just have to discover for yourself.

The game itself doesn't take itself seriously, the best humor comes from the characters fighting with each other. Stan has to be the funniest character in the game, mostly since the world is to small to contain his ego and your characters are quick witted enough to shoot him down and make him fight with them and it goes back and fourth.

The only bad things about this game are the dungeons, they can become very cumbersome and a large pain. But that aside the game is fun to be had.

I give Okage: Shadow King a 3.5 out of 5.

A decent achievement in my case.

[Jellicle_Kittens · 16 July 2004]

Okay, i know i might have spelled that wrong, (v_o) but i feel it is a very good game. i borrowed it from my niece who hardly ever plays it. she says she didn't even reach the part where you battle the ghost in the church. i enjoy playing it and progressing through the levels. the artwork looks like something drawn by tim burton or a tim burton fan with good art skills. i find the music in it tolerable if not good.

as for characters, Ari, of course, is the main character.

ari is an overshadowed, quiet boy. after making a deal with evil king stan, becomes stan's slave until his powers are fully recovered and he can be fully revived. Stanley is an evil shadow king, of course. he may be my favorite character in this game.

as for ari's family, well they are pretty much the normal family.

Overall, i'd say it is a very good game indeed, a fairly decent achievement.

The End