Hideki Kamiya looks back on Okami’s New Year cards 

Capcom’s Clover Studio may not exist anymore but its games still stand the test of time. Viewtiful Joe, Okami, and God Hand have unique gameplay, stories, and art styles that stick with players long after the games have been completed. Okami’s art in particular is so memorable, largely due to how its gameplay involves making calligraphy brushstrokes to directly impact your surroundings.  

18 years after Okami was first made available on the PlayStation 2, game director Hideki Kamiya still fondly recalls moments from the game’s release. Upon seeing a Famitsu post announcing the game’s anniversary, Kamiya took to the social media site X to talk about some early promotions for the game. According to him, Clover Studio prepared a series of New Year’s cards that were put up on the now-defunct Okami website.  

Japanese New Year’s cards are traditionally sent on New Year’s Day to friends and family- with the cards featuring the zodiac animal for that particular year. For example, 2024 is the year of the dragon, so people sent cards featuring that zodiac animal this January. Regarding the 13 Okami New Year card designs, which feature the Celestial Brush gods from the game that represent zodiac animals, the staff joked at the time that it would take years to get through all the designs. With 18 years having gone by since Okami’s original release- Kamiya commented that the years represented by these cards have now passed.

Seeing kagetora_edomae’s post, Hideki Kamiya was quick to notice that each Celestial Brush god had three different card designs dedicated to them. While these pieces are generally the same image in different formats, Kamiya says that with one card design for each year, they are more than enough to take us through the next 20 years. Considering the number of times Okami has been ported to other consoles and platforms, the game may still be relevant after all this time