No, it’s not Okami, but Vita platformer SumiOni does use on-screen black ink brush strokes as part of the gameplay. If you catch yourself saying that games that use brush strokes are just like Okami, you’re probably one of those assholes that says that every restaurant that lets you pick your ingredients for a fat, hand-rolled burrito is Chipotle.
I only got eyes-on with this arty sidescroller, but it looks pretty cool. You play as a sword-armed demon that uses brush strokes to create platforms, summon beasts and even cast spells. While your left thumb is handling all the movement, your right finger is doing the on-screen drawing. You can simply draw a platform where you need to go and instantly hop right on. You’re also able to set your ink on fire to take out enemies.
Acquire has a good looking game here. The art style is like old Japanese painted art, and it all looks pretty neat in motion. The touchscreen scribbling looks like it came right off a paintbrush, too.
This demo was pretty short, but you could see where they’re going with this. I’m sure Acquire has some good ideas to draw upon. Get it? Draw?
SumiOni is coming to the Vita in 2012.
Published: Sep 18, 2011 01:00 pm