Intro to Okami Speedrunning
Getting into a speedrunning community can often be a bit difficult due to the onslaught of information available. This carrd aims to alleviate that a little bit by presenting Okami Speedrunning in a clear and simple way that's friendly towards newcomers and easy to navigate.
I certainly don't promise perfection, and my familiarity bias towards certain categories is probably going to show, but I hope having an easy-to-navigate baseline can help others at least a little bit.
For more in-depth information, please consult the wiki, the src guides, and our discord server!
Types of Runs
Let's start with the two main types: New Game (NG) and New Game + (NG+).
NG+ is probably the most well-known category outside of the community and features frame-perfect infinite jump glitches (known as "KTs") which define most of the run-- although they can be buffered to make things easier.
NG is a newer category by comparison, and features complex movements (which may be frame-perfect at times) to get around the limitations of not having access to KTs.
It is difficult to say which type of run is the easiest or the hardest, so just go with what sounds most interesting to you (P.S: you no longer have to KT 100 times in a row for the NG+ run!). Do also note that every type of run in Okami can have both an NG and an NG+ iteration, so don't let that affect which of the categories below you'd like to run. I've listed some below, along with information for each of them.
Categories
Misc. Runs
Food% (RTA): Get all the food! The main draw of this little category is that it's shorter than both any% versions (~1 hour on NG, even less on NG+), which makes for a nice change of pace. The guide is mainly oriented towards NG, but it can easily be converted to NG+.
PetTheDog%: Make all NPCs who can pet Ammy do just that!
All Stray Beads: Get all Stray Beads.
All Major Bosses: Defeat all the major bosses.
Die% (RTA): Die as fast as possible.
Top Dog
Though an NG+ variant wouldn't be unwelcome, Top Dog is most commonly run on NG for now, reason why its resources will mainly cater to that. As of now, Top Dog doesn't feature any major "tricks", which may make it appealing to beginners if the ~8-12 hour runtime doesn't dissuade them.
A project is underway to create an extensive guide for Top Dog as well as route variations featuring more complex tricks, but it is still a WIP-- in the meantime, Cad's notes are a good point of reference. Do avoid the guide on the SRC website, as some essential praise routing got lost in modifications.
Two Types of NG+
There exist two main variations of NG+, called "NG+ OG" (or simply often NG+ for short, seeing as it is the most popular), and NG+ 2017.
NG+ OG refers to all versions of Okami released prior to 2017, which is to say the PS2, Wii, and PS3 versions. These versions of the game have access to the KT glitch-- an exploit whereby changing karmic transformers in mid-air, if done frame-perfectly, will grant you an extra jump. This can be done limitlessly, and buffering for leniency is fairly easy and even commonplace.
NG+ 2017 refers to all versions of Okami released post-2017, and doesn't have access to the particular KT glitch available on older versions of the game due to it being patched out. Rather, its new infinite jump glitch "BKTs" (Bork KTs, due to Ammy's barking being involved in the trick), is double-frame perfect, and buffering for leniency is much more difficult. There does exist an older, far more lenient version of the category that uses slope and liquid KTs, however.
NG+ OG Any%
NG+ OG features a beginner's route known as "cherry bomb route". There is also a guide for the advanced route, although some tricks are not present due to them not having been discovered at the time. Among the most glaring would be the existence of sleepwalking, which makes origin warps (a type of teleportation exploit) much easier.
Words and sections to look out for:
Gale Shrine (Origin Warp): Allows for entry into Gale Shrine without doing dog quest, and is now done using sleepwalking like so). Guides may show a hundred or so KTs done in a row in Gale Shrine; this is the pre-OW method, ignore it unless you wish to suffer.Oni Island (Origin Warp): Allows for faster access to the thunderstorm statue. Most likely not mentioned in either guide due to the strat being done rarely at the time / its inconsistency even to this day (if failed on the first try, it's judged not worth it to go for it again). Nonetheless, now done with sleepwalking like so.Blooming the Agata Tree: The brush adventure to bloom the Agata tree is now done while dashing into the exit to skip the restoration cutscene like so.Tundra Beads in Ark: It is now recommended to use Gold Dusted Tundra Beads as a shotgun subweapon in Ark to defeat Orochi during the boss rush (2nd phase).New Dojo Clip: Easens the clip into the Ryoshima dojo (to get double jump) like so.Water Dragon (Sleepwalking Warp): Skips getting the lockjaw key and speeds up the water dragon escape sequence by way of sleepwalking like so.Sasa Escape: KTs over the Sasa walls to escape spring room directly like so as opposed to voiding out and falling into the main room like older guides may do.SSD: Using an SSD on one's PS3 will shorten loadtimes and make the fan close faster and more consistently (fully removing the notorious "fan lag" which can make timing KTs far harder). This adds up to a significant ~2-3 minute timesave.Tsuta Entry Tree Clip: Replaces the two KTs into Tsuta with a faster trick that lets us clip in at ground level like so.
NG+ 2017
NG+ 2017 has three unofficial routes: one using only slope/liquid KTs (the old route), one incorporating occasional BKTs, and one essentially using BKTs wherever OG NG+ would use a full KT. The latter route having no true documentation or video, one could easily refer to the OG NG+ guides and simply do what they do using BKTs.
For the BKT Lite and BKT routes, one might wish to consult the NG+ OG Any% page, as the tricks that have changed certain parts of their run are also applicable here.
NG+ AB
Its guide is far more up to date than most NG+ OG guides, but feel free to consult the NG+ OG page anyway for a refresher on what the newer strategies are.
NG AB
The Intermediate-ish route works along the lines of the Tab% route. It performs two tricks known as CC Skip (skips Moon Cave) and Nechku Skip that may be difficult for beginners. It is relatively easy to just fight Nechku here if you're having trouble with the skip; however, the routing being planned around CC skip might make working around that one a bit more difficult.
The advanced route features several complex tricks present in the HBS/Salsa route discussed in the NG Any% page.
Do note that if you perform Boulder Skip, you will also need to do Reverse Boulder Skip to obtain lilypad.
NG Any%
NG Any% is currently the most popular route, and its rapid meta changes are reflected around the number of routes present for this category and the number of tricks making certain guides a little outdated. Dboosting has probably been the biggest alteration, allowing for an extra tackle-jump in mid-air if certain requirements are met.
Here's a description for each of the routes, ordered by level of difficulty. Assume that all the tricks used in prior routes apply to later routes:
Beginner's Route: Plays through the game largely as intended, save for a few cool tricks such as skipping the 100 years in the past sequence. About ~3-4 hours, though expect more on your first runs. May use Nechku Skip as a major trick.Tab% Route: Skips Moon Cave using CC Skip and does Nechku Skip. May either do Fireburst Early or get it the intended way.Tabskip Route: Skips Imperial Palace and getting the Fire Tablet by way of Fluttered Tabskip . Does Fireburst Early.HBS/Salsa Route: Delays Tsuta Ruins by allowing the player to cross the Agata rapids by way of HBS, and skips the Chun retrieval quest by allowing access into locked Sasa via Salsa. Do note that HBS is reset-heavy, as you must get it first try.Catwalk Skip: Skips catwalk entirely, and implements dboosts in several areas throughout the run to compensate for it (five in total are required, not counting boulder skip).
And here are all the major tricks and sections to look out for by route, as the guides may have outdated elements to them (presume that all tricks used in earlier routes apply to later ones unless otherwise specified):
BEGINNER, TAB%, TABSKIP ROUTES:
Sport several very well-detailed guides that are unfortunately outdated in regards to certain key elements, outlined below. Do note that adding in any new tricks is up to your discretion; if you prefer the old route, go for it!
Boulder Skip (Optional): Skips the boulder slashing sequence like so. Setting your game in Japanese for this trick is recommended, as it makes achieving it much easier. Also involves doing a new fight strategy for Hana's Yellow Imp fight seeing as we no longer grab the EXS in Kamiki (PS the green imps twice, ink the YI and remain in its line of sight until it becomes staggered, then DI it three times in its staggered state).Oki Skip: Skips Oki's fight. The method used in the beginner's guide has now been replaced by this easier variant.Wawku Early: Cuts out Yoshpet and 100 years in the past. The method used in the beginner's guide has now been replaced by this easier variant.2D Early (Optional): Lets us clip into Oni Island's 2D room by way of skew after obtaining thunderstorm like so. Somewhat finicky.Tsuta Entry Tree Clip (Optional): Very beginner-friendly trick that lets us clip into Tsuta like so, saving us the first round of Kokari fishing. Alternate, if slightly slower method here.Blockhead Tree Clip (Optional): A lot finickier than its counterpart above, but skips a significant portion of Tsuta by clipping into blockhead and initiating the minigame like so.
HBS/SALSA ROUTE:
Largely up to date in the video presented, however I would recommend watching this section of another video, as it details the somewhat fast-paced Tsuta gauntlet.The particular video showcasing for this route uses Toaster Skip, which allows one to bypass the first Tabskip and access North Ryoshima early. This run can be done without it; just proceed through Sei-An as you would in Tabskip Route.HBS route does Boulder Skip right after exiting River of the Heavens, thereby cutting out restoring Kamiki Village and getting Sunrise (story-relevant Sunrises will still register even without you having officially obtained the brush technique!). However, you will need to perform Kamiki Killer in Tsuta, as the bridge cannot be rejuvenated without Sunrise; weird, I know.
CATWALK SKIP ROUTE:
By and large follows the Toaster variant of the HBS/Salsa Route, but skips Catcall Tower entirely and instead uses dboosts to reach Watcher's Cape (x2 via demon scroll), Shinshu Plateau (via demon scroll), and Wawku's upper floor (via damage boost; also requires 2 consecutive dboosts, making this particular trick double frame-perfect).
Basic Tech and Terms
CB: Cherry Bomb. CB2 and CB3 are the upgraded versions you obtain through underground springs.
Dash: Probably the term you will hear the most, and one of the essential mechanics to master in Okami speedrunning. Refers to Ammy's speed, and more precisely the two "fast" speeds which make plants bloom behind you while running (as opposed to normal speed and slow-walking). Variants of this term are "gold dash" (fastest speed) and "green dash" (second fastest speed).
Its relevance to speedrunning is that meeting certain criteria allows us to conserve (or "store") dash even in situations where it shouldn't be possible, and thus instantly regain speed instead of having to build it up all over again from scratch every time a cutscene occurs. A video explaining dash in more detail is present below, and is a definite must-watch.
DI: Abbreviation for "divine instrument". Typically used in a battle context to mean whacking stuff with your weapon as opposed to using exorcism slips or brush powers ("DI the enemy three times").
DJ: Double jump.
(E)XS/(E)XM/(E)XL: Refers to the different strengths of exorcism slips. Also used as a verb ("XL four times").
OOB: "Out of Bounds".
PS: Power Slash. PS2 and PS3 are the upgraded versions you obtain through underground springs.
SFS: Steel Fist Sake. Also used as a verb ("SFS, then DI").
SGT: Abbreviation for "sliding ground tackle", a movement technique wherein Ammy jump-tackles while sliding off a surface, thereby gaining extra distance that she wouldn't be able to get otherwise. More info here.
Spread: The initial placement of enemies upon entering a fight. A "good" spread typically consists of enemies spawning on top of each other (making attacking them all at once much faster/easier), whereas a "bad" spread sees enemies spawn far apart from one another.
YI: Yellow Imp.