Threads
- God Hand was a highly underappreciated action game from Capcom’s Clover Studio and director Shinji Mikami.
- Fans want to see the game returning today, and directors like Hideki Kamiya and Shinji Mikami also agree.
- The announcement of Okami’s sequel and Clover Studio’s spiritual successor has spurred hope for a God Hand sequel.
Fans were met with many new announcements at The Game Awards 2024. Whether it be The Witcher 4, Naughty Dog’s new IP Intergalactic, or Elden Ring’s co-op spin-off, the show had something for everyone.
Capcom even confirmed an Onimusha revival, but one particular announcement caught everyone off-guard. During the same show, the publisher announced a sequel to Okami, with director Hideki Kamiya returning to the project as part of the studio Clovers.
For the unaware, Clovers is a reference to the original team, Clover Studio, that developed the iconic original title. However, Okami was far from everything Clover Studio was known, with one particular action game leaving a strong legacy behind.
This action game is none other than God Hand, a title that was initially looked down upon for its outlandish and perhaps jarring concepts. Since then, however, the game has developed a reputation for being underrated, and fans are more eager than ever for a sequel. With Clover’s revival and Okami’s comeback, the stars might just align to bring back God Hand.
Why it matters: God Hand was criticized for being rough around the edges, but even its harshest critics agree that Clover Studio’s concepts had the potential to be turned into something much greater.
God Hand Was Underrated
Before discussing a potential sequel, it’s important to understand why God Hand was so great. The game was quite different compared to rival action titles like Devil May Cry and God of War, with its close-up camera angle being one of the defining characteristics of the core gameplay.
Franchises like Norse God of War have since adopted a similar camera angle. This approach, while initially off-putting, helped Clover Studio’s work stand apart in a somewhat crowded genre at the time. The core combat was also solid and featured excellent animations that allowed you to truly embody an overpowered martial artist.
Like the best action games, God Hand featured plenty of moves to learn and experiment with, making for a combat system with a high skill ceiling. Moreover, its adaptive difficulty system was truly ground-breaking for the time, adjusting the level of challenge based on your skill level.
I also hold the opinion that Clover Studio truly outdid everyone else in the action games genre with God Hand’s dodging mechanic, which made excellent use of the right analog stick. A dodging system of similar caliber would not be seen until a few years later in the genre when Bayonetta popularized Witch Time.
Still, God Hand was not without its flaws. The game was never a looker, even by 2006 standards, and its camera angle, while solid for the most part, often proved to be a hindrance during the more hectic combat encounters.
The story was also far from the best, but what kept me coming back to God Hand was the fact that it was an experience full of joy through and through. From its silly tone to the extremely satisfying combat, the gameplay never felt stale, perfectly capturing the pure joy unique to games.
Everyone Wants A Sequel
They’re making a sequel to Okami with Hideki Kamiya returning
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Following Okami’s announcement, fans were quick to discuss the possibility of God Hand 2. Perhaps the most interesting element of this discussion is that Shinji Mikami is fully on board.
He may not be currently associated with Capcom or the newly formed Clover team, but the director is still clearly passionate about the IP. Moreover, Capcom has confirmed that it intends to revive older IPs.
Let’s not forget that Hideki Kamiya, the director behind Bayonetta and Okami, has shown similar interest in reviving this IP. With Shinji Mikami and Hideki Kamiya’s geniuses potentially coming together once again, the gaming industry could witness something truly special in the future.
If something as obscure as Okami can get a sequel nearly twenty years later, I’m willing to hold out hope for God Hand 2.
Uplifting The Action Games Genre
Action game fans are practically starved for more AAA content following the industry’s interest in Souls-likes and FromSoftware’s gameplay design approach. Where there was no shortage of incredibly satisfying action titles in the past, releases like Devil May Cry and Bayonetta are a dime a dozen these days.
Developer Shift Up launched Stellar Blade earlier this year, but even this title treaded far too much into Souls-like territory for my liking. The same is true for the modern God of War entries, albeit to a much greater extent.
Looking at the future, Lost Soul Aside and Phantom Blade Zero seem to be doing the heavy lifting for action games, but a God Hand sequel would immediately steal the spotlight, breathing new life into the genre altogether.
The wait for a sequel has been painful and long, but there finally seems to be a light at the end of the tunnel. Here’s hoping that this IP returns in all its glory at some point in the near future.
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[News Reporter]
Avinash is currently pursuing a Business degree in Australia. For more than three years, he has been working as a gaming journalist, utilizing his writing skills and love for gaming to report on the latest updates in the industry. Avinash loves to play action games like Devil May Cry and has also been mentioned on highly regarded websites, such as IGN, GamesRadar, GameRant, Dualshockers, CBR, and Gamespot.
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