The entire experience revolves around the beauty of nature and the player’s ability to manipulate said beauty.

When you come across someone who has a slack-jawed look on their face, it usually means one of three things:

A) They suffer from severe nasal congestion and would asphyxiate without an open mouth,

B) They are ogling a member of the opposite sex in a borderline illegal manner,

C) They have just had their mind blown in a moment of sublime awe.

Regrettably for some of you, today we’ll be concentrating on the latter.

An overwhelming sensation of visual awe is something rarely found in any form of art. Recent films such as “Hero,” “2046” and “The Fountain” are examples of works of art that have left audiences’ eyeballs exhausted.

Luckily, gamers have “Okami,” a Playstation 2 game released in 2006. The game follows a formula similar to the recent “Zelda” games, but stands out in one major area.

The very first thing that everyone notices about the game is the fact that it is one of the most beautiful things that they have ever seen. The visuals use a stunning mix of cell-shaded animation and breath-taking Japanese wood carvings.

The finished product harkens back to Hokusai’s stunning wood carving, “The Great Wave off Kanagawa,” that depicts a massive wave in front of Mount Fuji.

The game honestly resembles a painting in motion. It epitomizes the word “breathtaking” like no other game ever has.

The entire experience revolves around the beauty of nature and the player’s ability to manipulate said beauty. As the titular sun goddess, it’s your job to restore beauty to the world using the power of the almighty Celestial Brush.

Yes, the name is kind of lame. Upon first hearing it, I assumed that it was a magical comb of some sorts. Thankfully, I was wrong.

When the brush is used, the sun goddess transforms the world into a canvass completely open for the player to use as they see fit.

Want to create a gust of wind in order to power a windmill? Just draw a loop in the direction of the windmill.

Need to chop a tree in half? Just draw a slice through the tree, and it will cease to exist.

The most impressive power that your sun goddess possesses is her ability to reanimate the dead. As you navigate the very Japanese countryside, you spend a lot of time breathing life back into the barren landscape. Watching trees blossom at the touch of your brush is as satisfying an experience as any video game can offer.

“Okami” is about as long as they come. My first run through it clocked in at about 50 hours. That means that my mouth was agape for over two full days. If I would have played for another hour or so, I would most likely be suffering from a serious case of lockjaw. I kid you not, this game is that awe-inspiring.

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