Originally set for release towards the end of this month in both North America and Europe (and following suspicion brought about by placeholders on major online retailers), Capcom has spoken out to confirm that the launch of Okami for the Nintendo Wii has been held back by three weeks until April 15.

No reason was given for the delay, but GameSpot reports that it could be due to a reallocation of staff in the run up to the launch of Gold of War: Chains of Olympus, which arrives on the Sony PlayStation Portable later this week. From a Nintendo perspective, it could also be seen as a tactic to avoid Super Smash Bros. Brawl, which launches stateside on March 09.

In Okami, players assume the role of the wolf-embodied sun god Amaterasu to set the world straight after the legendary monster Orochi has come back to life and turned it into a wasteland. The action-adventure title was originally released for the Sony PlayStation 2 last year to great a great critical reception, so perhaps the firm’s decision to bring it to Wii will be more fruitful.

One of Okami’s biggest draws (literally as far as the Nintendo Wii version goes) is the ability to draw paintbrush strokes with the Wii Remote. Capcom’s Christian Svensson recently explained that learning to do so would take players around 10 minutes, after which the process should feel effortless, giving a great physical feeling and affecting the game’s pacing.

As for Okami’s gameplay, Svensson confirmed that no new extras had been added to the Wii version, but that “40-60 hours of content is plenty for anyone. It doesn’t need more bosses. Most people complain that the game is too long as it is. And you could read a few threads around here asking us to shorten or cut it (which we also didn’t do).”

One of the biggest changes, however, is that Okami Wii will boast widesreen and progressive scan support on the Nintendo Wii.

An extra three weeks to wait, then. Could have been worse, we suppose. Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.