How do I get Okami to the platform on bottom floor of Moon Cave?

Question

After falling to my death a number of times in Moon Cave, I turned to the walkthroughs. A typical example reads:

Jump on the elevator nearby. He warns not to disturb him lest the platform go crashing down into the pit below. Power Slash him anyway and he will drop the controls, sending the platform down. You have to slash him a number of times before reaching an opening.

After jumping onto the land to the left, move past the Imp guard and into another cavern with more enemy Imps.

It's the jumping to the "land on the left" that causes problems for me. Every time I try, I fall just a few units short of making the jump. What am I doing wrong?

Answer 1

I lucked into the solution: mid-air dash. When the elevator hits bottom (there's a noticeable sound), angle toward the left of the imp:

Then go to the edge of the elevator and jump. As long as the elevator hasn't gone up too much you should find Okami falling just short of the landing platform. Then:

PS2: Press Square to dash ahead.
Wii: Shake the Wiimote to dash.
PS3: Probably press Square on the Dualshock 3. Maybe do some gesture with the Move controller (optional).

Mid-air dash also helps get across other gaps when you misjudge a jump.