Heavenly Sword - Platinum (PS3)

Heavenly Sword was once the PS3's flagship title. Released to a stupendous Hullabaloo back in 2007 it didn't have the massive impact that was expected and duly faded into platinum.

The question is, why? Heavenly Sword was effectively the PS3's answer to God of War, complete with next gen graphics and state of the art motion capture. The cut scene graphics are tremendous, rivalling anything being released right now. The backdrops, character design and animation are all state-of-the-art. The motion capture performances were directed by Andy Serkis of Gollum and Kong fame and the cast, including Steven Berkoff and Anna Torv, really deliver high quality performances. Torv is a powerhouse as the lead character Nariko and Berkoff slimes wonderfully as General Flying Fox. This level of commitment back in 2007 really set a precedent which has paid off in titles such as Unchartered and Batman:Arkham Asylum

The in-game graphics and animation are fantastic too. Throw in a epic orchestra score and you have a winner. Assuming the gameplay is up to scratch, of course.

Unfortunately, the gameplay is Heavenly Sword's Achilles heel. This is a third person slasher that overcomplicates itself. Nariko gains the Heavenly Sword early in the game - a weapon unique for its awesome power and desperately desired by the evil King Bohan (Serkis). The story effectively charts Nariko's goal of keeping the sword from Bohan by systematically polishing off his three boss henchmen and, ultimately, him.
When wielding the Heavenly Sword, Nariko has three styles of attack - a speed, ranged and power stance. Each stance is indicated by a colour, blue yellow and orange. She can block an attack from an opponent but only if she is in the correct stance. If an opponent attacks Nariko with a speed attack whilst she is in a power stance, she will be fail to block the attack. If she is in the correct stance, she will automatically block and have the opportunity to counter. Red attacks are unblockable.
For a slasher, this is a complicated combat system and the game throws you straight in at the deep end. immediately you are surrounded by hordes of opponents who attack in different stances at the same time and repeatedly block your attacks. You cannot defend against a blue attack and a yellow attack at the same time and, in the heat of battle, yellow and orange aren't dissimilar. Ultimately, combat intended to be a matter of skill becomes an orgy of button mashing. Also, when a group of enemies is whittled down to one - the lone survivor's abilities suddenly improve. The could have been avoided with graduated level design - perhaps increasing the clutter of opponents more slowly and introducing opponents who can block later in the game as was done with Batman:Arkham Asylum. Also, there is not a huge amount of imagination in the combinations of opponents thrown at you. Later in the game you are introduced to hammer wielding enemy. Shortly after, you face four at the same time. Then six and so-on.

Bizarrely, Nariko cannot jump. Certain sections in the game require a gong to struck to open doors and gates. For dynamic reasons, this cannot be done by hand, it has to be done by flinging a shield at it and using SIXAXIS to steer the shield to it's target in slow motion. I have never been convinced by SIXAXIS and always considered it a gimmick and uncomfortable to use. Unfotunately, there is no option to use the stick as an alternative.
During the game, key targets have to be struck using SIXAXIS, even when Nariko is right next to them. But, because she cannot jump, she cannot reach them by hand.

Another gripe is the lack of am adjustable camera view. You can use L2 & R2 to tweak the camera left and right, but there is no button to hold to allow you to free look around you. During combat this is a pain as you cannot see where your enemies are and are forced to run around in circles until there are in front of you.

Accompanying Nariko is the childlike archer, Kai. Kai's missions are virtually all sniper missions and require extensive use of SIXAXIS to steer the arrows into targets. By this time, however, there is a good chance you will have got used to the control system and there is much fun to be had steering an arrow through a lit torch and into a barred room full of fireworks. On the minus side, any enemies Kai doesn't hit will attack her hand-to-hand and she has no melee attack. Instead you are forced to vault over their backs, run in the opposite direction, turn around and take a few more pot shots. With certain opponents you find yourself running up and down a corridoor until you hit them in the right spot. The inclusion of a simple weak melee attack would have easily resolved this.

The boss fights are okay. There is a standard three wave attack pattern interspersed with key button presses to lead to a cut scene finish. Some are easy, some are harder. Practised gamers will not be over exterted and in-game tips are given, although it must be mentioned that the tips box remains on screen for a long time while you are still playing, obscuring the action.

Overall, Heavenly Sword aimed for the stars and hit the moon. The presentation is 5 star, the gameplay more like three. I get the impression the developers would rather have been making a movie than a game. Tellingly, there are no plans for Heavenly Sword 2. Still, for all it's flaws it's a still a lot of fun and, for the current price, tremendous value.

I loved this game, it is not too long and the graphics are excellent. The use of the controller adds to the fun when steering projectiles around. Although a lot of the puzzles are easy for example opening doors, some you have to be a bit imaginative and think outside the box so to speak, on the whole excellent game well worth a try

In Heavenly Sword you play Nariko, a gorgeous red-haired warrior who's clan guard the Heavenly Sword, a weapon that is too powerful to be used by mortals and slowly drains the user's life-force. King Bohan (Andy Serkis of King Kong & Lord Of The Rings) wants the sword and is attacking and killing Nariko's clan to obtain it. When Nariko's father, Shen, is captured by King Bohan, Nariko decides to sacrifice her own life by becoming the wielder of the sword to save her father.

You start off the game at the end of the story when Nariko dies and you then go on to play the game as a five day lead up to the final battle and Nariko's death. Heavenly Sword will take ou on Nariko's journey to save her father and make sure that King Bohan does not obtain the sword. She is followed by her adobted sister Kai, who is the only survivor of a clan who were once targeted by King Bohan and his henchmen. Nariko and Kai are just a couple of the amazing characters that Heavenly Sword will introduce you to on your adventure. Kai is cute and a little quirky and is Heavenly Sword's second playable character.

As Nariko, you have to fight groups of enemies at a time using the Heavenly Sword. The sword has three distinct stances - range, power and speed. By pressing L1 or R1, the stance changes for the sword and you get a powerful but slow huge sword or it will turn into a chain that you can swing to shield of enemies that surround you. Aswell as being able to change the sword, you get many different combos in Heavenly Sword, which after you have learned to pull off can prove very useful and very entertaining.

You will be able to perform air combos where Nariko will take a guy into the air, and by using the sixaxis controller of the PS3 and different button presses you can inflict further damage and perform special cinematic style attacks. There are a number of these cool attacks ranging from attatching a guy on the end of the chain and using him to take out a load of other guys by swinging him in a circle to performing neck breaking or other very painful looking moves. The game features a full list of all combos and if you do buy the game, I would reccomend you take the time to learn them instead of just button mashing your way through the combat as you'll get a much more satisfying gaming experience and in the final battle where there are literally hundreds of enemies surrounding you they are essential if you want to survive.

For about a third of the game, you play as Kai. Kai uses a crossbow to shoot arrows at enemies and offers a completely different kind of gameplay than using the sword with Nariko. If you've ever used the sixaxis controller of the PS3 before you may know that it can be difficult to get to grips with at first, however, once mastered in Heavenly Sword, it offers an incredibly fun and extremely smooth and satisfying experience. Kai can be in a number of positions from walking on the ground to high up on walls and you must take out enemies from a distance with the crossbow. You fire the crosswbow which releases the arrow, then you're taken intoa first-person view of the arrow and then you're able to control the path of the arrow by tilting the PS3 controller. You can even guide the arrow through flames and then send it slicing through barrels which will explode and take out large numbers of enemies.

Nariko also gets to use other weapons in certain parts of the game such as cannons which use the same sixaxis gameplay as Kai's arrows. Once you get used to controlling the weapons with the controller, you'll find they are extrememly responsive and quite accurate and it adds an whole new experience to gaming that we've never experienced before and it's a load of fun. Thanks to the PS3's sixaxis motion-sensing which is built-in to the PS3 controller this game is able to provide you with some great gameplay that will make you want to play again and again.

One of the best and most noticable features of Heavenly Sword is the outstanding motion capture performance and voice acting. You've really never sen anything as good as it in games before. It's like a movie. The characters have so many realistic facial expressions and display real emotions and feelings especially Nariko and King Bohan. You really have to check out Heavenly Sword just for the story and performance, it's really quite something. Kai is a very adorable and cute supporting character who Nariko will do anything to protect. I assumed she acts so childlike and strange due to seeing her clan murdered and she relies on Nariko to protect her which makes the relationship between them so touching and there are some moments in Heavenly Sword that will bring tears to your eyes.

You will also get to meet Whiptail, Flying Fox and King Bohan's son Roach who become boss fights for Nariko to deal with. One thing that is so noticable about the game is how well written the characters are with each one having their own story and background and together the good vs evil makes for a really emotional and thrilling story that will keep you dying to see what happens next. And the cutscenes never fails to impress.

As for graphics, the game is simply stunning, the style and music and shadow/weather effects make the game absolutely gorgeous to look at. This game really shows how powerful the PS3 is and is a great example of a next gen game. You will be blown away by some of the graphics in Heavenly Sword and they never failed to make me just stare in awe at how amazing they are.

Heavenly Sword is a masterpiece and a must buy for anyone who loves action/adventure or hack and slash games. My only complaint about the game is that it is quite short but it certainly offers quality over quantity. I hoped you enjoyed my review and I hope you have as much fun with Heavenly Sword as I did.