Heavenly Sword (PS3) - Review

Heavenly Sword
Developed by Ninja Theory
Published by SCEE
Released September 2007
For PS3

Six months ago, you couldn't find much love out there for the PlayStation 3. Between the high price, the lingering resentment over Sony's arrogant pre-release marketing, the uncertain future of the Blu-Ray format, and the lack of high quality first party titles, bashing on the PS3 was the en vogue thing to do. Sony loyalists awaited Heavenly Sword with a high level of anticipation, hoping it would be the system's saving grace and prove the PS3 could offer a unique experience in an already crowded marketplace. Perhaps it was that same anticipation that caused a certain level of backlash against Heavenly Sword. It's too short, it's just God of War-lite, it's boring, there's too many cutscenes, etc. In the objective light of March 2008, I'm here to offer another point of view: Heavenly Sword is an absolute blast.

A clan of warriors has long guarded a massive blade known as the Heavenly Sword. None but a God could wield it without sacrificing his life to its powers. A prophecy foretold of the day when a man would be born who was strong enough to reclaim it and bring peace to all the lands. Nariko was supposed to be that man. She was still raised a warrior, but none in the clan could hide their disappointment, and many believed Nariko would bring about their doom. But when a warmonger named King Bohan attacks looking to steal the Heavenly Sword for his trophy room, it will fall on Nariko to take the Sword away and, in time, use it herself to stand against him and his armies.


Heavenly Sword does, in fact, control very similarly to God of War. Nariko tears through hordes of enemies, spinning, jumping, and slashing them to pieces. You can vary your stance via the shoulder buttons from normal to strong to long range, with each one color-coded to show you which stance you must be in to block an enemy's attack. There are also button-prompt action sequences (e.g. Nariko running up the side of a cliff or putting the finishing touch on a boss). Heavenly Sword isn't the first game to borrow from the God of War playbook, but by maintaining a high level of action and excitement, it pushes those comparisons to the back of your mind while you let loose and have fun.


The biggest gameplay addition is in the distance attack levels. Nariko has an adopted sister named Kai, and though Kai has the mentality of a small child, she's an expert with a crossbow (or "twing twang" as she calls it). Using the Sixaxis motion controls, you can slow down time after each shot, zoom in on the arrow's perspective (Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves style) and physically steer the arrow to its target. It takes a few tries to get used to it, but soon becomes instinctual. Anyone who's ever bowled has felt the urge to lean left or right as if you could somehow affect the ball's trajectory, but in Heavenly Sword, "body english" actually works.

But Kai's not the only one with the supernatural ability to steer projectiles mid-flight. In a few sequences, Nariko has to fire a giant cannon at Bohan's invading army, and the cannon balls can also be steered where you need them to go. If you have a big enough battlefield, you can even pick up discarded objects--like swords, shields, or dead soldiers--at any time and throw them at your opponents. It's not an easy shot, but tossing a dude into another dude, when it works, is pretty damn sweet. Finally, there are a few "puzzles" that involve tossing shields at markers so they bounce off each other, Captain America-style, that require a little Sixaxis leaning to pull off.


The plot itself may not pave any new ground as far as revenge-driven epics go, but the story is still a large part of the game's appeal. There are quite a few cutscenes, after all. But the graphics are so sharp, and the voice acting so well-done, that the cutscenes add much more to the gameplay than they detract. A particular boss fight comes to mind (the second time you face Flying Fox) as being a much more viscerally satisfying experience because of the masterful acting and storytelling than it otherwise would've been. They've somehow managed make the characters look hyper-detailed and expressive while still avoiding any Uncanny Valley creepiness. I'd go as far as to say I don't think I've ever seen more effective CG character models outside a Pixar movie.

At around 5 - 6 hours of gameplay, Heavenly Sword is a very short game. And yes, in many ways, it is essentially God of War-lite. But until God of War 3 comes out, this is the best current generation game in the GOW play style you're going to find (sorry Conan and Shrek the Third). With amazing graphics and acting, shockingly fun uses for the Sixaxis controller, and tried-and-true hack-and-slash gameplay, Heavenly Sword is one of the best exclusive titles for the PS3 and is well-worth playing for any action game fan.

Grade: A-