Heavenly Sword Review PS3

When I first heard about Heavenly Sword prior to the Playstation 3 release, the first thing that came to mind was “God of War Clone”. The trailer showed Nariko battling large amounts of enemies with chained aerial combos much like Kratos. I wasn’t too impressed by the game, but I figured if I purchased a Playstation 3, I would pick up the game to hold me over until God of War 3. Ironically, I did not purchase a Playstation 3 until 2008, but Heavenly Sword was the first game I bought. The game centers around a female character named Nariko who is cursed by the heavenly sword she wields out of necessity to protect her tribe. She uses the sword to fight against the evil King Bohan and his evil minions who are slaughtering her people.

Graphic and sound:

The graphics in Heavenly Sword are astounding even now in 2009. The cinematics are highly detailed and a pleasure to watch. A lot of effort was put into the visuals of this game and it shows. The world is expansive with clever level design that allows for minor puzzle solving and great views. Character models are highly detailed, as well as the architecture. The background music adds to the emotion and feeling of the game. The player feels immersed in an epic adventure. The voiceovers are of high quality and the script is actually good for a video game.

Gameplay and controls:

The game is a basic hack and slash like God of War, which mixes combat with multiple combos and minor puzzle solving. The game switches throughout the story between Nariko and Kai. Nariko battles with the large heavenly sword and a long sword, while Kai battles with a crossbow. Both characters use other projectile weapons as well that are scattered throughout the levels. There are 4 bosses to battle throughout the game, with the final boss being extremely difficult to master. Controls are very simple to use with the main attack buttons being square and triangle. The game has certain areas that require guiding projectiles to their mark, which is called aftertouch. The player can either use the motion sensor on the controller to guide the projectile or use the analog stick. Personally I prefer the analog stick over the sixaxis.

Overall thoughts:

Overall, I believe the game was a treat, with a well developed story line, and a great blend of action and cinema. The game had wonderful graphics, a well written storyline, great voice acting, and plenty of action. I felt like I was embarking on a truly epic journey that unfortunately was cut short. After playing the game, I felt I needed more, but alas there is no sequel in the works. This game will be fun for anyone who enjoys the God of War series, as the gameplay is very similar yet refreshing.