Heavenly Sword was a highly anticipated game in 07. This was mainly due to the similarities to the popular franchise God of War. Many believed that this was the next-gen God of War-style game we had all been waiting for. Unfortunately it didn't manage to please most reviewers and was awarded fairly average review scores. But here is one gamer who thought it was excellent this is my review:
Heavenly Sword is unmistakably a high-budget game. It has high production values, great voice-acting, lavish visuals and outstanding cut-scenes. IT certainly is presented very very well. In one of the unlockabkle interviews, one of the devs said that the team would watch a random kung-fu flick every friday night to get some inspiration. And it's obvious that they did. The game's story is standard Japanese martial arts fare, but thats not to say it's bad. It might not be one of the most original stories out there, but the combination of great-looking character models, flawless voice acting and gorgeous cut-scenes make the story very engaging and enjoyable.
It basically goes like this: A red-haired heroine named Nariko is part of a prestigious clan that posseses the Heavenly Sword- a mystical weopon capable of granting it's wielder unprecendented power (how many times have you heard that before?). The sword attracts the attention of King Bohan, who is a tyrannical emperor bent on eradicating all the various clans of the world and creating a new world ruled by him. After being attacked by the king, the clans leader -Shen- hands the sword to Nariko, much to the anger of his fellow clan mates who believe Nariko to be an evil entity sent from hell. But after Bohan kid-naps Shen (who also happens to be Nariko's father) Nariko sets off on a quest to save Shen and end Bohans rule.
I wont go into any more detail about the story, but i will tell you that it does it's job of keeping you engaged and eager to find out. King Bohan is voiced by Andy "gollum" Serkis who does an outstanding job. As do the rest of the voice actors. Apart from the one for Nariko herself, who makes such a feminine figure sound like a gruff man at times.
The graphics are good, but nothing spectacular. Where the game really excels is the draw-distance and number of dynamic enemies on screen. At one point there are literally hundreds of soldiers all eager to cut you down.
The score is top-notch, with dramatical music accompanying the game's dramatical events.
The combat system works great. Let's just say that it's better that God of War, but not as good as DMC. It introduces the use of three unique stances (speed, power and range) which are activated by using the R1 and L1 buttons (speed is default). Using these stances at the right moment is key to eliminating the game's challenging enemies, this adds an element of strategy to the game. For example- the range stance is good for taking out multitude of weaker enemies while the power stance is required to take down some heavy-hitters. Another thing i like about the combat system is the balancing of the attacks and combos. Not one combo is over-powered and can be used throughout the while game. Unlike God of War, where you could use the Cyclone of Chaos move to clear just about any enemy. It's just a case of using the right move at the right time, which makes the combat system satisfingly complex and deep.
You also occasionally take control of Kai- Nariko's childish friends to take part in some slo-mo archery head-popping sections which are not only genius, but are one of the best implementations of the PS3's SixAxis capabilities yet.
And i would also like to add that the game's ending is the most epic ending OF ALL TIME bar none. Thought killing Zeus in GOW2 was cool, think again- Heavenly Sword raises the bar for epic endings. You really have to experience it. I'm bursting to tell you about it, but i'm trying to keep this spoiler free.
But alas, the time has come to outline the game's biggest shortcoming- literally, its way too short. Your average gamer can clock this in about 7 hours on normal difficulty. And while there is some incentive to replay the game because of the "Hell" difficulty setting you unlock after finishing the game and all the unlockable extras, you can't help but feel that your £35 could've gone towards a game with more value for money.
Which in effect makes Heavenly Sword the best rental in existence. So go to Blockbusters, pester your friends to borrow it or go to ebay to buy it cheap because HS is a must-play.
