There seems to be a general rule when it comes to video game names: if it is short or paradoxical and straight-to-the-point, it has to be awesome. Thankfully, Heavenly Sword delivers on that rule to many counts. At the time of PS3’s launch, the displays are nothing short of bedazzling, the action fierce, and the story so well acted that it is capable of making you forget that you aren’t watching a movie.

While graphically it’s not the supreme in showing what the PS3 is graphically capable of, that is not to say the game isn’t still a sight to behold. Lush forest settings and very detailed oriental-themed architecture are all abound in this romp, and are well done which makes it very difficult for you to not want to slow things down a bit and admire the visions of scenic beauty normally found in the art of the Far East.

The animations are smooth and captivating until you are forced into a situation where many enemies are flooded on the screen, in which case you may experience a bit of frame-skipping. It’s nothing extremely drastic which will draw away from the game for casual players, but for those who are very keen on picking up a few missed details or minor errors will definitely see this.

The soundtracks and voice acting for the game are simply top-notch, they definitely fit the mood of the game quite well, playing serene and peaceful tracks during moments when you are to take in the game’s aesthetic beauty, and blood-rushing orchestral moments of mayhem pursue when you are in the heat of the action.

Goofy story moments have their goofy musical companions in tandem, and the voiceovers for each character are solid, effectively able to deliver the lines given as well as being able to maintain the true character of the person speaking. And I will have to admit, that ZING of a combo finishing blow is by far one of the most gratifying rings my ears have had the pleasure to hear in a long time.

The story is definitely one of the better ones that I’ve come across for a game most notably dubbed as a hack’n’slasher. Nariko, the protagonist of the story, is dubbed as the wielder and protector of a holy weapon, the Heavenly Sword, a special blade that allows the wielder amazing combat power and prowess at the ultimate cost of her life.

King Bohan, an ambitious and power-hungry ruler, has set his sights on this godly of weapons with no remorse of sending his legions at you to obtain it. The presentation of the storyline comes as a mixture between that “life-flashing-before-my-eyes” idea and Nariko’s introverted conversations with the holy spirit of the sword, which interestingly enough is the view in which the player is forced in.

All the characters in this story have a certain color to them that they bring to the table which contributes wonderfully to the story in the big picture. Also, there are moments in the game where there is a seamless mix of gameplay and story-cutscenes mixed together, which I believe if explored even more deeply can bring about new breakthroughs for gaming narration.

Heavenly Sword shows this idea at times where you can literally still keep control of your character while the cutscene is being displayed in another portion of the screen, and I believe that if this is explored enough in gaming in general, new breakthroughs in gaming narration can be made possible.

Without spoiling the rest of the story, I can safely say that this is one of the games where even those who are more likely to skip over the cutscenes in most games will probably not want to do so, even though the option to do it is present.

The gameplay is also something I’ll have to give highlights to, the control mechanics are simple and very easy to get in the grips of your fingers, while still giving you a nice variety of attacks that can be completely suited to your own playing style.

There are basically two main attack buttons, one intended for swifter-weaker attacks and the other for stronger-slower attacks, and three variations, or stances that represent the general spectrum of players. There is what is known as the Speed Stance which allows for quick, moderate, in-your-face beatdowns, for those who love building combos hit by hit.

Then you have what is known as the Range Stance, attacks that split the swords in ways that is able to attack enemies within a decent radius. Best way to describe this is that it’s quite similar to the way that Kratos attacks with his beloved chains in the God of War series.

And finally you have the Power Stance, which does exactly as the name implies, it uses the sword as bluntly and as heavily as possible, for that satisfying feeling of just smashing through your enemy with a huge sword. Since all of these are available to the player at any time, the seamless transition between these styles allow for combos of all stances to come together and making awe-inspiring attack chains I’ve not seen previously done in most other action games of this type.

There have been some gripes coming from players obsessing about the fact that there is no definite button to block with, but it’s a concept that’s actually not very hard to understand. When you keep your controller neutral, meaning you are not actively pressing anything, your character is always on a defensive stance, ready to block.

The game only requires that you are in the stance in which the attack that is coming your way is represented, and the way the game signifies which stance you need to be in is by the color in which your enemy is flashing before his attack hits you for each color is associated with what type of stance you need to be in to defend against it.

For example, don’t be in a Speed-defending stance if you see that they’re going to try to smash you with a mighty POWERful (hint hint…) overhead slam of an axe, etc.

Another control mechanic I’ve enjoyed thoroughly was the “aftertouch” controls which take advantage of the motion-sensing capabilities that the Sixaxis is known for. Many complaints have been made about this as well, but if you remember for a moment that you’re not playing Wii Tennis and control with a little more delicate touch, you may enjoy this like I have.

Nearly any object your character can pick up (and this can range from a step stool to fallen enemies) and shoot or throw can be guided by keeping your button held down and slightly steering the projectile to whatever you want to hit. This makes shooting arrows with crossbows a little more fun since you can now wind around obstacles with your shots as well.

However much praise there is to give this game, there is pretty much only one thing that somewhat detracts. The replay value is moderate. The story is simple and understandable the first time you play it through, and unless you are a fan of collecting artwork for the game, you aren’t given too much incentive to give it more than two goes.

There is also an extra difficulty mode available once you’ve beaten the game, but it only amounts to having more damage taken when you get hit, so if you’ve fairly mastered the controls on your first go, then you won’t find much of a challenge enough to make a different experience your second time through.

A great story, wonderful controls, and an enjoyable visual delight of the far-eastern variety makes this game worth checking out on your PS3, and here’s hoping that we get to see more ideas from Ninja Theory.

1 Comment »