Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #414 in Computer & Video Games
• Brand: Sony
• Released on: 2007-09-14
• Platform: PLAYSTATION 3

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In a nutshell:
Amongst all the games that were actually playable on the PS3 at the recent E3 event in Los Angeles this was the most impressive, both in terms of gameplay and graphics. Not only that but it’s a completely original game, not a sequel or a remake.

The lowdown:
Already nicknamed by some as Goddess of War, due to its apparent similarities to PS2 game God of War, the storyline of the game is unclear but it features a typically attractive and super skilled martial arts heroine as she knocks seven bells out of a stream of ninja like bad guys. The various moves look stunning, in particular an eye-watering groin attack aimed at the male enemies (the game features motion capture by Gollum and King Kong actor Andy Serkis). The E3 demo level takes place in a small, and completely destructible, arena but other test footage shows an expansive and impressively realistic looking game world to explore and demolish.

Most exciting moment:
Towards the end of the demo the game segues into a QTE (quick time event) sequence where you have to tap the buttons according to icons flashed onscreen, which sees you performing even more outrageous stunts and attacks.

Since you ask:
Developers Ninja Theory used to be known as Just Add Monsters, under which name they made comedy beat ‘em-up Kung Fu Chaos for the Xbox.

The bottom line:
The best looking, and playing, game so far on the PS3.
HARRISON DENT

Manufacturer's Description
Emotionally charged, stunningly beautiful and delivering unprecedented dramatic character performance, Heavenly Sword showcases the power of PLAYSTATION 3. A dramatic tale of revenge sees Nariko, a fiery red-haired heroine embark on a quest for vengeance against an invading King and his army. The story builds around the ancient Heavenly Sword which once belonged to a powerful deity. It can never be wielded by a mortal without it draining their life-force, killing them within hours.

When the invading King (played by Andy Serkis) destroys the warrior clan that guards the Heavenly Sword, the clan leader's daughter, Nariko, takes up the sword in a desperate fight for survival. Nariko must now pay the ultimate price as she embarks on one last mission of vengeance against the King and his army before her life is finally drawn to a close&

Andy Serkis, the world's leading CG actor, famous for his roles as Gollum in The Lord of the Rings and Kong in King Kong, was heavily involved in the creative process. As well as starring in Heavenly Sword as the villain, King Botan, Andy was a major contributor to the character development, writing, casting, directing and performance capture for the PLAYSTATION 3 game.

Heavenly Sword features a deep, diverse combat experience made possible by PLAYSTATION 3.

Customer Reviews

Visually stunning yet repetitive
There's no doubt this is a beautifully designed game, it won't win awards for longevity but if you like your games purely for fun you won't go far wrong. The level design is great, the cut scenes are interesting and relevant and can be skipped for the second play, the action scenes (pressing buttons to climb rockfaces or swing from ropes etc) are a great balance in the action.

The move list is extensive and there is reward for those who choose not to button mash (as fun as this is) and you'll certainly get the most 'glyphs' by doing so.

Where the game falls down slightly for me, is not just the longevity, it really is 10-15 hours for most gamers, but also how repetitive it seems at times, especially when you fight one wave of enemies, only for another group to come in seconds later in the pretense of a new game episode.

Also, sometimes the twing twang sections (bow and arrow) are insanely hard, i still can't get any more than 8 kills from 25 in the first one, and even when i got a 100% kill rate on the second example i still only got 1 'glyph' for my efforts, i'd love someone to tell me why that was!

You can pick this up relatively cheaply now on here so i suggest purely as an example of Next Gen gaming you should own this game, as well as Devil May Cry 4 of course!

Amazing!!!
I was downloading demos one evening as i decided i would like to buy a game, but i wanted to find one that hooked me instead of just running out and buying one that 'looked' good. Then i came across this little gem. Boy did i find what i was looking for!

Upon firing up the demo i was instantly blown away by the graphics! They are easily on par with the likes of Drakes Fortune and Gears of War in my opinion.

Then i started controlling the main character, WOW! The controls are nice and fluid and the game style is very much like Ninja Gaiden, Prince of Persia and God of War(Infact if you could put those 3 games in a blender and make a cocktail, this would probably be the result). The action never gets boring and with QTE (Quick Time Event) action sequences, much like those in god of war, thrown in to keep you on your toes.

Needless to say i instantly got online and ordered it, and its one of the best games in my collection, up there with the already mentioned ninja gaiden and God of War. This game is a must have for anyone that likes games of this type.

It is true this game is a little short lived but if you dont rush through it, you should get a fantastic 10 hours gameplay out of it. But its such a good game, you'll probably be back for more.

Bottom line: if you enjoyed Ninja Gaiden and God of War, you owe it to yourself to atleast try this.

Meh
Certainly, this is a fun game to play: the good use of the sixaxis feature, the different enemies and bosses, the music and the amazing graphics all contribute to making it a good all-round game. I do have some major gripes, though: The battle system, for starters, quickly has you mashing buttons in the hope that an attack will hit and you'll take down big-man-with-helmet/annoying-seemingly-unhittable-ninja-woman. I accept that there are combinations that are recommended to you, and that if you press circle when her little bar is full she does some neck breaking/groin crushing, but a majority of the game is squaresquaresquaresquaresquaresquare. The story is good and I like the comic-booky cutscene bits, but I often found myself L1-ing my way through waves of pointless enemies only to get to one of those archaic bosses who at first seem formidable in the extreme, but their pattern is quickly discovered and it becomes a case of duck-roll-block-chain-BEAT-HER-TO-DEATH-BEFORE-SHE-RECOVERS-FROM-HER-CLICHE
OUT-OF-BREATH-PERIOD-FOLLOWING-BIG-ATTACK!
I like the characters, particularly Kai, who I think is like gollum...but prettier, but I was discussing with my step-brother the similarities between Nariko and Lara Croft...or more specifically how Heavenly Sword was like a ninja reinvention of Tomb Raider, albeit with easier puzzles and more flesh.
The final battle makes for an unwelcome change: after slogging through the game fighting wave after wave, boss pattern after boss pattern, you suddenly come across this chap who, even though he, like the other bosses, has a very distinct attack pattern, you can't seem to beat. I have, obviously, but it took me a long while. I expect the main reason for this is because the only attack that can hit him is your speed attack which doesn't really do any damage, and when he hits you, you find yourself basically dead already. I'm not complaining too much about that, though. There's absolutely nothing wrong with a challenging boss, but there's a fine line between challenging and downright monotonous and time-consuming.
By all means, rent it. In fact, I recommend that you do. I wouldn't make it a long-term investment though...I find that I haven't yet returned to it after my initial completion.