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Heavenly Sword (PS3)

By: DriverHeaven Sep 20, 2007

Twing Twang

Nariko isn’t the only character you get to play as. A few individual scenes, as well as most of the 3rd chapter revolve around Kai, Nariko’s friend. This feline-like girl is one of the weirdest characters ever created, but you’ll probably grow to like her before long. Unlike Nariko her specialty are not swords – instead she prefers to kill enemies of from a distance with a bow in a little game she calls Twing Twang. Her crossbow is one of the most interesting weapons I have ever seen, but its looks are not what Twing Twang is all about. The game lets you steer the bolts with the so called aftertouch system. After Kai pulls the trigger you can get direct control over the bolt if you keep holding down the attack button. Time slows down and you can direct the bolt in any direction you want, navigating around obstacles with ease. It’s not realistic, but it’s one of the best implementations of the six-axis controller yet. That’s right; you control the bolt in a similar way to how the dragon is controlled in Lair. The system takes a bit of time to get used to, but before long you’ll be doing head/groin shots like a pro. And if you can’t stomach motion controls you can always turn them off and use the analog pad to do the work.

Aftertouching is not limited to Kai’s bolts however. As Nariko you’ll find yourself at the trigger of a cannon several times, and every object you pick up can be guided in a similar manner. Several puzzles in the game rely on this technique, forcing you to use hats (!!!) as flying disks. The target? Gongs that open doors. Overall the idea of aftertouch helps make the game more diverse, breaking the combat sequences up just nicely. Another reason you’ll be glad that aftertouch was included is because without ranged weapons, Nariko’s only weapon would be a plain steel sword and the Heavenly sword. Admittedly the Heavenly sword can be a chain weapon (range stance), two swords (speed stance) or a single sword (power stance), but the list is still rather short. You do unlock longer and stronger combos as you progress, but overall the game could do with more diversity.

The power of Cell

Those of you who played the demo probably noticed two things about the game. The first one is that the game looks absolutely stunning, while the other is that the framerate can be a bit unstable at times. While the framerates still aren’t perfect in the full game, overall the game is much smoother, with drops noticeable only in the most crowded encounters. The looks on the other hand didn’t deteriorate because of that. Quite the contrary – the character models and environments are even more impressive. Nariko and Kai, as well as their foes move in the most realistic way possible, but quite often it is the backdrops that are the real stars of the game. The scale and scope of the buildings in this game is just amazing, with buildings that dwarf even some of today’s skyscrapers. And the art direction helps with a very dramatically placed camera accentuates them even more. Speaking of the art direction, the main reason most will have to replay this game (other than experiencing the amazing rollercoaster ride of combat again) is the unlockables the game offers. There are over 100 art pieces to be unlocked, as well as a 5 part making-of documentary. Hardly as good as a few more hours of playtime, but not bad nonetheless.

Mirroring the high production values of the visuals, the sound of this game is top notch as well. Professional actors have voiced the characters and since they were the same people that were responsible for their animation (motion captured faces) they all sound precisely like they should. The music is up there as well, with a very well written score that mixed classical orchestral music with traditional Indian rhythms and tunes. To tie things up the sound effects that range from sword clanks to flesh tearing are all sounding great, giving that icing on the cake to the whole experience.

Conclusion

I usually am not conflicted about games. I either like them, or outright hate them. With Heavenly Sword this isn’t the case. On one hand I just love the whole experience, be it the boss battles, twing twang or just the general encounters. I love the looks, the sound and the overall quality of the game. On the other hand however, I just hate the game for being so short. 7 hours of playtime is not much by any standard, but when a game is as good as this the 7 hours feel more like 30 minutes. Considering I’m replaying the game on hell mode right now (harder difficulty, gets unlocked when you finish the game) I seem to have forgiven the game its shortness. If you can do that as well, Heavenly Sword will deliver a next gen experience few games can match.

Scores

Gameplay	89	It might look like a God of War clone, but the blocking system makes it different enough. And I bet you’ll love twing twang.
Graphics	92	The best facial animations, bar none. The rest is just as good, but the framerate can suffer a bit because of it.
Sound	91	Just like the graphics, lots of work went into making the game sound just right.
Value	58	7-8 hours of gameplay, and at least an hour of that will be spent watching cinematics. Unlockables help a bit.
Multiplayer		A game like this just wouldn’t work online.

OVERALL

Heavenly Sword is not the killer title the PS3 was waiting for, but it is one fine game and possibly one of the first “real” next-gen titles released.