Back in 2007, when the PS3 was about to be released, a few games were chosen by SONY to show off the amazing technical possibilities that this new console was bringing to the customers. Heavenly Sword was conceived to be one of these games, and it was one of the first games released for Playstation 3. This could only mean two things: they didn’t have any problem with the budget, since they were supported by SONY, and second, they were constantly stressed by SONY’s demands. Did the game have enough time to be properly finished and polished? Did it turn to be a good representation of the Playstation 3’s possibilities? Here is my opinion:
LIKED:
A cinematic experience: 3 years have passed since this game was released and its cut scenes are still looking amazingly well done. This is one of those games that you play just to watch the following cutscene. It feels like a rewarding experience after completing a level. Just drop the controller and enjoy another awesome cinematic.
Characters with souls: There are many characters appearing in this game, but the story only spins around 3 of them: Nariko, Kai and Boham. These characters are perfectly designed. They are simply perfect: how they look, how they act, how they talk, their motivations, their weaknesses. Is not an easy job to conceive a believable character from zero in a game, and the people from Ninja Theory were able to create, not only one, but 3 of them. This may not look like an important point, but think how many good games don’t have a believable main character, offering just a plain generic excuse for a character instead.
Is not just about hacking and slashing: The game is short, actually shorter than expected, but at least they often try to entertain the player with a variety of gameplay styles, from the shooting range with the crossbow as a gimmicky excuse for the Sixaxis, to the unnecessary QTEs that often pop up on screen when you least expect them. However, the game is not just an endless gallery of combats in different locations thanks to this variety of gameplay situations. Could they be better… yes, I think so. But still, is a good point.
DISLIKED:
Performance issues: At first, I thought that this issue was only noticeable when fighting with hundreds of enemies at the same time (which happens a couple of times in the game), but then I realized that the whole game moves slow most of the time. In a fast paced action game like this, the frame rate must be higher than 30FPS all the time. I had the feeling that the game was moving at 20FPS (or less) continuously.
An excuse for the Sixaxis: SONY was proud of their new invention, and they forced developers to include set pieces in their games where the usage of the Sixaxis was required to progress in the adventure. Everybody knows about LAIR, and why it sucked. So, Heavenly Sword also forces the player to use the Sixaxis in a bunch of shooting range minigames in order to progress in some levels, not giving the possibility to choose between the standard analog control and the motion controlled one. I liked these minigames, but I hated that I couldn’t choose how I wanted to play them.
Without replayability values: The only reason why you could play this game a second time is because you don’t have any other to play with. The only reward you can get by playing it again is a bunch of pictures (good ones, I must say) that you cannot even export to your PS3 HDD and a couple of videos of the Making Off. Why not alternative costumes? Why not an arena mode? And… fucking hell… where are the trophies?
In conclusion, Heavenly Sword, still, is a good game. It has some flaws, although the overall experience is very satisfactory. Probably the game needed a few more months to be properly polished, but all games do anyways. It’s a fun game, short but intense with a respectable plot. Worth trying.
My veredict: 7/10
