:: Overall ::
It is certainly worth it. Despite the few flaws, I was rather impressed by all it had to offer.
:: Quick Review ::
- The Good -
Interesting and unique (as far as I know) story
Good use of cut scenes
Mix of hack/slash and shooter
Smooth gameplay, load time minimal
Great visuals/audio
- The Bad -
Really short
Can be annoying to watch the same cutscene again (if you happen to die)
Difficult missions/features
:: Detailed Review ::
- Gameplay -
It's your usual hack/slash game with some shooter thrown in. Most of the game is played with the main character Nariko though there are a few sections where you control a second girl called Kai. What makes this game different, in my opinion, is the fact it seems more movie-like then game. It is littered with cutscenes, though that seems to be how games are now, but each is unique and makes excellent use of the break. Even in mid fight, you might preform a combo in which the camera zooms in and gives you a front row seat to watch the destruction. The video below shows some of these mid battle cutscenes.
[...]
- Storyline -
I was impressed by the storyline, despite being short. It has it's twist and unique attributes that make you want to continue. Not to give anything away, it mostly focuses one your clan trying to protect the Heavenly Sword from the power crazed King Bohan that wants it. This game takes a different approach, sorta telling you the end at the beginning. If you play it through in one sitting, you will see where the beginning scene comes into play. Other then that, you basically spend your time fighting off the enemy and trying to keep the sword safe.
- Controls -
There are a variety of moves that can be done. You start out with a few and gain more as you become better at destroying the enemies that try to stop you. The above video I pointed out shows off a good amount of the things that can be done. During the shooter scenes, there is an ability called Aftertouch which allows you to control the projectile after having released it. You can do this by either making use of the SIXAXIS feature or simply turning it off and using the analog stick. Though I enjoy taking things out by lining up on the target, it was nice to be able to adjust that extra inch instead of missing entirely.
- Miscellaneous -
The game is broken up into chapters with each chapter containing a number of sections. The end of a section is denoted by a small box popping up with the number of medals you are awarded for that section though it does not stop gameplay when this happens. The only time gameplay stops is during a cutscene or when you finish a chapter (which normally follows a cutscene).
There are no trophies in this game, however, you are awarded medals for destroying enemies effectively, collection pots, and other things. It is difficult to determine what exactly causes you to earn each medal, but even without, you'll be able to collection about 80 out of 129 without trying. That alone made me redo chapters multiple times for those few sections that got only 2 out of the 3 medals. If you are a completion person, you will probably play each chapter a few times. For replay value, I still continue to redo missions just for the fun of snipping people or watching the battle cutscenes. One annoyance is that if you wish to redo the first section of a chapter, you must redo them all (I believe) in order for your medals to be saved. It could be I just haven't found the way to avoid that, but thought I'd throw it out there.
If you watch the cutscenes, the game will load in the background, making it a cleaner transition between areas. However, if you die or decide to skip, you are faced with waiting for everything to load, though it was minimal in my eyes. I still recall a few times in a chapter where I'd complete a section and go straight into the next without a cutscene or anything, which smoothed out the game and could be what lead to it being shorter.
You really can't stop mid chapter, as far as saving, though normally I was so engrossed that I didn't want to stop (despite it being 5 A.M.). Again, perhaps I just didn't figure out how to, but regardless, I wouldn't play this game if you don't have the time to at least complete a chapter (or have no problem leaving your system on when you leave).
When you die, you are brought back to the beginning of the section you died on. It was nice to be saved from doing all the chapter again, considering the number of games that do that. Sometimes it can be annoying if you can't complete it, but there is little else to do.
Minor, but if you're a stickler, you might get annoyed with Nariko hairs after a while. I found it odd how they did such a great job modeling the area, people, all the expressions, and yet sorta lumped her hair in one mass. Not that I'd expect them to do every strand, but her long hair is just a large clump with a few smaller clumps to make it seem like it is hair. Not the quality I'd expect next to everything else they did.
As previously stated, I would recommend this game. Ignore the minor issues and such, it has a lot of good things going for it in my opinion. Even if you don't want to buy it, I would still recommend renting/trying the demo to see what it has going for it.
This product is available as Renewed.
Heavenly Sword - Playstation 3 (Renewed) $37.99
(2)
Works and looks like new and backed by the Amazon Renewed Guarantee
(2)
Works and looks like new and backed by the Amazon Renewed Guarantee
Customers also search
Page 1 of 1Page 1 of 1
Videos
Page 1 of 1Start OverPage 1 of 1
Videos for this product
1:18
Click to play video
Heavenly Sword - Trailer 2
Merchant Video
Videos for this product
0:33
Click to play video
Heavenly Sword (TV Trailer)
Publisher Video
Videos for this product
1:19
Click to play video
Heavenly Sword - Trailer 1
Merchant Video
Videos for this product
1:10
Click to play video
Heavenly Sword - Trailer 3
Merchant Video
Top reviews from other countries
Samantha
Fantastic game. I completed this is in two nights ...
Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on December 9, 2016
Bear the cat
Perhaps the most underrated PS3 title
Reviewed in Canada 🇨🇦 on April 22, 2017Logan Johnson
Great near-launch title with a female protagonist for the PS3!
Reviewed in Canada 🇨🇦 on January 10, 2017
