Falls short on being heavenly...

Heavenly Sword is a game that was supposed to bring the PS3 into prominence. It did, not entirely in the best of ways at times. The game delivered stunning graphics, an engaging gameplay, a great story, good voice acting but when it clocked in around 6 hours of gameplay, everyone was less than happy.

Without a doubt, the game is every bit enjoyable, which is why everyone is grumbling why it is so short. The storyline is epic enough. You play the role of Nariko, the heroine that is hated by many as she is seen as a curse. She is like the female version of Spider-Man, every bit as emo and misunderstood by many.

The story unfold at a good pace but one wonders why they cannot expand on it. News that Heavenly Sword might be a trilogy has given hope to fans of the game.

As I said before, the graphics is absolutely stunning. The environment that you find yourself in can be breathtaking. You feel like you are part of a movie, a grand scale action movie. Although Uncharted has recently taken the PS3 graphics to a different level, one will always remember Heavenly Sword as a game that showcased what the PS3 is capable of.

The fighting in the game is smooth and it is pretty enjoyable taking Nariko through the paces. Slice and dice with different combos and you can use the Heavenly Sword in different stances depending if you prefer ranged attacks or heavier attacks.

Not only that, Heavenly Sword learned from God of War and throw in a few key moments where you need to press buttons as they are prompted on screen. This is done just right to break the sometimes monotonous button mashing fighting scenes.

Of course, playing as Nariko means that you will probably be most of the time dispatching enemies without problem. So, it is refreshing when the game toss you the role of Kai. Kai’s missions are mostly sniping and picking off enemies from far with her crossbow. She can’t do close combat so you will be running around a lot trying to get to a safe distance to be at her best element.

The sixaxis controller comes into play here as you steer her arrows using the motion control. The first few times will probably leave you frustrated but once you get used to it, it is pretty fun.

The Good

• Great story
• Good voice acting
• Stunning graphics
• Fast-paced action

The Bad

• Should be longer, 6 hours to complete the game is a waste of such good production values

Verdict: Even though critics have slammed Heavenly Sword as being too short, there is no argument that Heavenly Sword is one of the best games for the PS3. Let’s hope there is indeed a sequel for this game. I haven’t had enough of Nariko.

My recommendation is get it; whether you borrow it from your friend, buy it 2nd hand or splash out the cash for a brand new unit, you must PLAY this game.

ps: I sold this game after I finished it, and then I purchased it again. That shows what I think about the game. It must be in my PS3 library. No doubt about it.