Heavenly Sword is a video game developed by Ninja Theory exclusively for the PlayStation 3 console and published by Sony Computer Entertainment Europe. The game was released on September 12, 2007 in North America and Japan.
Those of you who know me personally on Facebook probably saw my remark about people who whine and complain about me always playing games on my Xbox 360.
Truth be told, I was house-sitting last weekend and I had access to a PlayStation 3 for the entire weekend. Normally, I would make a topic on Facebook and ask if anyone wanted to play some fighting games or do some co-op in something, but I said "Fuck that..." as I didn't want didn't want to hear the typical console bickering or debate for once. I'm playing what I want to play so I went out and bought a copy of a game I wanted to take the time and complete on my own free time since the PlayStation 3's launch - Heavenly Sword. I played the demo back before it's launch and this is one game I NEVER hear PlayStation 3 owners talk about.Ninja Theory's work has intrigued me since Enslaved: Odyssey to the West (one of the best last-generation games that most people haven't played nor heard of), so I want to see what this previous work had to offer since it was one of the reasons Capcom trusted this studio to reboot the beloved Devil May Cry franchise as DmC back in 2013.
The Plot: (FULL Spoilers)
Setting
The game's story and mythos revolves around the titular Heavenly Sword, a blade said to have been wielded by an unnamed Heavenly deity against a demonic warlord called the Raven Lord. After the battle was won and the Raven Lord defeated, the sword was left in the mortal world, becoming the center of wars over its power. The fighting made the sword lust after the life of its users, eventually killing them after a short time. A warrior tribe finally took charge of the sword, ending the wars and pledging to keep it safe and unused for the world's own good. Among the tribe, a legend said that the sword's original wielder would be reborn in the year of the "fire-horse", and that this figure would unite the world's scattered tribes and lead the world to peace.Characters
The game's narrator and primary protagonist is Nariko (Anna Torv), a red-headed woman who was born in the year of the prophesied divine warrior: because she was a woman, her clan saw her as a mockery of the prophesy and a portent of doom. The game's main antagonist is King Bohan (Andy Serkis), a tyrannical ruler who is determined to bring the world's tribes to heel and pave the way for a new golden age. Nariko is trained as a warrior by her father, Master Shen (Ewan Stewart), who both cares for her as a child and has difficulty coping with her role in the clan's seeming undoing and the death of his wife. Nariko's only friend is Kai (Lydia Baksh), a wild and erratic girl who is the last member of a clan destroyed by the armies of Bohan. Among Bohan's servants are his general, Flying Fox (Steven Berkoff): his serpentine mistress Whiptail (Race Davies): and Roach (Richard Ridings), Bohan's son, of whom the king is so ashamed because of Roach's obese appearance that he will not even acknowledge Roach as his own.
Story
The game begins in medias res, with Nariko fighting the forces of Bohan. As she is fighting and slaying, the sword finishes draining her life and she seemingly dies, waking in a field and speaking to the power within the sword about what has transpired previously. Five days before, Nariko's clan is assaulted by the first strike of King Bohan's forces. Before she joins the fight, Shen thrusts the sword into the ground next to her demanding that she take care of it. Nariko fights alongside her father and her clansmen as their defenses are weakened and stretched by scores of Bohan's warriors scaling the city walls accompanied by catapults. As the warriors and Shen escape from Bohan's Army, Nariko protects them until spotting a catapult moving toward the fort. As Shen had earlier instructed her, she flees, as the fortress is apparently destroyed behind her. While fleeing, she passes a large black bird with a golden head, the animal form of the Raven Lord. When Bohan's army captures her father and corners her in a retreat from the clan's city, Nariko has no choice but to wield the sword to defend herself in order to escape. She takes a flying leap off a cliff edge as Bohan's archers begin firing at her. Kai finds Nariko after disobeying Shen's orders to hide and informs her of the temple where her father and clansmen are being held captive. Nariko infiltrates the temple and is ambushed by Flying Fox. She defeats the general for the time being and continues on to rescue her father. Meanwhile, King Bohan plots to set up a trap for Nariko with Whiptail. Nariko falls into the trap, and Whiptail, after watching most of her personal guards defeated, tells Nariko the truth behind her father's original feelings about her birth - Shen wanted to kill Nariko shortly after her birth, but was unable to bring himself to do so. Nariko tells her father to leave her and fights with Whiptail. After Nariko impales Whiptail with the sword, King Bohan turns up and snaps Whiptail's neck in her dying moments, then captures the sword and an incapacitated Nariko.
As Shen escapes, Kai makes her way to Nariko's holding cell. Kai is able to find where Nariko is imprisoned and begs that she comes home with her. Nariko explains to Kai that she needs to reacquire the Heavenly Sword to kill King Bohan. She asks Kai to retrieve the sword and Kai accepts the task. Kai eventually succeeds in finding the Heavenly Sword, only to also discover her mother's skeleton. In a flashback, it is revealed that, some years ago, Kai's mother was murdered in front of her eyes by Flying Fox. Returning to the present, Kai is confronted by Flying Fox and barely manages to escape from him with the sword. Meanwhile, Nariko is forced by Bohan to fight before his army against Orangumen, pets of Roach's. During the battle, Kai arrives and throws Nariko the sword. When Nariko defeats all the Orangumen, Bohan orders Roach to murder Nariko. After defeating Roach, both Nariko and Kai flee from the pit. Bohan then commands Flying Fox to kill Kai while his soldiers take on Nariko. As the two try to escape the temple, Flying Fox cuts Kai off from Nariko and they are separated. Nariko desperately tails Flying Fox, but when she finally catches up, he seemingly hangs Kai in front of her. Believing Kai to be dead, Nariko flies into a rage and battles with Flying Fox. As Nariko and Flying Fox duel, Kai, who survived the drop, uses her crossbow to shoot an arrow into Flying Fox's head, killing him. Nariko releases the injured Kai from the noose and returns her to the care of the clan.
King Bohan rallies his men to launch a final attack to regain the Heavenly Sword. Nariko fights alongside her father and clansmen once more despite being outnumbered. Nariko kills countless numbers of Bohan's troops with ease and destroys his catapults. Despite her efforts, the sword kills her, bringing the events of the game full circle. But this time, Nariko reverses her death by making a pact with the sword to protect it from becoming a useless and dusty relic, since it needs her more than her clan needs it. Nariko returns as a goddess-like figure, and proceeds to slaughter Bohan's troops. Desperate, Bohan begs the Raven Lord (who has been seen repeatedly throughout the game watching Nariko or being with Bohen) to give him the power to destroy Nariko. Bohan gets his wish and the Raven Lord merges with him. An epic battle ensues similar to the one foretold in the prophecy. After Nariko manages to defeat Bohan, the raven leaves his body, and, despite Bohan begging for mercy, pecks his eyes out and flies away.As Nariko raises the sword to strike the final blow, Roach comes to his father's side and begs Nariko to let him take Bohan. Nariko relents, then Roach and Bohan leave, with Bohan calling Roach his son for the first time. Though successful in protecting the sword from coming into the hands of Bohan, Nariko still must give her life for wielding it, for that is the price for using the almighty sword, and the story comes to its end. Nariko reflects that she believes they have fought in vain for the prophecy, that the sword was not from Heaven, but feels gratified that she chose to be the one who was going to save her people from evil: she took the sword, paid the price and ultimately defeated Bohan's army, but nevertheless she was still a normal woman. Nariko heals Kai, and gives her the sword for safekeeping, before passing away. At the funeral, Nariko's body is placed into a boat filled with blossoms, and Kai and Shen cast her out to sea.
The Verdict:
Visuals & Sound:
To say that this game was a launch title for the PlayStation 3 back in 2007, I have to admit that this game STILL looks amazing to this day. Ninja Theory definitely has some best motion capture and detailed character models in the gaming industry today. Everything from the environments, the character models, and even facial expressions are simply jaw-dropping to believe that this game was created back in 2007, yet still looks THIS good 7 years later.
As for the music in this game, good grief... The audio is just as beautiful to the ears as the visuals are stunning to the eyes.
As for the music in this game, good grief... The audio is just as beautiful to the ears as the visuals are stunning to the eyes.
Gameplay:
Controls:
BASIC CONTROLS
L1 Button (Hold) aim
L1 Button (Hold) heavenly range stance (when in possession of the heavenly sword)
R1 Button (Hold) fire (when aiming)
R1 Button (Hold) heavenly power stance (when in possession of the heavenly sword)
D-Pad or Left Analog Stick move
D-Pad or Left Analog Stick target (when aiming)
Right Analog Stick evade
Right Analog Stick zoom (when aiming)
Triangle or Square Button attack
Triangle or Square Button fire (when aiming)
Circle Button drop object
Circle Button Superstyle attack (when in possession of the heavenly sword)
X Button pick up, use, fire, throw
Square Button stun enemy (when beside enemy while playing as Kai)
Square or Triangle Button Heavenly speed stance (when in possession of Heavenly Sword)
L1 Button (Hold) + Square or Triangle Button Heavenly ranged stance
R1 Button (Hold) + Square or Triangle Button Heavenly power stance
L1 Button + Triangle Button + Move Controller Up + Triangle or Square Button aerial combo
Triangle Button counter attack
X Button + Roll Controller throw object
Square Button (Hold) + Roll and Pitch Controller fire projectile
Triangle Button debris sweep (while in heavenly range stance)
Right Analog Stick evasive roll
Right Analog Stick + Square or Triangle Button attack (during a roll)
X Button smash pot for health (when near heavenly pot)
L1 Button (Hold + Square Button fire from cover (when playing as Kai)
L1 Button (Release) Hide behind cover (when playing as Kai)
Square Button Evade enemy attack (when playing as Kai)
MOTION SENSITIVE CONTROLS
Roll Controller Adjust/Move Camera
X Button (Hold) + Roll Controller Aftertouch (for thrown objects)
Square Button (Hold) + Roll or Pitch Controller Aftertouch (for projectile weapons)
Move Controller Side To Side recover (when knocked out)
L1 Button (Hold) aim
L1 Button (Hold) heavenly range stance (when in possession of the heavenly sword)
R1 Button (Hold) fire (when aiming)
R1 Button (Hold) heavenly power stance (when in possession of the heavenly sword)
D-Pad or Left Analog Stick move
D-Pad or Left Analog Stick target (when aiming)
Right Analog Stick evade
Right Analog Stick zoom (when aiming)
Triangle or Square Button attack
Triangle or Square Button fire (when aiming)
Circle Button drop object
Circle Button Superstyle attack (when in possession of the heavenly sword)
X Button pick up, use, fire, throw
Square Button stun enemy (when beside enemy while playing as Kai)
Square or Triangle Button Heavenly speed stance (when in possession of Heavenly Sword)
L1 Button (Hold) + Square or Triangle Button Heavenly ranged stance
R1 Button (Hold) + Square or Triangle Button Heavenly power stance
L1 Button + Triangle Button + Move Controller Up + Triangle or Square Button aerial combo
Triangle Button counter attack
X Button + Roll Controller throw object
Square Button (Hold) + Roll and Pitch Controller fire projectile
Triangle Button debris sweep (while in heavenly range stance)
Right Analog Stick evasive roll
Right Analog Stick + Square or Triangle Button attack (during a roll)
X Button smash pot for health (when near heavenly pot)
L1 Button (Hold + Square Button fire from cover (when playing as Kai)
L1 Button (Release) Hide behind cover (when playing as Kai)
Square Button Evade enemy attack (when playing as Kai)
MOTION SENSITIVE CONTROLS
Roll Controller Adjust/Move Camera
X Button (Hold) + Roll Controller Aftertouch (for thrown objects)
Square Button (Hold) + Roll or Pitch Controller Aftertouch (for projectile weapons)
Move Controller Side To Side recover (when knocked out)
General Gameplay:
I'm going to get this part of my review out of the way as I want to focus on the positives of this game rather the negative, so I'm going to start off what I absolutely hated about this game - the Aftertouch motion controls. Keep in mind that this game was a launch title for the PlayStation 3 back in 2007, a time BEFORE Nintendo revolutionized the motion control market with the Wii that caused both Sony and Microsoft to bandwagon off this concept. I'm not even going to sugarcoat it, the motion controls SUCK.
Granted, it's a cool and innovative idea, but it's more of a distraction than an asset. As Nariko, I found it to be pretty cool to use it as cue to help her recover from knockdowns easier or to assist in aerial combos, but for the first (and occasional third) person shooter sections as Kai (or Nariko's sections behind a cannon or armed with a rocket launcher), it's easier to simply turn this feature off in the Options menu. I gave the feature a far chance until about halfway into the game, where you are given control of Kai for the duration of the entire level and I found it was making me get killed more than helping me. When I turned off the motion controls and guided my arrows/shots with the analog sticks manually, it was MUCH less of a hassle to control. This just falls into the category of "great idea, bad execution" - something that I could relate back to the review I wrote on Remember Me last week.
Don't get me wrong, but I'm sure most casual players will agree with me and find those "shooter" sections more enjoyable if they just turn the motion controls off. Also, why the FUCK are those sequences timed? This game already is short enough, clocking in at roughly seven hours of gameplay that I finished in one sitting.
Hell Mode unlocks after you complete the game once, offering a harder difficulty setting for gamers looking for a challenge.
Combat:
Nariko controls as well as expected, but the game does a bad job of registering guard breaks at times. I would break a soldier's defense, only for him to reel back and hit me like the blow did nothing. Plus, no matter how many ways you slice it, crowd control is a pain in the ass in this game. The ranged stance is worthless against shielded opponents in terms of crowd control while the power stance is often too slow to break the defenses of multiple foes at once. You are better off pulling off precise counters and unleashing level 3 Superstyles on stronger opponents because fighting them one-on-one is tedious and time-consuming. I found myself spamming the hell out of the Triangle, Triangle, Square, Triangle (or alternatively end with Square for foes who love to evade) sequence in the power stance since it was so effective on bosses and stronger foes.
Don't get me wrong. That doesn't mean that the combat here is brain-dead easy and lacks any depth. It's actually the opposite. There's aerial combos and juggles, but I thought it was strange that I completed the ENTIRE game after only using this technique roughly once. Most players will not realize that the speed stance can only block and counter attacks with a blue aura around them while the power stance can only block and counter attacks with an orange aura surrounding them. Once you realize this, countering in general becomes so much easier and makes combat a LOT easier once you master this concept. The same can be said about the ability to negate certain projectiles with the ranged stance. I loved how Ninja Theory gave you the basic idea to a lot of Nariko's abilities on the tutorial stage but left the door open for the players themselves on how far to take it in combat.
Keep in mind that if you turn off that Aftertouch motion controls in the Options menu, you have NO access to Nariko's aerial combos. I thought that was pretty stupid that there wasn't a manual command for that instead of shaking the Sixais controller. This is yet another action-game that thinks it was a wise in terms of game design to NOT have a lock-on/targeting button. There's a few occasional instances where Nariko doesn't face the appropriate opponent properly, causing your attacks to whiff completely. Unlike Remember Me, I can forgive this somewhat since this was a launch title for PlayStation 3.
Don't get me wrong. That doesn't mean that the combat here is brain-dead easy and lacks any depth. It's actually the opposite. There's aerial combos and juggles, but I thought it was strange that I completed the ENTIRE game after only using this technique roughly once. Most players will not realize that the speed stance can only block and counter attacks with a blue aura around them while the power stance can only block and counter attacks with an orange aura surrounding them. Once you realize this, countering in general becomes so much easier and makes combat a LOT easier once you master this concept. The same can be said about the ability to negate certain projectiles with the ranged stance. I loved how Ninja Theory gave you the basic idea to a lot of Nariko's abilities on the tutorial stage but left the door open for the players themselves on how far to take it in combat.
Keep in mind that if you turn off that Aftertouch motion controls in the Options menu, you have NO access to Nariko's aerial combos. I thought that was pretty stupid that there wasn't a manual command for that instead of shaking the Sixais controller. This is yet another action-game that thinks it was a wise in terms of game design to NOT have a lock-on/targeting button. There's a few occasional instances where Nariko doesn't face the appropriate opponent properly, causing your attacks to whiff completely. Unlike Remember Me, I can forgive this somewhat since this was a launch title for PlayStation 3.
The Superstyle guage and the counter system were two things I wish Ninja Theory brought to the table in the Devil May Cry (DmC) reboot. While the counter system wasn't exactly perfect, but it showed promise that it could have been even better in the Devil May Cry engine if it was implemented in a fashion of a reversal/counter system found in the current Ninja Gaiden series. While I didn't have a problem with the challenge, I thought it was rather cruel of Ninja Theory to expect players to master the counter system by the end of the game as it was a necessary tactic to defeat the final boss. To be fair, you got "practice" of familiarizing yourself with this tactic fighting Flying Fox, but it was like a complete wake-up call when you face the final boss.
Narrative:
I went into this thinking it was going to be one of those cliched hero sacrifices himself (or rather herself in this case) to save everyone, but I didn't expect her to actually be able to wield the sword's power properly. I thought whatever deity they were saving it for was going to possess her and save her clan by the end of the game from the Raven Lord. I was thinking this game would go the route of Sega's PlayStation 2 run with the Shinobi/Nightshade series and set the stage for a noble sacrifice since everyone's conception of the sword was false.I loved how they turned the tables around and had Nariko point out that the sword has no power at all since it needed to be held by someone - currently her. She bent the sword to her will and made her own legacy instead of waiting on a foolish prophecy instead of the cliched nature in these types of stories where the protagonist allow themselves to be controlled by these inanimate objects of power. If that doesn't qualify Nariko as a bad-ass then I don't know what does.
In terms of acting, Andy Serkis stands above the rest in his portrayal of King Bohan. Just everything about him screamed great villain in this game - from his delivery of his devilish lines to his mannerisms captured for this game. Runner-up goes to both Lydia Baksh as Kai and Anna Torv as Nariko. Don't get me wrong, but everyone involved here puts on a great performance in this game, but those three individuals stand above the rest. (Laughs) If you don't fall in love with Kai's character then I have absolutely no respect for you. By the way, where are people getting the "lesbian romance" between Nariko and Kai? I saw their relationship as surrogate mother-daughter relationship from their bond.
Seriously though, it doesn't hurt to have more strong female protagonists like Nariko in gaming narratives. I think The Last of Us' Elle and The Walking Dead's Clementine proved that over the last two years, right?
By the way, did anyone catch the God of War reference in Bohan's armory? Kratos' Ares armor is hanging up in the background when Flying Fox confronts Kai when she finds the Heavenly Sword. Speaking of Kratos, Nariko and Kratos should totally team-up or hook up or something. That pairing would be amazing. Just imagine their kids!
Closing Words:
If you own a PlayStation 3, then you should either have this game in your library or at least had the pleasure of playing this game from start to finish at least once. Take my word for it, it's definitely one of the underrated gems of the last-generation of gaming.
The only major shortcomings with this game are the Sixasis motion controls and it's over a bit TOO soon, capping the adventure at only 7 hours of gameplay. The stunning visuals, engaging narrative drama, and gameplay easily make up for that.
I'm giving Heavenly Sword a 8.5 out of 10.
With the PlayStation 4 out now around the world, I'm crossing my fingers that Ninja Theory will consider revisiting this world and give Heavenly Sword the sequel that it deserves. Who knows, maybe that upcoming Hellblade game that they just announced could be a Heavenly Sword sequel in disguise? We can only hope. You can't deny that the character here looks a LOT like Kai.
Last but not least, if you're one of those retards who whines and complains about me NEVER reviewing PlayStation games, you can shut up now.
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