Rating: 4 Pulses

ESRB Rating: T

Heavenly Sword is a beautiful hack-and-slash action game mixing the elements of God of War and Dynasty Warriors, but still creating a unique gameplay with an exciting combo system, timed-button-pressed sequences and long-range attacks.

The plot of Heavenly Sword sees the protagonist, Nariko, on a mission to guard the Heavenly Sword and protect her clan from evil King Bohan. The plot may sound like any other game, but the action and gameplay are where Heavenly Sword really shines.

With wonderful graphics, beautiful cut-scenes and fantastic voice acting, Heavenly Sword uses the power of the PS3 to it’s fullest. As you’re slashing your way through hordes of enemies, it’s not hard to get lost in the luscious environments of the game. The level design is some of the best on the PS3 and the fixed camera angles let players get to the next checkpoint without confusion.

When fighting with Nariko and the Heavenly Sword, there are three fighting stances: Heavenly Speed, Heavenly Range and Heavenly Power. All three use the Heavenly Sword in a different way and have their own devastating combo attacks.

Throughout the game Nariko will be able to use Superstyle Attacks to kill enemies instantly. As the number of style points rise, Superstyle Attacks will become available and will always kill the enemies they are performed on. And man, these attacks are so bad-ass to perform and watch.

Besides using the Heavenly Sword, Nariko performs long-range projectile attacks with cannons or picked up items using the Sixaxis tilt controls. When using Kai, players will be able to do the same with her crossbow.

As you progress in the game, your performance will be rated at every checkpoint by zero to three Glyphs. A Glyph is awarded when a certain number of style points have been earned and they unlock content such as new combos, attacks and artwork.

The game is rather short (it only took me roughly five hours to complete) and there isn’t much replay value after beating the game other than trying to collect all the Glyphs or playing through Hell Mode. It’s a little repetitive at times and the cut-scenes might be a bit long, but overall, Heavenly Sword is a wonderful action game with awesome graphics. It could’ve been a little longer, but it’s still one of the best action games out for the PS3.

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