Common Sense Note
Parents need to know that while Heavenly Sword is only rated Teen (instead of Mature), the cut scenes depict some genuinely unsettling situations, like when a screaming Kai is pursued by a villain intent on stabbing her to death. The game contains examples of parental cruelty and whole-scale violence on the part of heroes and villains alike. While the story is an interesting one, it's designed for an older audience.
Families can talk about the principles of motion-capture technology and how it helps bring characters like Bohan and Nariko to life. (Players can unlock the game's extra features to see how motion capture was used along with other interesting making-of features and interviews.) What makes this game work? The graphics? The strong storytelling? The battles? Or is it the right mix of the three?
Common Sense Review
Reviewed By: Erin Bell
With the power of next-generation console technology behind it, HEAVENLY SWORD boasts near-flawless character models, sweeping scenery, and a story that's every bit as emotionally charged as a film. It's a thrilling but mature piece of interactive entertainment.
The story centers on Nariko, a young woman whose clan has guarded the Heavenly Sword for generations. When the twisted and power-hungry king Bohan threatens her countrymen with annihilation, Nariko takes the sword into battle -- which grants her great power but also comes with great cost.
Like any hack n' slash game, Nariko must dispatch wave after wave of baddies using various attacks and combo moves. Mashing different sequences of buttons causes Nariko to execute a series of beautifully rendered, albeit bloody and graphic, attacks on her foes.
Players also control a secondary character, Kai, who specializes in projectile weapons. Through a system called Aftertouch, players can actually guide the projectile after it's been launched by either tilting the SIXAXIS controller or using the directional pad (we recommend the latter).
Perhaps for the first time, Heavenly Sword is a game that doesn't seem in any way hampered by technological limitations. Characters look alive and don't move with the usual stiltedness. Battle scenes are truly epic, with hundreds of soldiers on-screen at once without slow-down or pop-up (the phenomenon of characters popping in at the last second.)
The characters' movements, expressions, and voices are brought to life by a cast of professional actors directed by Andy Serkis, who played Gollum in "The Lord of the Rings" and King Kong in the 2005 film version.
Heavenly Sword clocks in at only about six hours -- slightly more if you spend the extra time to unlock all the bonus content, which includes the making of vignettes and artwork. A minor annoyance is the fact that you can't skip cut scenes, even when you're watching them for a second time, and there are a few uneven difficulty spikes, most notably the frustrating final boss.
But Heavenly Sword is so exquisitely rendered that it's pretty easy to forgive these minor faults. Gamers who can handle the game's mature themes and realistic violence will enjoy the cinematic experience.
For more button-mashing, check out the Dynasty Warriors series or its spin-off, Samurai Warriors. For a less brutal but equally beautiful experience, check out Okami for the PlayStation 2.
Rate It!
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Sexual ContentBohan desires Nariko sexually and makes a couple of references to his genitals. Nariko wears very revealing clothes. |
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ViolencePlayers will rack up a mind-boggling number of kills -- one level's goal requires Nariko to knock down 700 soldiers with a cannon. There is spattering blood and graphic finishing moves including plunging two swords into an enemy's back. Kai's mother is murdered in a flashback. |
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LanguageEnemies hurl various insults at Nariko including "hell-whore," "bitch" and "hell-hag." There's also "dammit" and "s--t." |
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Social BehaviorThis world is a brutal one. Characters are threatened with disembowelment and torture. Nariko's own father contemplates killing her because she is cursed, and Bohan is physically and verbally abusive to his son (although both relationships are eventually redeemed.) Nariko and Kai are motivated by their friendship for each other. |
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