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A slice of heaven: impressions on the Heavenly Sword demo

Posted Jul 26, 2007 at 4:42PM EST by QJ Staff

Listed in: PS3 Tags: Andy Serkis, Europe, Ninja Theory, PlayStation Store

Heavenly Sword - Image 1

After what seems to be eons of waiting, Ninja Theory's Heavenly Sword demo is finally up, and last we heard - as Bj commented - Europe's PlayStation Store also has it as well. So, have you already ditched plans with your girlfriend for a date with Nariko tonight? We assume jimbo777 already has.

The demo starts with a bit of intro cinematic with Nariko telling of how her father and his men were taken by King Bohan (finally we know how to spell his name). Our heroine stands atop a plateau with her friend Kai, and orders her to keep watch - told her to find a hiding place since they might "play twing twang" later - see, I told you they have a Xena-Gabrielle relationship going on.

Once you get control over Nariko, you have to move over to the left side of the cliff edge and trigger a cutscene - the tight rope scene, which some described as pretty "tight" (nyar-har-har). Nariko descends onto the top of a pillar and you must clean it off of them baddies.

When you're done, you cut the final rope that's keeping the pillar tethered and, since our heroine seems to be intent on having big entrances, you land in the thick of battle with quite a big bang. After lopping off more heads and unleashing Nariko's PMS, three armored guards appear - thus ending your playtime for the demo.

Heavenly Sword demo: a slice of Heaven - Image 1

So. Right off the bat, let us say that the graphics were nothing but astounding - that's to say the least. The cinematics were ace, some of which were even interactive to boot. I'm referring to the rope scene here. Now interactive cutscenes aren't altogether new (RE4, anyone?), but see, the keen thing about those in Heavenly Sword is that general gameplay feels as if it's cinematic to begin with. A comment by WTF!?!?!?!?! sums it up rather colorfully:

THIS GAME ROCKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!! // This makes ninja gaiden look like a wrist watch LCD game!!!!!!!!! // We've gone from scratching the surface of the PS3 to digging a spa size hole.....next comes the pool!

Did someone say Ninja Gaiden? Well, if you used the demo of Ninja Gaiden Sigma to compare it with that of Heavenly Sword, the first thing that'll probably stand out is the amount of content chucked into the demo.

The biggest complaint thus far is the Heavenly Sword demo's playtime being too short. Some say that the demo can be played within three to five minutes; some say ten. It probably took longer for you to download those 998MBs than to actually play it in your first run through - which isn't altogether that big a deal, since it is a demo after all.

Gameplay-wise and overall experience though, it's probably the most orgasmic ten minutes of your life. From the demo alone, you can glean how different it is from your usual Action-Adventure title. You might think that Heavenly Sword is just like your average hack-and-slash, but if you want to treat it as such, you won't get very far.

Case in point: myself. Upon sitting through the game on my first run and throwing all efforts of stringing combos out the window, ever-so-friendly Ceasar S. was quick to interject: "Lotsa flashy moves... which one of them actually strikes an enemy?" His statement implies either of three, ahem, two things:

That Ninja Theory messed up the combat system
That I'm not a good hack-and-slash player
That I'm not a good combat player at all

I place my bets on the last implication, FYI [note to self: get back at Ceasar for commenting on my l337ness]. And for all intents and purposes, the game isn't hack-and-slash. You can clearly see the effort put into polishing the combat system. The combat cinematics in the demo can even compete with Ang Lee's choreography on "Crouching Tiger." Some even commented that the game was a dead ringer of God of War.

Well, that's to be expected: critics have compared Heavenly Sword not only to GoW, but to Prince of Persia as well. And we're not comparing apples and oranges here though, are we? These games are similar, true (in the same sense that apples and oranges are both fruits). But really, their seeds - their cores - are way different.

For one, make sure you've read the tips that Ninja Theory developers gave the other day. Those proved crucial in squeezing what I can from the short demo. Get a feel for the different Stances during your first run through, and when you're comfortable, try to bust out those Superstyle moves. Try to play a "finesse" game in your consequent run-throughs. If you're short on the guidance, you can always pause the game and access the Combo List.

As for the issue with the flickering background at the start of the demo... well, we're sure the retail version would be fixing the frame rates. September isn't all that far off, and for now, we're happy with the demo. Despite it being short, it's brimming of content if you find thrill in connecting combos. The demo's lived up to the hype of the game, and if it's done anything, it made us even more eager for the full version. If you haven't downloaded the demo yet, you're missing half your life...or maybe at least missing 10 minutes of it.

Oh, and in case you're wondering, Gollum is MIA in the demo. Aw, snap.

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i played the demo and i did alot through it to get the most out of it, it maybe short and lacks some aspects i wish i had like more enemies to help gain special moves faster or jus little things like that to enhance the experience but yea over all i think the demo does wat its supposed to do it makes me wanna get the game to see wat else u can possibly do and to those that say its hack and slash trust me its not enemies dont jus wait for u to slash them and die they will attack u with more den one enemy at once some say its easy but to some it maybe difficult especially if u fight the stronger enemy at the beginning lolz but yea its fun over all and ill be buyin it first day ^_^

# fun — Guest 2007-07-26 20:50

definately worth 10 minutes of your life.

the physics are great in that game.

# hmm — Guest 2007-07-26 20:58

this demo has done exactly what it should. totally put me off. really didn't get on with it. definetly not a bad game just not for me.

# copy that j — Quixand 2007-07-26 21:25

nothing wrong with that...

it's the same for me when it comes to Haze, UT3, COD4, R6V, or even Killzone... no matter how good they might be i know they're not for me as well...

but it's always good to have options.

# Sweet!!! — Guest 2007-07-26 22:05

Don't know if it was because it was so short, or because it was really good, or both. But all-in-all that demo did hell of a job in doing what it's supposed to do. It left me wanting more!

Defanetly a game i will pick up on release date.

# UGH — Guest 2007-07-27 00:12

I was so excited for this demo.. its 1 gig so i thought that it would be atleast 10 minutes long. I literaly finished the demo in 4 minutes. It was such a tease and I really dont see anything ground breaking about this game at all.. not even the graphics. Granted, the landscapes are beautiful but after seeing UT3, MGS4 and Killzone, these graphics are under par. This game can easily be compared to Ninja guidan sigma, god of war and uh.. any other copy cat of the such.

# Hope it lasts — Guest 2007-07-27 01:27

At first I was put off by the demo. The graphics were nice, but the combat annoyed the hell out of me; without a block button and true jump button. But then, the second time through, I tried using the counter more and found some amazing things, along with trying the stances to.

I tell you, I thought this sucked at first, but after experimenting with the combat system, I came to realize how deep this game can go. I just hope its not too short.

with this being 1gb and even if they used dual-layer Blu-rays. it takes like 5min to get through the demo, then 50gb of storage would give us like 4 hours of game.

So, I really hope they can squeeze more game in than graphics.

# keep in mind — Guest 2007-07-27 01:36

Also keep in mind that the you can view the entire landscape in the demo which probably amounts to a huge chunk of the space of the demo. In the actual game we'll be able to go across this vast landscape so I'm thinking its going to be an engaging game.. i just hope its not linear GOD PLEASE DONT BE A LINEAR GAME... I hate it when games have a strict story and no side quests or alternate routes (e.g god of war). Heres hoping.

# Simply the best — Jin Wu 2007-07-27 02:08

This is why I own a PS3.

If it's not your type of game, then you won't be swayed by the demo. But if you enjoy action/adventure games then this is the best you will ever play.

# .... — Vietone 2007-07-27 03:24

You could say that about the dozenso f games being released soon.

This games graphics are great for the genre. Lots of enemies on screen and the fight system is incredible. The physics in the game are awesome and the animations are smooth.

Funny how your comparing an action game to a FPS game.

# Tommy Boy put it best...... — Guest 2007-07-27 03:42

THAT WAS AWESOME!!!

Day 1 purchase without a doubt. Even my wife was in awe of how cool the game demo was.

If people want to compare it to God of War and Prince of Persia, let them, I'd say that's some VERY good company to be in.

The physics interactivity with the enemies, both the living and dead, and items on the screen was amazing., and the environments stunning. Heavenly Sword is what action/adventure games are all about. Can't wait.

# too short — Guest 2007-07-27 03:44

This isnt so much a demo but an interactive teaser

But having said that, this just makes me want the game even more! I loved it, played it through lotsa times trying all the combos and stuff - great game so far (all 5 minutes of it)

# It doesn't work like that^^^ — Guest 2007-07-27 04:09

"with this being 1gb and even if they used dual-layer Blu-rays. it takes like 5min to get through the demo, then 50gb of storage would give us like 4 hours of game."

That isn't 1GB of gameplay, that 1GB will consists of assets which will be used over and over again throughout the game.

Anyway, it looks nice, I'm not blown away, but I'm interested in what the final game would be like.

# more please i need more — Guest 2007-07-27 04:27

I think the Demo is great. It's short but besides that it got me wanting more. I love it. I'll be putting down for a pre-order very soon.

# I also commented — Guest 2007-07-27 05:12

there is 3 new ps1 game on the uk ps store crash bandicoot 2, spyro 2 , and another 1 i forgot the name of

They are 3.50 GBP each

# Hey, wait..! — Guest 2007-07-27 05:15

Oi, oi, oi, sailor, be careful with statements like that! You do not know how many dozens of years into the future some of us will be playing video games. So, saying 'the best you will ever play' just makes you look like a dork.

As for me, I enjoyed the demo for what it was, and the combat system seems to have a lot of merit, but like others I'm afraid the actual game might turn out just as linear as the demo. There is, for example, just one way to do the rope ride, and no way to escape a fight. That's not the type of game I want to play. I want a freely explorable world within a game, like in 'The Darkness' and many others.

Just compare this to the gameplay video for MGS4 which absolutely rocks, rocks on, and on. It just looks so gorgeous, and seems as if there's a million ways to proceed. THAT is THE game to get, and it makes me cry in anticipation.

Heavenly Sword, however shiny it may be, does not.

# WTF!?!?!?!?! — Guest 2007-07-27 05:58

Yeah! I'm famous!

The demo might be short per play but how many of you only played it once? I have at least an hour worth of play.

Between showing friends and playing it over again to get all the moves down...it's just so.....Heavenly! (nyar-har-har) :)

# WTF!?!?!?!?! — Guest 2007-07-27 06:32

NO WAY!!!!!!!

Heavenly Sword 2 on the PS4 is gonna rock even harder!

# o_O — Guest 2007-07-27 07:01

This Game Dissapointed me.. 4 Buttons for heavy combos.. and if there is a situation move, she jumps for 50meters.. but what the ***** she cant jump ingame oO... THAT TOTALLY SUCKS... MY FAVORITES ARE AIR COMBOS AND THIS ***** CANNOT DO ANY AIRCOMBOS!?!?!?!? WOAAAAAAAAAAAAA AAAAAAAAAAAAH

# I feel bad for this game — Guest 2007-07-27 08:20

This is a very very good game but this game has a reputation to live up to. Unfortunately for this game, it is one of the only exclusive games for the PS3 that is coming out this year that is highly anticipated. So, you could say that the expectation for this game is not only for something groundbreaking but also for something that will last a very long time in playability.

I really enjoyed the game demo and I think the game is excellent, however I do not feel that this game will be accepted as 'greatness' by the community because alot of people have almost impossible expectations for this game. They're looking for a game that is like god of war but expands on all the things that it lacks including non linear gameplay and outrageously awesome battles and combat system. This game is a great game, but like I said.. it will be eatin alive if the sony fans keep expecting MGS4 to be hidden on the blue ray disc.

heres hoping it meets everyone expectatoins.. god knows sony is banking on it.. quite literally.

# errrrmmmm... — Guest 2007-07-27 13:14

thanks... for telling us Quixand! I/'m sure things/'ll be ok soon enough. And for what it/'s worth, you might want to plan ahead for the Lair demo too, make sure it doesn/'t clash with any other schedules with the missus... teehee! godspeed! ^_^V

# ~ — Guest 2007-07-27 15:04

eh not bad looks real nice but the controls were just not very good in my opinion but hey whatever 3 O' 5

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