Heavenly Sword
From Wikia Gaming
| Heavenly Sword | |
| |
| Developer(s) | Ninja Theory |
| Publisher(s) | SCEE |
| Engine | Havok |
| Release date | September 12 2007(NA) September 14 2007(EU) September 20 2007 (AU) |
| Genre | Action adventure |
| Mode(s) | Single player |
| Age rating(s) | ESRB: T |
| Platform(s) | PlayStation 3 |
| Media | Blu-ray Disc |
| Input | SIXAXIS controller |
| Credits | Soundtrack | Codes | Walkthrough | |
Heavenly Sword is a video game in development by Ninja Theory for the PlayStation 3 console. It is a martial arts action-drama game with a freestyle combat system.
Contents |
[edit] Gameplay
The gameplay is similar to God of War as a hack and slash action game. The player plays as Nariko, a female warrior who carries the heavenly sword. The levels are mostly linear and the player spends most of his time killing crowds of enemies. Players can use combo attacks to unlock more combinations and bonus content such as making of movies and artwork. The player is able to choose from three stances when playing as Nariko. Speed Stance, the default, provides an even balance between damage and speed, where the sword takes the form of two separate blades. Range Stance allows fast, long-ranging, but weaker attacks, with the sword resembling two blades, chained together. Power Stance is the most powerful, but slowest style, where attacks are made with the Sword in the shape of one large, two-handed blade. Each combo attack performed by the player, without getting damaged, will fill a meter with style points. When the player achieves enough style points, he is able to hit the circle button and trigger to see a cutscene of Nariko finishing the enemy. The player can also play as Kai, a female character who uses a crossbow. Kai has fewer combos than Nariko and is more vulnerable to melee attacks. The arrows can be controlled with the SIXAXIS controller.
[edit] Features
- Player can switch between three distinct stances for different fighting styles
- Advance AI: Enemies employ intelligent squad-based dynamics in large groups or can fight the player one on one with sophisticated intelligence.
- Physics based Combat using Dynamic objects. Player can throw enemies & objects at other enemies or use the scenery to their advantage.
- In-game Cinematography which tells the story.
[edit] Storyline
The player plays as Nariko a women whose clan has long protected the "Heavenly Sword", a god's blade of immense power that slowly drains the user's life-force (if wielded by a mortal). King Bohan is obsessed with the swords power. Bohan sends his forces to capture Nariko's clan and retrieve the sword. The game starts with Nariko explaining that she was born on the day that the Heavenly warrior was suppose to be born. Kai ask Nariko if she want eat a bird or a worm and Nariko ask her what happened to Shen and the clan. Kai explains that they told her to hide and that they were captured by Bohan's army. Nariko then is shown explaining to Kai that she must find her father Shen and that Kai should keep a look out.
King Bohan's forces captures Shen, but didn't have the sword. Shen is seen being chained and tortured by Roach. Bohan tells Nariko's father that his purpose of possessing the sword is to bring order to the tribe of the land. Bohan then starts laughing and Shen spits in his face. They then stop laughing and it was then revealed that Roach was Bohan's son and King Bohan despises him. Bohan then tells Roach to hang Shen somewhere high so he can be seen by Nariko. Nariko then battles her way through several enemies and defeats General Flying Fox.
Nariko enters a prison and free members of her clan. She tries to convince them to help her rescue her father, but they told her that she should not find her father and that he is probably dead. Whiptail is seen explaining that the King told her stories about Nariko and the sword. Nariko is then seen reviving her father. Whiptail torments Nariko by explaining her that her father wanted to kill her when she was a baby because she was a violation of the prophecy. Nariko ask her father if it was true. Shen explains that it was not a simple decision. Nariko tell him that he should have killed her and to leave her. Whiptail then decides to battle Nariko.
Nariko battles and kills Whiptail. After the battle King Bohan takes the heavenly sword out of Whiptail's chest as she dies. Nariko gets captured by Bohan. Kai shoots the guards as Shen escapes and he tell Kai that they must leave, but Kai explains that she must go and finds Nariko as Shen sits on a crate near by. Kai makes her way through several gates and corridor and frees Nariko. Nariko uses a long sword to fight off the enemies and then fights Roach as Kai makes her way to an armory where the heavenly sword is held. Kai then swing from above Nariko and hands her the heavenly sword as she battles Roach.
Kai is then captured by General Flying Fox because she took the heavenly sword from the armory. Nariko makes her way through groups of enemy to rescue Kai and eventually fights General Flying Fox again and defeats him with the help of Kai.
After making her way through several hoards of enemies, Nariko then gets surrounded by King Bohan and his troops. He ask to exchange the heavenly sword for her father who he has captured and Nariko refuses. Shen tells Nariko to run but she stands and fights. Despite her efforts, the game is brought back to the beginning of the story where she fell to the ground dying. But this time, Nariko reverses her death by making a pact with the sword to protect it from becoming a trophy of war.
Nariko descends back onto the battlefield as a glowing white goddess radiant with light. Bohan looks to his raven and begs that it bestow him the power to destroy Nariko. Bohan gets his wish and the raven enters his body making him a dark raven winged demon. They fight an epic battle similar to the one foretold in the prophecy of the sword. Nariko defeats Bohan in a series of final moves.
King Bohan gets pecked by a his raven as he begs for mercy on while lying on the ground. The creature pecks out both his eyes and flies away. As Bohan screams and rolls his eyes he is approached by his son Roach. Nariko is shown slowly approaching them in the scene. Roach takes his father home. Nariko then approaches her father and some members of her clan. Her father tells her she was chosen from heaven, but Nariko tells him that she is not and neither is the sword. Nariko then heals Kai and tells her to hide the sword. Nariko then falls to the floor and tells her father to take care of Kai. The scene cuts to Nariko's funeral where she is put on a boat off with many flower petals. There is a narration by Kai of how Nariko used the sword and the clan watches as the boat flows down the river and out to the ocean.
[edit] Characters
Nariko is the main character of the game, a young warrior who belongs to a clan headed by her father, Shen. A prophecy once foretold that a son would be born who would act as a saviour to the clan; with the birth of Nariko, a daughter, the clan have come to shun her, and even go so far as to blame their misfortunes on her. After King Bohan launches his destructive tirade to find the Heavenly Sword that the clan protect, Nariko decides to wield it herself as a final act to avenge the people who sacrificed themselves fighting to defend it. She is voiced by Margarida Vila-Nova
Kai is the adopted sister of Nariko, and a member of the clan which protects the Heavenly Sword. She is a child-like character who seems innocent, but is highly skilled in the use of her crossbow, a "game" which she names "twing twang". Previously belonging to a once-great clan, Kai is the last survivor; her mother was murdered by one of Bohan's generals, Flying Fox (portrayed by Steven Berkoff). Kai was eventually found by Nariko and her clan. She is voiced by Inês Castel-Branco.
Shen is both the father of Nariko and the leader of the clan that protects the Heavenly Sword. He acts as Nariko's fighting tutor first and father second. For ages he has protected the sword from the forces of evil and corruption. He was once a fellow student with King Bohan before they became the leaders of a separate clan and kingdom, respectively.
King Bohan (portrayed by Andy Serkis) is the main villain in Heavenly Sword. Bohan is a power crazed king desperate to get his hands on the Heavenly Sword. He leads his army in a search to obtain it, attacking Nariko's clan in the process. He obeys and worships a crow which has a gold face plate covering its face. He is voiced by Ricardo Carriço.
Flying Fox is the first of King Bohan's war generals. Flying Fox is a rather shifty character, who is capable of appearing in a different spot in an instant. His back is covered with several metallic wings on both sides. He is voiced by Luis Esparteiro.
Whiptail is King Bohan's lover and mistress. She has a moray-like like appearance with a tail, forked-tongue, gills, and sharp pointy teeth. She has a love of extreme body modification, as evidenced by her forked tongue, sharp teeth and gill-like cuts on her cheeks. She wears the corpse of an eel atop her head and down her back. She possesses the ability to delve into people's minds. She is voiced by Fernanda Serrano.
Roach is King Bohan's illegitimate son. Roach is mentally slow and he often seeks his father's approval. He is very large in stature and his torso resembles a roach's thorax. He is voiced by José Wallenstein.
[edit] Development
Back in 2003, a "concept trailer" for Heavenly Sword appeared, and the game was apparently destined for the Xbox. The game's developer, then known as Just Add Monsters, made one game for Microsoft and then went bust. A year later when next gen consoles came out the game was made exclusive for the PS3.
Heavenly Sword first debut in a video clip on May 16, 2005 at E3 2005. The clip featured a female protagonist, Nariko fighting off many enemies and a dynamic environment in which player can move surrounding object in the environment. It also shows the player ability to swing around enemies and the clip ended with the player firing a cannon with fire at a massive amount of enemies.
On October 25, 2005 Ninja Theory released 10 screen shots of Heavenly Sword on Gamespot. At E3 2006 Heavenly Sword had a playable demo. On May 8 it was announced that Andy Serkis was going to play the role of the King Bohan in Heavenly Sword. Serkis is famous for his CG roles as Gollum in "The Lord of the Rings" and Kong in "King Kong". Serkis is using motion capture for his role. At E3 2006 on May 8, 2006 a trailer for Heavenly Sword was shown which featured gameplay and the features of the AI. Several playable demos of the game was also featured.
The first trailer was released on September 22, 2006 at TGS 2006. It starts with King Bohan explaining the legend of the heavenly sword. Then it shows clips of the gameplay with Nariko killing enemies and ends with the king yelling "Kill her. Wipe her out."
On March 7 2007 a video of the motion capture development was released. The video explains the motion capture used in the game and movements for facial expressions.
On June 7, 2007 a Heavenly Sword trailer was available for download at the PlayStation Store.
On Thursday July 26 the demo was released for the PlayStation Store. The 1GB demo featured a few enemies for the player to combat, and the player can also slide on ropes. The demo is approximately 5-10 minutes long. After the demo the game screen reads, "Redemption arrives in September", tying in with the game's scheduled for release on September 12, 2007 for the U.S. On August 3, 2007 Sony announced that the game will be released in America on September .
The dialogue for the game takes up 10 GB of data and three and a half hours of music and 4500 lines of voice over work, in eleven languages.
On September 11th 2007 A TV ad for Heavenly Sword was released. It features Nariko fighting a mass of enemies in slow motion and a voice saying "Vengeance has never been so beautiful".
[edit] Anime
On August 13, 2007, two Heavenly Sword anime films were released for PlayStation G.A.P. members. The anime is in a dark style, using mainly a combination of black and very bright colors.
[edit] Heavenly Sword Part 1 - The Legend of the Sword
Heavenly Sword episode one describes the origin of the Heavenly Sword. The anime begins by describing the Raven Lord is a warlord thirsty for power and blood lust. The scene shows a battle field with many soldiers fighting and many people getting killed and burned. Later, mankind was given hope by a warrior who came from the heavens and fought the Raven lord. The warrior was white and had light shining from his body. After the battle was over the warrior vanished, but he left his sword. Thus the legend of the heavenly sword was born and thousands would die for it.
[edit] Heavenly Sword Animation Episode 2: Guardians Of The Sword
The second episode describes what happens to the holders of the sword. Men tore each other apart and murdered one another just to obtain and keep the sword. The sword itself also started to feed on the blood of men. Those who wielded it were consumed by it and the sword became a curse upon mankind. The narrator's clan acquired the sword and kept it away from mankind, waiting for the legendary warrior to return and reclaim his sword.
[edit] Heavenly Sword Animation Episode 3: Rise of Evil
Episode three was released on August 20th 2007. It features how King Bohan came into power. The scene starts with two boys fighting to become king. Bohan lost the fight and tried to cheat with a dagger but accidentally cut himself in slashes himself across the eye when the other boy blocked him. It then showed Bohan giving the boy who became king a drink with poison which the king drank. Bohan becomes king and wanted to become a god, thus he needed the heavenly sword.
[edit] Heavenly Sword Animation Episode 4: The Divine Birth
On August 28, 2007, the fourth episode was released. It featured the clan who protected the heavenly sword from mankind and their hardships. It shows the clan defending themselves from warlords and warriors. It explained the day that the heavenly warrior would return in a divine birth and lead civilization into an age of peace and glory.
[edit] Heavenly Sword Animation Episode 5: The Day of the Warrior
Episode five features the birth of Nariko. They explained that the divine birth was a violation of the prophecy because the warrior was born a girl. Her father prevented her from getting her killed and she was to live and grow alone. She was blamed for the hardship of the clan. Her father trained her to become a warrior. The clan was then outnumbered and she was their only hope for survival.
[edit] Praise
The game won Best Graphics of E3 2006 from MTV and Game Critics Awards for Best Fighting Game. Heavenly Sword also won the Best Action/Adventure Game Award from Game Critics at E3 2007.
Reviews of the game have been generally positive. Heavenly Sword was praised for its excellent voice acting, graphics and playability. The game mainly got good ratings for its fighting combos and beautiful animations.
Gamespot: 8.0/10
IGN: 7/10 (press average 8.1)
Game Informer: 8.7/10
[edit] Criticism
The game is generally criticized for being too short and having to less varibilities in enemies and their artificial intelligence.
[edit] External links
- Official Site
- Developer's Official Site
- Q&A with Ninja Theory
- Hands-on from GamePro
- Demo review by Escapist magazine.
- Heavenly Sword entry on wikipedia
