G-pinions

Heavenly Sword is one of the easiest games around to dissect. On one hand, the story is as strong as you will find in a video game. With an engaging plot, unpredictable characters and genuine emotion, the experience wrapped my attention in a neat bow for my entire time with the game. And though the story alone is good enough to deserve applause from gamers and non-gamers alike, it is the presentation that pushes this beyond the realm of mere video game greatness. The acting and cinematography (is that the first time I've used that word on this site?) are so striking, it makes every other video game cut scene look like a Full House puppet show. On the other hand, this is a game you will play just so you can get to the sections where you idly watch. Heavenly Sword has fundamental gameplay flaws that keep it from pure gaming goodness, but the story is strong enough to ignore that pesky, predictable gameplay.

I fear that dwelling on the faults of Heavenly Sword will steer people away from this entirely worthy game, but I can't just ignore the gamplay completely. Can I? The combat, which borrows heavily from God of War, is simply not all that engaging. It is a game that focuses entirely on the bland relationship between blocks and counter attacks. You know what's not fun? Having my flashy attacks respond with the dull clink of steel hitting steel. Shouldn't I be carving into heretic flesh with every strike? Furthermore, shouldn't I be able to see what I'm hitting? The camera does its best to show the beautiful locale where you are fighting while avoiding the actual combat. The camera and fighting are serviceable, but rarely rise above mediocrity. Though some will surely find the give and take of combat rewarding, I found the experience exhausting and repetitive. Sometimes it is just more fun to ignore the standard rules of combat and spin around as fast as you can with your super sharp swords of death. Heavenly Sword is not difficult, but the fighting was drawn out to the point of boredom on more than one occasion. With a more diverse array of attacks or simply less focus on blocking and more on position, the combat would have been much more rewarding. As it is, combat is the cauliflower you choke down to get to the tasty desert.

So what is the meat in this food metaphor? Twing twang! Parts of this game have you controlling Kai, protagonist Nariko's adopted sister. I could shoot arrows from her crossbow all day and still make time to shoot some more tomorrow. In the finest use of motion control since Wii Tennis, you manually control your arrows in midair with the Sixaxis controller. It may sound gimmicky, and in truth it really is, but that doesn't detract from the fun one bit. From bending your arrows around a corner to hit a cowering foe in the face to guiding it through a level to set off some fireworks, archery is an extremely visceral, rewarding experience. And I'm not using those as buzz words either. You try steering an arrow around a barrel and into a man's skull without laughing.

When I think back about Heavenly Sword years from now, when the pretty graphics and intricate plot have long since been forgotten, the one thing I will still hold on to is Kai. She is one of the most unexpectedly interesting characters I have ever seen in a game. She is presented as having a Lenny mindset, for those familiar with Of Mice and Men. Though she is slight in stature, she is more than willing to kill anyone in her path. But like Lenny, she does not realize the power she possesses. Her family refers to her displays of killing as "Twing twang." She refers to it as "playtime." She does not seem to grasp the concept that an arrow into someone's forehead will kill them. She does as she is told, with a smile on her face, while I cringed and turned away. It is an extraordinarily dark concept. To use a mere child to kill your enemies, when they are completely ignorant of their power, is almost terrifying. Though that was my impression through half the game, by the end I had a whole new view of Kai. She has a horrible past and a legitimate dark streak, but she is fueled by love. She is a fascinating character and one I would love to see further explored in the future.

If you can't tell, I thoroughly enjoyed Heavenly Sword despite the cumbersome combat. It carries a creative vision rarely attempted in a mainstream game. From sweeping camera angles to picturesque landscapes, this is a showcase title for the future convergence of gaming and film. I would love to see the vision of Heavenly Sword's artistic director combined with the gameplay fundamentals of someone who has spent their life making fun video games. As it is, I am content with a game that only gets one of those elements right. Honestly, in a game this beautiful, even the finest gameplay would take a backseat.