The PlayStation 3 is a fascinating console, and few games encapsulate its weirdness better than 2007's Heavenly swordsa single-player hack-and-slash adventure from Ninja Theory. Heavenly swords was often overlooked in its day – many may remember it as little more than another 'edgy sword lady game' of the era, sitting alongside the likes of Cool witch and Primal. But the game is much more than just another cut-and-dry action-adventure title.
Heavenly swords centers on Nariko, a member of a warrior clan in a fictional tribal society. Nariko's story is central to what makes Heavenly swords especially: its plot and presentation, while certainly not perfect, were particularly bold and inventive for the time. This, combined with its God of war-inspired gameplay, it received a positive reception from critics, most of whom rated it in the 7/10 or 8/10 range. A modern point of comparison, on the critical front, would be something similar Black Myth: Wukong. Sadly, Heavenly swords never matched the sale of one Wukongnot even recoup their development costs. Its underwhelming commercial performance led to the scrapping of Ninja Theory Heavenly swords trilogy it had planned.
Heavenly Sword's single player campaign deserves its flowers
By 2007, video games had long embraced more dramatic, mature storytelling. But to each Metal Gear Solid 2 or BioShockthere were several Dark sectors and Alone in the darks—games that tried their best to be tough and intense, but wound up stilted and boring. Given its beige color palette, grimdark fantasy world, and sword-wielding protagonist, Heavenly swords could easily have been one of those derivative and pretentious outings. Indeed, its lukewarm reception may have been partly the result of the oversaturated and derivative action game market of the time.
But Heavenly swordss campaign is ambitious and respectable enough to make it a cut above much of its competition. Nariko is a fairly compelling character who is presented as a well-rounded individual; at least she's deeper than many objectified female leads of the era. She is part of a tribe that follows a prophecy related to the titular Heavenly Sword, said to be forged by the gods and intended only for use by a chosen “mortal man” born in the “Year of the Fire Horse”. When Nariko is born during this period, and with the fiery red hair of the prophesied hero, her people shun her as a harbinger of doom. Because she was born a woman and not a “mortal man,” her existence is considered a mockery and an abomination.
From this premise grows a complex web of nuanced interpersonal relationships, which is the best aspect of Heavenly swordswrites. Much like its successor Enslaved: Odyssey to the West, Heavenly swords shines brightest when exploring human emotions and connections, delving into the characters' psyches. Heavenly swords is full of important character details, such as Nariko's complex relationship with her tribe, or antagonist Bohan's shame over his son's physical appearance. Such details give the game a refreshing sense of richness, convincing you that its characters – the good, the bad and everything in between – are as dynamic and multifaceted as real people.
These characters are brought to life Heavenly swordss cast, which includes Andy Serkis as Bohan and Mindhunters Anna Torv as Nariko.
How the Heavenly Sword was ahead of its time
Heavenly swordss rich, likable cast and complex female lead really stood out at the time, but its more noticeable advances were on the technical front. The game boasted impressive technology, particularly through its physics system and motion-captured cutscenes. It might have looked old school God of war on the surface, but the fidelity of Heavenly swordsThe cinematography, visual density and realistic physics surpassed anything Santa Monica Studios had done up to that point.
Worth noting is that Heavenly swords balances his technical prowess with a firm artistic vision. While occasionally rocking the 21st century gray color palette, this scheme is packed with bursts of vibrant color, providing a distinct visual style. This has helped Heavenly swords ages gracefully, as its sense of style remains evident even as the cutting edge of technology evolves.
Is Heavenly Sword worth playing in 2025?
Heavenly swords can certainly be called understated, but make no mistake: it still feels like a hack-and-slash game from 2007. The camera perspective is fixed, weapons are nimble but weightless, combat easily devolves into button mashing, and the controls are filled with quirks like dodging with the right stick. Even so, combat is hardly as expressive or deep as its contemporaries, such as Devil May Cry and God of war.
But it's definitely worth playing for fans of the hack-and-slash genre, especially those who have a soft spot for this era. Heavenly swordss mechanics and systems may not exactly be groundbreaking, but it is certainly more than the sum of its parts.
Modern games like Heavenly Sword
- Bayonetta 3
- Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice
- Senua's Saga: Hellblade 2
- Ninja Gaiden 4
- Final Fantasy 16
The Heavenly Sword may be gone, but its spirit burns brightly at the Ninja Theory
The Heavenly swords the team would continue to work on Enslaved after the former's trilogy was scrapped. Enslaved has no direct narrative connection to Heavenly swordsbut it retains much of its soul. Heavenly swords is also surprisingly prototypical of Hellbladewith similar fatalistic themes, a psychologically complex female lead, and similar curse mythology. A lot of Hellblades cutscene direction is reminiscent of Heavenly swords for.
Heavenly swords received an animated film adaptation in 2014, but this failed to rekindle significant interest in the IP.
Although it never received a sequel and is regularly overlooked in discussions of 21st century games, Heavenly swords set the stage for Ninja Theory's growth as an artistic entity. Even then, it was clear that the studio was striving to be at the forefront of video game storytelling, not only in terms of motion capture, animation, and overall visual detail, but also writing and acting. Perhaps Heavenly swords will return one day, but even if it doesn't, audiences can rest assured that Ninja Theory will carry its flame.
