It's a fun game that didn't deserve the low review scores it got at launch. Unfortunately it's a short 6-8 hour long game, with little replayability other than reliving the story. But the plot is really good and the acting from Anna Torv and Andy Serkis is top notch. This is one of Rhianna Pratchett's better video game plots (she's gotten a lot worse since). Gameplay is fun and you have 3 different styles to master. It was one of the first PS3 games to use the sixaxis well.

1. Mechanics / Gameplay How well do the characters control? Is the gameplay varied and engaging? 6/10 2. Story & Characters How interesting and believable is the story? Is there character development? 7/10 3. Atmosphere & Immersion How well does the game draw you into its world? Do mood, music, sound, and design work together? 7/10 4. Graphics & Design How good is the visual design? Is the style coherent (even for older games)? 8/10 5. Difficulty & Balancing Is the game challenging but fair? Does poor balance cause frustration or boredom? 6/10 6. Innovation & Creativity Does the game introduce new mechanics or original ideas? 9/10 7. Game World & Level Design How well are the worlds or levels structured? Are there clever layouts, secrets, meaningful exploration? 6/10 8. Long-Term Motivation & Replay Value Is it still fun after finishing? Are there choices, alternate endings, side quests, etc.? 7/10 -1 for technical issues Overall: 6/10 Highlights - Graphics (ambitious attempt...) - Fun implementation of motion controls - Fresh story - Villain and sister are trashy but also funny and interesting - Pleasant game length - Actually cool weapon design... Lowlights -...but very underused - Quite repetitive - Performance is so poor that it becomes nearly unplayable in some parts (minus 1 point) - Awful balancing, especially with the final boss!

I was always curious about the hype around this game, and I'm sure Heavenly Sword was a spectacle when it came out, but in 2024 it's a tough sell. The combat sections are like a clunky GoW 1, and never clicked with me. I ended up spamming the same button combos and being generally annoyed. There are the usual QTE and FPS mini-games that plagued games of this era. Particularly egregious were the timed discus puzzles, which really distilled all the worst aspects of this game. I could only take Heavenly Sword in chunks, and had to make myself finish it.