What some might not be aware of is that it wasn’t always a PS3 exclusive though as it was actually the first known Xbox 360 title when it was still referred to as the Xbox 2. It has been stated that the reason behind this coming to the Playstation 3 as opposed to the 360 has to do with the fact that after the developer’s previous project on the original Xbox called Kung Fu Chaos Microsoft wasn’t too sure the developer would be able to deliver on the ambitious project.

Whatever the real reason for the falling out, we fast forward to the present and what we have here is a legitimate case of a developer that previously wasn’t highly regarded coming into their own on Next Generation Hardware. Statements from developers regarding how long they’ve actually been working on Heavenly Sword seem to support the suspicion that while they were working on Kung Fu Chaos they were also simultaneously working on Heavenly Sword, a title that simply wouldn’t be possible on current generation machines.

The story for HS revolves around the female main character Nariko, who is the daughter of the leader of a warrior clan which is responsible for guarding the lethal Heavenly Sword. Nariko’s warrior clan was wiped out of existence by an invading king (more on this later) and Nariko recklessly takes hold of the Heavenly Sword in order to get revenge. There is a catch to this Sword though as anyone who wields it is destined to die as it slowly kills the user.

Heavenly Sword is an action adventure game not too different from God of War in regards to gameplay. As a matter of fact Heavenly Sword has taken on the nickname “Goddess of War” and it is rather fitting. What makes Heavenly Sword so impressive is a combination of things. First off it has truly impressive art design and uses a number of graphical features to amazing effect. Everything appears to be just right with this game. Simply put Heavenly Sword showcases the best use of HDR on the PS3 and other PS3 titles should follow suit.