A dramatic tale of revenge sees Nariko, a fiery red-haired heroine embark on a quest for vengeance against an invading King and his army. The story builds around the ancient Heavenly Sword which once belonged to a powerful deity. It can never be wielded by a mortal without it draining their life-force, killing them within hours.

When the invading King (played by Andy Serkis) destroys the warrior clan that guards the Heavenly Sword, the clan leader's daughter, Nariko, takes up the sword in a desperate fight for survival. Nariko must now pay the ultimate price as she embarks on one last mission of vengeance against the King and his army before her life is finally drawn to a close...

The Heavenly Sword itself can Transform into Three Distinct Stances – Players can switch between on the fly allowing players to create their own fighting styles. The Combat Engine can Scale Up – From sophisticated one-on-one encounters to one-on-many, where enemies employ intelligent squad-based dynamics, right up to combat against battalions pushing real-time gameplay and A.I. to unprecedented new levels. Physics-based Combat – Players can sweep debris against opponents, kick tables to halt an oncoming surge of fighters, smash the enemy into the scenery or throw bodies into other enemies using aftertouch controls. [SCEE]

Corr blimey guvnor! You wait hours for a single bus and what happens? That’s right, Sony sends along multiple high-profile vehicles in order to sap your pocket money and thrill your gaming passions in equal amounts. Sneaky devils.

Seemingly not satisfied with the plaudits presently being heaped on multiplayer action title Warhawk, Sony is also pushing heavily against the positively angelic offering that is Heavenly Sword. Beauty is apparently in the eye of the beholder, so they say. Well, as the beholders in question, if you don’t find Heavenly Sword drop dead gorgeous then, frankly, you need a sharp stick poked in that clearly malfunctioning eye of yours.

Regardless of what you think, let’s see how Heavenly Sword has been received by the Internet’s critical cream.

Spend or Lend?

Check below for all the score that matter and some stunning game footage courtesy of GameTrailers.com.

90% - GamePro - "So, while it doesn't eclipse the greatness of the original title that inspired it, Heavenly Sword is still a fun, engaging, and most importantly, exclusive PS3 title that Sony fanboys can brag to 360 fanboys about."

88% - Game Informer - "The amazing cutscenes (with some of the best facial animations I’ve ever seen), a cool cast of characters, and the stirring musical score complement the gameplay to create an incredibly cinematic experience. It may invite comparisons to other action titles, but I can safely say that Heavenly Sword is a unique and captivating adventure with a style all its own."

80% - 1UP - "Can a game that lets you pick up a body, throw it, and tilt it with the PS3 controller as it flies at other enemies be bad?"

80% - GameDaily - "Despite the strong presentation and excellent voice acting, Kratos and his mythological pals have nothing to fear from Heavenly Sword. The game doesn't quite match "God of War" [in its] sense of pacing, character control and after plowing through another room of identical enemies, button-mashing until your thumbs are sore, you may eventually lose the urge to see what's around the next corner."

70% - IGN - "Heavenly Sword's presentation is stellar and nicely ties the action sequences together, but we just wish that the same amount of care that went into these cutscenes were applied to the game's pacing."

Verdict: Spend (but only just)