Ninja guide for the Heavenly Sword Demo

If you plan on downloading the Heavenly Sword demo, be advised that the path of the Ninja is filled with peril and only those who are prepared for hardship can truly succeed.

Thankfully the game’s developers – Ninja Theory – has seen fit to bestow upon the masses through their developers blog ancient techniques of pwnage that you can master on the demo in preparation for the full game.

If you’re still reading, then you have proven worthy to receive the knowledge that will let you join the ranks of the 1337. Read the entire list and start practicing it while playing because it will serve you well in the long run.

Here are the tips that you are seeking:

• Experiment with stance switching. Nariko can instantly switch between stances using the shoulder buttons. Your standard stance is the Speed Stance, L1 pressed and held is the Ranged Stance and R1 pressed and held is the Power Stance. YouÂ’ll find the various enemies react differently to each stance, meaning youÂ’ll need to find different tactics to defeat them with style.
• Once youÂ’ve mastered the basic attacks, it’s time to try some advanced stuff. Wait for an enemy to attack and hit TRIANGLE to counter their strike. This relies on careful timing but, if you get it just right, youÂ’ll deliver a killing blow to your attacker.
• By this time, you should have some Superstyle built up. Look at the HUD element in the top left: the inner dial is your Superstyle bar. Whenever one or more of the gems light up, you have access to a variety of Superstyles that can wipe out dozens (and in later levels, literally hundreds) of opponents in one devastating blow. These moves are stance specific so, at each level, you have a Speed, Power and Ranged Superstyle. Activate these using CIRCLE while in the stance of your choice. Obviously the more gems highlighted, the bigger and more devastating the Superstyle!
• Got that nailed? Sweet! Now try using L1+TRIANGLE on someone who’s staggered – they’ll fly up into the air. If youÂ’re quick enough, jerk the pad up and Nariko will launch into an aerial combo. Try SQUARE + SQUARE + SQUARE to start with but donÂ’t forget that other combos are shown in the pause menu.
• On that note, Nariko only has a handful of moves available in the demo, with tonnes more to unlock during the full game. Some of these moves have a little broken shield icon which signifies that this is a Block Breaker move – use these to break down enemy defenses.
• One final sneaky tip: donÂ’t kill the axeman during the opening hero sequence (i.e. miss the final SQUARE press) as you slide down the ropes. ThisÂ’ll give you a chance to see what itÂ’s like fighting a tougher character!

Now you should be ready for the demo. Remember practice makes perfect, and some of these skills don’t come naturally. Keep checking back here for more updates on Heavenly Sword.

Via IGN

If you plan on downloading the Heavenly Sword demo, be advised that the path of the Ninja is filled with peril and only those who are prepared for hardship can truly succeed.

Thankfully the game’s developers – Ninja Theory – has seen fit to bestow upon the masses through their developers blog ancient techniques of pwnage that you can master on the demo in preparation for the full game.

If you’re still reading, then you have proven worthy to receive the knowledge that will let you join the ranks of the 1337. Read the entire list and start practicing it while playing because it will serve you well in the long run.

Here are the tips that you are seeking:

• Experiment with stance switching. Nariko can instantly switch between stances using the shoulder buttons. Your standard stance is the Speed Stance, L1 pressed and held is the Ranged Stance and R1 pressed and held is the Power Stance. YouÂ’ll find the various enemies react differently to each stance, meaning youÂ’ll need to find different tactics to defeat them with style.
• Once youÂ’ve mastered the basic attacks, it’s time to try some advanced stuff. Wait for an enemy to attack and hit TRIANGLE to counter their strike. This relies on careful timing but, if you get it just right, youÂ’ll deliver a killing blow to your attacker.
• By this time, you should have some Superstyle built up. Look at the HUD element in the top left: the inner dial is your Superstyle bar. Whenever one or more of the gems light up, you have access to a variety of Superstyles that can wipe out dozens (and in later levels, literally hundreds) of opponents in one devastating blow. These moves are stance specific so, at each level, you have a Speed, Power and Ranged Superstyle. Activate these using CIRCLE while in the stance of your choice. Obviously the more gems highlighted, the bigger and more devastating the Superstyle!
• Got that nailed? Sweet! Now try using L1+TRIANGLE on someone who’s staggered – they’ll fly up into the air. If youÂ’re quick enough, jerk the pad up and Nariko will launch into an aerial combo. Try SQUARE + SQUARE + SQUARE to start with but donÂ’t forget that other combos are shown in the pause menu.
• On that note, Nariko only has a handful of moves available in the demo, with tonnes more to unlock during the full game. Some of these moves have a little broken shield icon which signifies that this is a Block Breaker move – use these to break down enemy defenses.
• One final sneaky tip: donÂ’t kill the axeman during the opening hero sequence (i.e. miss the final SQUARE press) as you slide down the ropes. ThisÂ’ll give you a chance to see what itÂ’s like fighting a tougher character!

Now you should be ready for the demo. Remember practice makes perfect, and some of these skills don’t come naturally. Keep checking back here for more updates on Heavenly Sword.

Via IGN