Q&A with Ninja Theory’s Kristensen about Heavenly Sword

Are you willing to sacrifice the remaining few days of your life in order to avenge the lives of friends? This is a question answered in Heavenly Sword, an upcoming game for the PS3. Heavenly Sword has been compared to God of War and has actually been nicknamed “Goddess of War” because of its similarity to the said game.

It’s the story of Noriko, a clan leader’s daughter who avenges her clan against invaders and uses a sword – the Heavenly Sword – in this duty. Because the sword was not meant for mortals, using it drains Noriko’s life force, and may eventually kill her.

One of the game devs from Ninja Theory, Nina Kristensen got to answer a few questions about the game. Kristensen says that their ultimate motivation in making the game is hearing people talk excitedly about something they’ve put their hearts and souls into. She says that the game, to be released “before Christmas”, will have a backtracking option. This is good news for players who like to go back to a level they’ve already played.

Kristensen describes Heaven Sword’s gameplay in detail. Although other weapons may be used, the Heavenly Sword is the most important, having three stances (Speed, Power, and Range), each with a distinct attack strategy. There are extensive combos, counters, and evades in each stance, and the player can even switch stances mid-attack.

There are also thousands of hand animations in the game to get really smooth movements. She also says that the game uses tilt functionality of the SIXAXIS.

We do make use of the SIXASIS in Heavenly Sword. For example if you are firing a bazooka you have the ability to go into AfterTouch where you follow the projectile and guide it – tilting the sixaxis directs it. I think feels quite natural and satisfying.

When asked who will win in a battle between the God of War‘s Kratos, and their “Goddess of War” Noriko, the dev of course bets on the red-haired heroine, who suspiciously reminds us of her. According to Kristensen, Noriko is able to slaughter a lot of men at a time, but we’re pretty sure this attribute does not apply to the 30-something game developer.

Are you willing to sacrifice the remaining few days of your life in order to avenge the lives of friends? This is a question answered in Heavenly Sword, an upcoming game for the PS3. Heavenly Sword has been compared to God of War and has actually been nicknamed “Goddess of War” because of its similarity to the said game.

It’s the story of Noriko, a clan leader’s daughter who avenges her clan against invaders and uses a sword – the Heavenly Sword – in this duty. Because the sword was not meant for mortals, using it drains Noriko’s life force, and may eventually kill her.

One of the game devs from Ninja Theory, Nina Kristensen got to answer a few questions about the game. Kristensen says that their ultimate motivation in making the game is hearing people talk excitedly about something they’ve put their hearts and souls into. She says that the game, to be released “before Christmas”, will have a backtracking option. This is good news for players who like to go back to a level they’ve already played.

Kristensen describes Heaven Sword’s gameplay in detail. Although other weapons may be used, the Heavenly Sword is the most important, having three stances (Speed, Power, and Range), each with a distinct attack strategy. There are extensive combos, counters, and evades in each stance, and the player can even switch stances mid-attack.

There are also thousands of hand animations in the game to get really smooth movements. She also says that the game uses tilt functionality of the SIXAXIS.

We do make use of the SIXASIS in Heavenly Sword. For example if you are firing a bazooka you have the ability to go into AfterTouch where you follow the projectile and guide it – tilting the sixaxis directs it. I think feels quite natural and satisfying.

When asked who will win in a battle between the God of War‘s Kratos, and their “Goddess of War” Noriko, the dev of course bets on the red-haired heroine, who suspiciously reminds us of her. According to Kristensen, Noriko is able to slaughter a lot of men at a time, but we’re pretty sure this attribute does not apply to the 30-something game developer.