PS3, £39.99, cert 16+, Sony, 4/5

Superficially Heavenly Sword may look like a basic hack ‘n slash title, but given a chance you’ll find yourself immersed in a world reminiscent of Ico’s beauty. Playing as the red-haired Nariko, you begin a quest of vengeance against King Bohan; who has destroyed your clan in an attempt to capture the Heavenly Sword; a weapon of immense power.

With amazingly detailed cut scenes that highlight emotion through its impressive facial animations and motion capture, you’re guided through an engaging story, controlling the action sequences simply by button bashing or through skilled use of stances and fighting combos.

Also taking advantage of the PS3’s sixaxis abilities, it offers quirky levels such as guiding arrows in-flight. Put together, these features lead to a satisfying gameplay experience, albeit quite short. Also it could have more depth to its gameplay; testing the brain as well as the fingers, but these minor shortfalls are forgivable.

As a brand new IP, Sony is hoping that Heavenly Sword will be the PS3’s killer title, and rightly so. This cinematic adventure is a must-buy as casual and hardcore gamers will find it both fun and challenging.