As Flying Fox said, "Utterly...average."
The story was absymal at best. Compared to NGS, a game with incredibly similar plot elements but an average story overall, HS pales in comparison. Where did the Heavenly Sword come from? What's all this about Nariko's birth that was never explained? What's up with her Clan (and Shen!), which she touts as being great fighters, being so terrible it's jarring from the immersion? Why was the first boss leagues more difficult than its successors? Why did Kai talk so strangely - was it because she was (implicitly) a feral child? Why is it that the perverted antagonist - who was implying he would soon be r#ping Nariko had she not been saved by Kai - was spared by Nariko, when it was he who came so close to destroying her clan and was responsible for innumerable deaths? It was like Nariko thought, "Oh, your new eyes got ripped out by your Lord - maybe your old ones will come back, though. Considering what else has happened, it isn't too far-fetched of an idea. Regardless, you aren't a threat now, and even though I'm dying and leaving my people for good, I'm going to take a gamble that although you came THIS CLOSE to taking over all of the known world and mercilessly annhilating my people, you won't do it again. Have fun with your son, who you now love since you can't see him!"
HS's combat system was something left to be desired. The "Speed" moves were useless, there wasn't a jump or block button, it was difficult to aim Nariko for the throwing puzzles (some of which were great, others of which were terrible, anxiety-inducing puzzles that were not difficult to solve, but rather difficult to execute), the two-button scheme ended up becoming a button masher at many points, and having my partners' A.I. similar to that of a drunken ape operating the PS3 controller didn't help with the immersion, either. While the automatic blocking was better than nothing (it had potential to be better than games with a block button, as combat could have been a more fluid experience), it removed a lot of skill in my opinion. The absence of a jump function meant aerial combos were less useful and the sections with Kai felt like a fish out of water. After all, the developers designed her to be like a cat - she can't even jump! The entire game, I couldn't get over how much superior NGS's combat system was to this one. Jump high into the air, do a "Flying Swallow" (dive with your sword) at one enemy, bust head first into a crowd of other enemies, and unleash hell with a devastating combo and a weapon of your choice. Even God of War trumped HS, with its superior combo execution and combat system. Maybe it's because I beat Ninja Gaiden Sigma on Hard and I'm just used to a perfect fighting system, but HS was a borderline button-masher. I had more fun executing combos with Dynasty Warriors 3 years ago than I did playing Heavenly Sword - perhaps it was because in DW3, there was an emphasis on the damage being done, and it wasn't just a part of the screen that wasn't focused in on.
For a game where graphics were a big grabbing point, I'd have to call them average overall. While most aspects of the graphics were great, some were just outright bad: the terrible HDR lighting effects, the strange models, hair that defies gravity and wind..the list goes on. While some characters were in proportion (Nariko, Flying Fox, Whiptail, Kai), others were not (King Bohan, Roach). However, the lush environments were absolutely breathtaking. Unfortunately, I was always being shot at or doing some sort of quicktime button pressing deal, meaning I couldn't appreciate them.
The animation was exceptional, and the early on CG scenes were some of the best I've ever seen - the one where the Heavenly Sword is activated and King Bohan mocks Nariko was epic, and the one where the 3 bosses and King Bohan banter was possibly the greatest CG scene I've ever seen, simply because the characters showed personality and humor. It was a welcome surprise to see your antagonists bantering with one another, something seldom seen in video games. Facial expressions were phenomenal, but the lip syncing didn't always sync, jarring all immersion from the game. Last but not least, I have to give props to Ninja Theory for their combat engine's ability to have 2,000 soldiers on the screen without lag. That was amazing, and they took great advantage of both the number of characters that could be displayed on-screen and the fact that you can see for miles!
Some of the things I DID like: I liked the mix of action - shaken, not stirred. Kai's sections were innovative, and the SIXAXIS aftertouch was utterly fantastic once I became accustomed to it! The combat system wasn't [i]bad[/i], it just wasn't that good compared to other games on the same platform. Since the gameplay wasn't that great, it was difficult to play the game for the sake of fun, and since the story wasn't that compelling, it provided little incentive for me to play for the next cutscene.
I'm not going to talk about the puzzles.. they were SO hit and miss with me (no pun intended)!