Beautiful... yet, forgettable
1. It has no jump button.
2. It's trying too hard to be God Of War
3. Nariko is pretty
Somehow a third person action game doesn't feel right to me without the jump button. I tend to abandon them even if they are good (As was the case with Onimusha 3). Heavenly Sword became the first 3PS to not make me feel restricted without the jump button.
And how? The combat system is very deep and can be explored as much as the player is willing to go. The reviews so far have always put this game in the button-masher category which is true to a certain extent. You can get by the game by button mashing. However, if you actually try to mix and match the options at hand (various combos among the three distinctive styles, throwing around stuff in combat and blocking/reflecting) you are definitely in for a much more satisfying experience.
As far as being a God Of War clone goes... I think the production values of this game set it apart from God of War. The whole premise is difference, and every character you come across in this game has a personality (which is very rare in video games these days). There isn't much to the story (again, unlike God of War, who's story raises a few eyebrows from time to time), but whatever there is has been executed brilliantly.
Through its combat system and production values, the game sets itself apart and stands its own ground.
Yet we will more or less forget about this game soon enough... for the simple reason that it does not take any risks. It has a set formula of an established genre (namely, third person actioner) and follows it without trying anything ground breaking or different). It's fun while it lasts, and at times, especially the Kai segments where you can use the aftertouch to plant an arrow in someone's butt, it can be exhilerating. (The final chapter was awesome). But God of War 3 is around the corner, there are more games in the same overcrowded genre that are coming up and game developers willing to take more risks, and Heavenly Sword will be lost.
The game makes different impact at different times. I played this game after Uncharted, Assassin's Creed, and Ratchet and Clank, and while I can point out some or the other stand out feature from all those games, nothing out of Heavenly Sword is worth hanging on to... except perhaps Nariko :P
Final Word: The game does what it sets out to do way better than most games these days. But it doesn't break any rules. The sad part is... that it doesn't even try.