...One particularly fantastic segment of the level features Nariko on a bridge, where she has to use her range stance combos to deflect oncoming arrows as she makes her way across (very reminiscent of Jet Li in Hero). There were also, surprisingly, puzzle-like segments to speak off, which involved throwing the enemies' circular shields at targets (though there were actually gongs) in order to open doors and gates. This dramatic shift away from combat was refreshing for me, and encouragingly suggests that the game won't be purely combat oriented. After all, breaking up the action in an action game is critical to a good experience, and Ninja Theory seems to have taken that into account...
...Whiptail dodges Nariko's attacks in Matrix-like fashion, and it's all done in real time. If you throw a particular combo, Whiptail bends and flips out of the way, only to counterattack with incredible zeal. Although the fight grew repetitive very quickly, the initial encounters were nothing short of amazing...
This is a very promising game, both for its engaging combat system and spectacular visuals
...The directing and voice work is simply top-notch, and I personally have never seen in-game graphics present such startlingly convincing facial animation...
