History YMMV / HeavenlySword

* {{Narm}}: The voice acting in the movie is horrible, compared to the game. Even worse is that even Anna Torv, who reprises her role as Nariko, gives an almost wooden like performance. The only one who seems to be trying is Alfred Molina as Bohan.

* CompleteMonster: The Raven Lord counts in both the game and the film, while each version of Flying Fox does as well:
** [[GreaterScopeVillain The Raven Lord]], or the Raven King, the AncientEvil responsible for literally all the misery in the setting, was a sadistic warlord rumored to be a demon from Hell who led a vicious conquest in an attempt to dominate the world, slaughtering countless innocents to the point humanity's numbers vanished "like smoke" before seemingly being put down by the Heavenly Sword. Living on in the form of a demonic raven, the Raven Lord [[TheCorrupter facilitates Bohan's fall into evil]] and the subsequent massacre of countless clans and endless murder, angrily pecking out Bohan's eyes when his pawn fails in defeating [[ActionGirl Nariko]] herself. Leagues worse than [[BigBad Bohan himself]], the extension of the Raven Lord's brutal sadism and bloodlust is shown fully onscreen despite his limited screentime, and thousands of lives are destroyed in testament to the Raven Lord's endless lust for cruelty and conquest.

* SeinfeldIsUnfunny: ''Heavenly Sword'' wasn't the first game with facial motion capture, but it was the first or among the first to push for "full performance" motion capture, creating a cinematic edge to its cutscenes that actually looked like real actors animated in the real-time rendering. To say this was a massive selling point for the game would be an understatement. TechnologyMarchesOn however, and within five years gaming would come far enough to usurp its impressive feats. By modern standards, one can see a hint of the UncannyValley like with ''VideoGame/LANoire'' to see such lively faces on such outdated models, a then-revolutionary feat effectively made commonplace in most of the AAA gaming industry now.

*** Game: [[PsychoForHire Flying Fox]], the [[AxCrazy most vicious and bloodthirsty]] of Bohan's armies, murdered Kai's mother, using her corpse to convince a then-young Kai to come out of hiding before attempting to [[WouldHurtAChild murder Kai]] herself. He [[BadBoss sends waves of his own men to their deaths]] at Nariko's sword while attesting to how much he loves watching them die, while remaining fully involved in Bohan's purges of all those he decrees "impure," indicated to have been the one to have eradicated Kai's clan. Flying Fox mounts and [[DeadGuyOnDisplay stuffs the corpse of Kai's mother years later]] purely to torment her, chasing and toying with her before attempting to hang Kai right in front of Nariko's eyes. Utterly psychopathic and drained of even his boss's redeeming qualities, Flying Fox is bar none the nastiest of Bohan's already-despicable army.

*** Game: [[PsychoForHire Flying Fox]], the [[AxCrazy most vicious and bloodthirsty]] of Bohan's armies, murdered Kai's mother, using her corpse to convince a then-young Kai to come out of hiding before attempting to [[WouldHurtAChild murder Kai]] herself. Kai [[BadBoss sends waves of his own men to their deaths]] at Nariko's sword while attesting to how much he loves watching them die, while remaining fully involved in Bohan's purges of all those he decrees "impure," indicated to have been the one to have eradicated Kai's clan. Flying Fox mounts and [[DeadGuyOnDisplay stuffs the corpse of Kai's mother years later]] purely to torment her, chasing and toying with her before attempting to hang Kai right in front of Nariko's eyes. Utterly psychopathic and drained of even his boss's redeeming qualities, Flying Fox is bar none the nastiest of Bohan's already-despicable army.

* SugarWiki/VisualEffectsOfAwesome / UncannyValley: People tend to see the extensive use of motion capturing and lip syncing in the game as either absolutely stunning or uncomfortably mechanical.

*** Game: [[AxCrazy Flying Fox]], the most vicious and bloodthirsty of Bohan's armies, is a sadistic KnifeNut who murdered Kai's mother, using her corpse to convince a then-young Kai to come out of hiding before attempting to [[WouldHurtAChild murder Kai]] herself. He [[BadBoss sends waves of his own men to their deaths]] at Nariko's sword while attesting to how much he loves watching them die, while remaining fully involved in Bohan's purges of all those he decrees "impure," indicated to have been the one to have eradicated Kai's clan. Flying Fox mounts and [[DeadGuyOnDisplay stuffs the corpse of Kai's mother years later]] purely to torment her, chasing and toying with her before attempting to hang Kai right in front of Nariko's eyes. Utterly psychopathic and drained of even his boss's redeeming qualities, Flying Fox is bar none the nastiest of Bohan's already-despicable army.

*** Game: [[AxCrazy Flying Fox]], the most vicious and bloodthirsty of Bohan's armies, is a sadistic KnifeNut who murdered Kai's mother, using her corpse to convince a then-young Kai to come out of hiding before attempting to [[WouldHurtAChild murder Kai]] herself. Kai [[BadBoss sends waves of his own men to their deaths]] at Nariko's sword while attesting to how much he loves watching them die, while remaining fully involved in Bohan's purges of all those he decrees "impure," indicated to have been the one to have eradicated Kai's clan. Flying Fox mounts and [[DeadGuyOnDisplay stuffs the corpse of Kai's mother years later]] purely to torment her, chasing and toying with her before attempting to hang Kai right in front of Nariko's eyes. Utterly psychopathic and drained of even his boss's redeeming qualities, Flying Fox is bar none the nastiest of Bohan's already-despicable army.

* PlayerPunch: Sort of. The scene in which [[spoiler:Flying Fox, after spending a portion of the game gleefully tormenting Kai, captures her and then proceeds to '''hang her by the neck''' from a '''really big height''' (apparently killing her in the process), deliberately doing it as Nariko watches]] is just plain upsetting. [[spoiler:Nariko's anguished screams at Kai's apparent death really serve to make the moment hit even harder (but don't worry, Kai [[UnexplainedRecovery gets better]])]].

* TechDemoGame: While a decent game in its own right, it's plainly obvious that it was one of the maiden voyage titles for the then-cutting edge [=PS3=] console. The game features epic sprawling landscapes, ''massive'' armies with troop density usually seen in RTS games, motion controls, and insane visual fidelity all throughout with stunning cutscenes featuring detailed mocap facial and body animation. It also has the performance issues that tend to plague games of this type (particularly ''VideoGame/{{Lair}}'', another early [=PS3=] title featuring similar epic landscapes and massive army battles, and the choppy performance that came with them.)

* TearJerker: [[spoiler:The ending]]. Also, the moment in which [[spoiler:Bohan is lying, helpless and blinded, while Roach runs to his aid, telling him that he's going to take care of him and begging Nariko to "please let me take him home"]] qualifies.

*** [[spoiler:Nariko's death too.]]

*** Film: [[AxCrazy Flying Fox]], just as vile as he is in the game, is responsible for the massacre of Kai's entire clan, described as having making them "bleed" before [[YouKilledMyFather killing Kai's mother]]. An unhinged sadist distinguished from even the rest of Bohan's armies, Kai giddily forefronts the genocide and subjugation of entire clans, including Nariko's own, and decapitates Nariko's long-lost brother Loki, intending to [[TheStarscream betray Bohan himself]], and gutting Kai in front of Nariko simply to torture her.

** [[GreaterScopeVillain The Raven Lord]], or the Raven King, the AncientEvil responsible for literally all the misery in the setting, was a sadistic warlord rumored to be a demon from Hell who led a vicious conquest in an attempt to [[TakeOverTheWorld dominate the world]], slaughtering countless innocents to the point humanity's numbers vanished "like smoke" before seemingly being put down by the Heavenly Sword. Living on in the form of a demonic raven, the Raven Lord [[TheCorrupter facilitates Bohan's fall into evil]] and the subsequent massacre of countless clans and endless murder, angrily pecking out Bohan's eyes when his pawn fails in defeating Nariko herself. Leagues worse than [[BigBad Bohan himself]], the extension of the Raven Lord's brutal sadism and bloodlust is shown fully onscreen despite his limited screentime, and thousands of lives are destroyed in testament to the Raven Lord's endless lust for cruelty and conquest.
*** Game: [[AxCrazy Flying Fox]], the most vicious and bloodthirsty of Bohan's armies, is a sadistic KnifeNut who murdered Kai's mother, using her corpse to convince a then-young Kai to come out of hiding before attempting to [[WouldHurtAChild murder Kai]] herself. Kai [[BadBoss sends waves of his own men to their deaths]] at [[ActionGirl Nariko]]'s sword while attesting to how much he loves watching them die, while remaining fully involved in Bohan's purges of all those he decrees "impure," indicated to have been the one to have eradicated Kai's clan. Flying Fox mounts and stuffs the corpse of Kai's mother years later purely to torment her, chasing and toying with her before attempting to hang Kai right in front of Nariko's eyes. Utterly psychopathic and drained of even his boss's redeeming qualities, Flying Fox is bar none the nastiest of Bohan's already-despicable army.
*** Film: [[AxCrazy Flying Fox]], just as vile as he is in the game, is responsible for the massacre of Kai's entire clan, described as having making them "bleed" before [[YouKilledMyFather killing Kai's mother]]. An unhinged sadist distinguished from even the rest of Bohan's armies, Kai giddily forefronts the genocide and subjugation of entire clans, including [[ActionGirl Nariko]]'s own, and decapitates Nariko's long-lost brother Loki, intending to [[TheStarscream betray Bohan himself]], and gutting Kai in front of Nariko simply to torture her.

* CompleteMonster: [[TheDragon Flying Fox]] is one of King Bohan's generals, and easily the most sadistic of them all. Responsible for the deaths of numerous clans across the lands, his most notable act of villainy in the story (see {{Moral Event Horizon}} below) is [[spoiler:killing Kai's mother in front of the child, taking glee in the act before then attempting the kill the [[WouldHurtAChild child too]].]] In the present, Flying Fox is first encountered sending various men to their deaths to battle Nariko and obtain the sword, though he chooses to leave a true fight with Nariko for another time, showing that he is more interested in battling her than following his master's orders. After Kai discovers the rotting corpse of her mother, Flying Fox (who had stuffed the body) once again attempts to ruthlessly kill the girl, hunting her down for much of Chapter Four until eventually capturing her. When Nariko arrives to try to rescue Kai, Flying Fox [[spoiler:lynches the girl right in front of Nariko]] before then engaging Nariko in a {{No-Holds-Barred Beatdown}}. A chilling and ruthless psychopath whom even his own master doesn't trust for his disregard for all lives and contempt for his own allies, his [[spoiler:death at Kai's hands]] serves as major {{Catharsis Factor}} after his boss battle.

* CompleteMonster: [[TheDragon Flying Fox]] is one of King Bohan's generals, and easily the most sadistic of them all. Responsible for the deaths of numerous clans across the lands, his most notable act of villainy in the story (see [[MoralEventHorizon]] below) is [[spoiler:killing Kai's mother in front of the child, taking glee in the act before then attempting the kill the [[WouldHurtAChild child too]].]] In the present, Flying Fox is first encountered sending various men to their deaths to battle Nariko and obtain the sword, though he chooses to leave a true fight with Nariko for another time, showing that he is more interested in battling her than following his master's orders. After Kai discovers the rotting corpse of her mother, Flying Fox (who had stuffed the body) once again attempts to ruthlessly kill the girl, hunting her down for much of Chapter Four until eventually capturing her. When Nariko arrives to try to rescue Kai, Flying Fox [[spoiler:lynches the girl right in front of Nariko]] before then engaging Nariko in a {{NoHoldsBarredBeatdown}}. A chilling and ruthless psychopath whom even his own master doesn't trust for his disregard for all lives and contempt for his own allies, his [[spoiler:death at Kai's hands]] serves as major {{CatharsisFactor}} after his boss battle.

* CompleteMonster: [[TheDragon Flying Fox]] is one of King Bohan's generals, and easily the most sadistic of them all. Responsible for the deaths of numerous clans across the lands, his most notable act of villainy in the story (see [[MoralEventHorizon]] below) is [[spoiler:killing Kai's mother in front of the child, taking glee in the act before then attempting the kill the [[WouldHurtAChild child too]].]] In the present, Flying Fox is first encountered sending various men to their deaths to battle Nariko and obtain the sword, though he chooses to leave a true fight with Nariko for another time, showing that he is more interested in battling her than following his master's orders. After Kai discovers the rotting corpse of her mother, Flying Fox (who had stuffed the body) once again attempts to ruthlessly kill the girl, hunting her down for much of Chapter Four until eventually capturing her. When Nariko arrives to try to rescue Kai, Flying Fox [[spoiler:lynches the girl right in front of Nariko]] before then engaging Nariko in a [[NoHoldsBarredBeatdown]]. A chilling and ruthless psychopath whom even his own master doesn't trust for his disregard for all lives and contempt for his own allies, his [[spoiler:death at Kai's hands]] serves as major [[CatharsisFactor]] after his boss battle.

* CompleteMonster: [[TheDragon Flying Fox]] is one of King Bohan's generals, and easily the most sadistic of them all. Responsible for the deaths of numerous clans across the lands, his most notable act of villainy in the story (see [[MoralEventHorizon]] below) is [[spoiler:killing Kai's mother in front of the child, taking glee in the act before then attempting the kill the [[WouldHurtAChild child too]].]] In the present, Flying Fox is first encountered sending various men to their deaths to battle Nariko and obtain the sword, though he chooses to leave a true fight with Nariko for another time, showing that he is more interested in battling her than following his master's orders. After Kai discovers the rotting corpse of her mother, Flying Fox (who had stuffed the body) once again attempts to ruthlessly kill the girl, hunting her down for much of Chapter Four until eventually capturing her. When Nariko arrives to try to rescue Kai, Flying Fox [[spoiler:lynches the girl right in front of Nariko]] before then engaging Nariko in a [[No-Holds-BarredBeatdown]]. A chilling and ruthless psychopath whom even his own master doesn't trust for his disregard for all lives and contempt for his own allies, his [[spoiler:death at Kai's hands]] serves as major [[CatharsisFactor]] after his boss battle.

* CompleteMonster: Flying Fox is one of King Bohan's generals, and easily the most sadistic of them all. Responsible for the deaths of numerous clans across the lands, his most notable act of villainy in the story (see *MoralEventHorizon below) is [[spoiler:killing Kai's mother in front of the child, taking glee in the act before then attempting the kill the [[WouldHurtAChild child too]].]] In the present, Flying Fox is first encountered sending various men to their deaths to battle Nariko and obtain the sword, though he chooses to leave a true fight with Nariko for another time, showing that he is more interested in battling her than following his master's orders and obtaining the sword. After Kai discovers the rotting, stuffed corpse of her mother, Flying Fox once again attempts to ruthlessly kill the girl, hunting her down for much of Chapter Four until eventually capturing her. When Nariko arrives to try to rescue Kai, Flying Fox lynches the girl in front of Nariko before then engaging Nariko in a [[No-Holds-Barred Beatdown]]. A chilling ruthless psychopath whom even his own master doesn't trust, his [[spoiler:death at Kai's hands]] serves as major [[CatharsisFactor]] after his boss battle.