During the early, dark days of being a PS3 owner, Heavenly Sword was a beacon of light. Being the first game, (and sadly, one of the last,) to make the most out of the graphics technology of the current generation to enhance rather than distract from the experience, the story of Nariko and her war against an evil conqueror and his army is still one of my favorites in the last decade. Sadly, whether it was because of poor sales, developer Ninja Theory’s decision to venture off into 3rd party development or unfair comparisons to God of War, (because you know, any action game with swords in the last five years just HAS to be a rip off…), the game became a cult hit, but it wasn’t enough for either the developer or publisher to support a sequel.

But that doesn’t mean it wasn’t in the works. IGN recently released some previously unpublished concept art pieces from the second of the planned trilogy. Seemingly taking place in a completely different setting, Nariko is apparently back to continue her fight against the Raven King. Which makes me so sad that this vision will likely never materialize.

But is there still hope? Does the release of these screenshots mean Heavenly Sword 2 might surface one day? While Ninja Theory is currently working on the DmC reboot, can Sony decide to give the title to another up and coming developer? Considering Nariko and her sidekick, Kai, are appearing in Playstation All Stars, it’s not too outside of the realm of possibility, right?

If you missed out on the first game, check out the video below. That acting, those facial expressions, that ANDY F’N SERKIS! It’s just so perfect. Here’s to hoping Nariko’s first adventure wasn’t her last.