El Shaddai: Ascension of the Metatron
Monday, September 19, 2011 at 06:47PM 
By Nick
Developer: Ignition Tokyo
Publisher: Ignition Entertainment
Systems: PS3, Xbox 360
El Shaddai is nothing like anything you have ever played before. It is a fantastic blend of religious storytelling with surreal, beautiful visuals and solid combat. Each chapter is a dramatically unique experience that will keep you on the edge of your seat until the end of the game.
The story is loosely derived from The Book of Enoch, an ancient Jewish religious scripture, following the story of Enoch, the eldest son of Cain. In these scriptures, Enoch is sent to restore balance to the Watchers (fallen angels) who had the job of watching over the Nephilim (the offspring of God and men). The book goes into detail of Enoch's journey to heaven and his revelations. However, I said "loosely" because the game takes this idea and applys to it a fantastic, surreal twist.
Enoch, in his demin jeans and holy white armor.
In the game, Enoch is ordered by God to defeat seven fallen angels in order to prevent a chaotic flood from destroying all mankind. Without the angels' watching, the Nephilim begin to devour each other. With no way to control or stop them, they turn from adorable, elongated jelly-blobs into the terrifying, monstrous Fire Nephilim and transition from playful to violent. Along the way, you will encounter the fallen angels and fight them dozens of times, as the game forces you to die, until you can defeat them. You will be given help by a guardian angel named Lucifel who seems to not constrain by the laws of time (he carries a cell phone or umbrella with him, even though the game takes place thousands of years ago), and four Archangels.
Enoch takes on an enemy, Arch vs Arch.
Most of El Shaddai is played as a third-person action game. In each chapter, about half the time is spent fighting enemies and half the time is spent platforming. The chapter will usually then end with a satisfying boss battle. Many times, the game will transform into a side-scrolling platformer, only to throw you right back into a third-person fighting scene. There is even one point in which you ride a motorcycle at high speeds through a futuristic city, all while fighting enemies and having a strong feeling you saw this before in Tron.
Just one of the game's dynamic variety of environments.
This action/fighting/side-scrolling/racing hybrid rapidly changes between play styles, causing the game to always feel like it's moving at a consistent pace. Enoch has three weapons available to him throughout the game. The first is the Arch, a curved, jagged blade that allows Enoch to hover through the air. The second is the Gale, which fires many small, silver darts at the enemy and allows for a fast dash ability. The final weapon is the Veil, which is a slow shield that acts as gauntlets but dishes out the damage. Combos and dodging are crucial in El Shaddai, in which enemies can easily overwhelm you if you aren't careful. The game also requires Enoch to purify his weapon, which will become corrupted the more it is used in battle, causing it to weaken. This can be done with the press of a button, but having your weapon become unexpectedly corrupted can be an unpleasent problem in the midst of a fast-paced battle. Weapons can be taken from an enemy after they are defeated, allowing you to change between weapons. All three are unlocked fairly early in the story, and the player can decide on any as their weapon of choice, as all three feel balanced. Enoch's health is measured by the armor on his body, which will get knocked off during a fight and reform by breaking objects and finding white hearts. When you die, you have the option of mashing furiously on all of the buttons to come back to life without having to return to a save point.
Enoch attacks his foes with the Gale.
Each boss battle is a refreshing, dynamic experience. Every boss has a specific way to be defeated while only using the game's three weapons. These moments are fast-paced and require a combination of swift attacks and well-timed dodges or blocks. The bosses range from a gigantic Fire Nephilim, during which you must dodge many of his attacks until you have an opportunity to attack, to the fallen angel, Amaros, during which you must fight his minions as he dances strangely across the screen, blocking your view until you can finally fight him. After this fight, you get to play for a chapter as a different character with a new variety of attacks, but after that you resume as Enoch.
Would you believe this is one of the side-scrolling parts?
The game has fantastic visuals, combining many different art styles. Every chapter is an entirely new visual experience. The music ranges from wonderfully peaceful during platforming parts to intense frenzy during a fight. However, because of the strange level appearances, sometimes you will mistake a hole in the ground for land and fall through, or not realize you can walk ahead, when the black void before you is actually land. Also, camera angles can sometimes be frustrating as you try to jump onto a specific, small platform. However, these small blemishes do not distract much from the game's beauty and storytelling.
These waves, which are only background now, become the ground you must walk on only a few steps away.
El Shaddai is truly a unique and fulfilling experience. The story lasts a good 10-15 hours at a normal pace, and speedrun replays are encouraged. The dialogue is fantastic, and the visuals are captivating. And while you may be spending 90% of the game asking "What the heck is going on?" it all starts to make sense towards the end, leaving you hungry for more and quickly nostalgic. El Shaddai is a terrific single player action game that beautifully twists together the past, present, and future.
My Grade: A
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