El Shaddai: Ascension of the Metatron

By Reardon Jones

With technology at the point it is, gamers expect more out of the title produced than ever before. If you’re looking for a visually stunning experience, then El Shaddai is for you.

Gamers take on the role of Enoch, an Earthly Priest who is chosen to be a warrior charged with the task of returning seven Fallen Angels to the Higher Power. 

Basically, Enoch must prevent the next great flood, by returning The Fallen. However, the narrative becomes choppy at stages and is sometimes hard to follow.

The narrative is followed through Lucifel, who acts as your conduit between the Higher Power. Four Arch Angels also assist Enoch on his journey, showing him the way forward.

Along the way Enoch must fight his way past shadow creatures and other assorted bad guys to reach the Fallen Angels.

The combat system is easy. There are about four different moves that are optimised by  pressing them at strategic intervals. Most of the time the battles are pretty easy and you can afford to take a few hits.

Lucifel provides Enoch with some impressive armour that chips away if hit enough over time. The armour can be repaired by picking up blue hearts that fall out of enemies and breakable objects.

The weapons are limited to three:

The Arch: Close combat, low impact weapon. Looking like a Bow it is agile but weak. The Long Range Gale: A ring that allows you to dash quickly as well as fire off triangle  darts in rapid succession. Delivers medium damage.

The final weapon provided is the heaviest and most powerful, The Veil. The Veil is the slowest in movement but ultimately quickest to dispatch all the enemies.

The Boss fights seemed random throughout the game. It was annoying having to fight a boss for half a minute and then have him disappear. Having said that, the combat was pretty good with a variation in attacks.

The aspect I really enjoyed with El Shaddai was that it is the most visually stunning game I have ever played. The levels and art are masterfully combined with a music score that carries the story.

It was simply incredible to experience a game where all I have wanted to do is see what the next stage looks like.

While the stages look amazing they can be pretty linear, even with the addition of 3D and 2D levels. With the path taken along the way really only being able to accommodate Enoch, you can't deviate from the path. Whether this is a deliberate attempt to assist with the religious tone of the game, I’m not sure.

All in all, what the game lacks in action it makes up for it in the visual. It’s an experience just playing through and appreciating the beautifully desinged levels.

If you have a decent eye and would like to experience something that is art through gaming then El Shaddai: Ascension of the Metatron is for you.

Game: El Shaddai: Ascension of the Metatron
System: PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360
Developer/Co-Developer: Ignition Entertainment
Publisher: Ignition Tokyo

Rating: 70%

(Ratings Key/Explanation)