I don't think I have ever been at a loss for words when it comes to a game, but El Shaddai: Ascension of the Metatron is simply beyond description. It is the latest game to come out of the creative teams that made Devil May Cry & Okami, and boy does its pedigree show.
The game is a 3D/2D hack-n-slash platformer with visuals that make Okami look like a kindergartner finger-painted it. This game's visuals, backgrounds, level design, and art style are the most beautiful I have ever seen. Just a few examples of the overwhelmingly impressive environments available: a stained glass platforming section with depictions of the archangels for the background; a world where the sun and moon are constantly battling for control, which in turn effects the weather, and as a result your platforming ability; an “underworld” level that looks as beautiful as it does strange. The game's main title/opening credit sequence is incredible, and really sets the visual tone for the game early on. This is the most amazing, visually stunning, absolutely mind-blowingingly beautiful game I have EVER seen!
The premise of the game is loosely based on the Book of Enoch (look it up on Wikipedia if you like). In the game, five angels have fallen from grace and have stolen the wisdom of God. They have established their own kingdom on Earth and now humans are worshiping them instead of God, as they are speeding human evolution along thanks to the “technology” of heaven. In addition, the fallen angels are now interbreeding with humans, creating a new race of beings. God is naturally displeased with the whole thing, and decides to send a flood to Earth to destroy all mankind as punishment. The archangel Lucifel (Lucifer, before his fall from grace) is able to convince God to send Enoch, a human scribe that lives in heaven, to try and kill the angels and save mankind from destruction.
To help in this task Enoch is granted access to three heavenly weapons: The Arch is your “sword” style weapon, The Gale is your long range “shooting” weapon, and The Veil is your “gauntlet” style heavy weapon. During the course of combat your heavenly weapons will become tainted by the enemies they have defeated and will need to be purified, or else their combat effectiveness will go down. You can always tell when your weapon is tainted, as it will change from its “pure” blue glow to a “tainted” red glow. Unlike Devil May Cry & Okami, you don't just press a button and change to whatever weapon you want on the fly. In El Shaddai, you actually take the weapons from the enemies you are fighting. Once you have sufficiently pummeled an enemy they will fall to one knee and glow blue for a short while, which is your signal to run up to them and steal their weapon, with much show and panache. Personally, I found the other two weapons fairly useless and always stuck to The Arch, unless prompted by the game to switch to another weapon due to enemy specific weaknesses.
Now that all these completely inadequate words are out of the way, I present to you a video of this amazing game. Stunning doesn't even begin to describe it. When this comes out in the US (look for a release date to be announced at this year's E3) you NEED to buy it.
Submitted By: Aaron McKeever (Employee)
Great Review
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