TOKYO – Ignition Entertainment's mysterious action game El Shaddai: Ascension of the Metatron turned some heads when it appeared (in trailer form) at E3 this year. I played the game here on both Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 at the Tokyo Game Show, and I am now more intrigued than before.
It may be trite to drool over graphics in this generation of powerful consoles, but it must be said that El Shaddai is beautiful in motion. The faded colors and sweeping clouds look more like paint than polygons, and the blinding whites are a welcome contrast to the dull browns that dominate most action games on the market.
The demo on the show floor focuses on two completely different game modes: third person brawling and 2-D platforming. Initially your character, Enoch, has to punch and kick the enemies but after a few blows you can disarm downed opponents to claim their weapons as your own. This serves double duty as an upgrade to your attacks while leaving them unarmed.
After a few rounds of combat, I found myself in the prettiest platformer since Braid as I ran back on forth in front of a massive stained-glass window. This was followed by more eye candy as I jumped from rock to rock and rode clouds that washed across the screen like waves.
Amid these gameplay reveals, the story of El Shaddai remains rather mysterious. There weren't many cinematic interruptions during the demo, and when Enoch's assistant Lucifel spoke, he didn't say much.
I can't say I'm excited about another tale of angels going rogue, but Lucifel's voice acting is pretty smooth and the subtitles gave his dialogue a playful feel, moreso than the actual lines he spoke. I'm hopeful that even if the story never elevates beyond typical videogame fare, the performances and localization may hold my interest.
I love what I see in El Shaddai and I enjoyed my brief time with the game, but I remain cautiously optimistic, as there remain many unanswered questions: How will the full game balance the combat and the platforming? Are there other dramatic gameplay changes afoot? We'll have to wait until 2011 to find out.
Images courtesy Ignition Entertainment
