| El Shaddai: Ascension of the Metatron | |
|---|---|
North American cover art |
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| Developer(s) | Ignition Tokyo |
| Publisher(s) | UTV Ignition Entertainment |
| Distributor(s) | |
| Designer(s) | Takeyasu Sawaki |
| Composer(s) | Masato Koda Kento Hasegawa |
| Platform(s) | PlayStation 3 Xbox 360 |
| Release date(s) | |
| Genre(s) | Action |
| Mode(s) | Single-player |
| Rating(s) |
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| Media/distribution | Optical disc |
El Shaddai: Ascension of the Metatron (エルシャダイ アセンション オブ ザ メタトロン Erushadai Asenshon obu za Metatoron) is an action video game for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 video game consoles. It is developed and published by Ignition Entertainment. The development is led by Takeyasu Sawaki, who was a character designer in Devil May Cry and Ōkami.[1] The game was released on April 28, 2011 in Japan, on August 16, 2011 in North America, and on September 9, 2011 in Europe. Ignition has stated that a version for Nintendo Wii U and PlayStation Vita may be developed.
Contents |
El Shaddai is a third-person action game featuring platform game elements. The player's character, Enoch, starts the game unarmed and is able to steal weapons from his enemies. The game has three primary weapons. The first is the Arch, a curved blade which also allows the user to float for short periods. The second weapon is the Gale, a ring like weapon that provides a quick dash ability, and the power to fire small darts in rapid succession. The third weapon is the Veil, a shield that also acts as a pair of gauntlets, providing the strongest defense and a strong punch. The Gale is the fastest weapon of the three, the Veil being the slowest. All of the holy weapons become weaker and corrupt as they are used, and routinely they have to be purified. The player performs combos with the rhythmic use of one button.[2]
The story is inspired by the apocryphal Book of Enoch, and follows Enoch (イーノック Īnokku) (voiced by Blake Ritson[2]), a priest seeking seven fallen angels to prevent a great flood from destroying mankind.[3] He is helped in his quest by Lucifel (ルシフェル Rushiferu) (voiced by Jason Isaacs[2] in English; Takeuchi Ryota in Japanese), a guardian angel in charge of the protection of the world who exists outside of the flow of time, and by four Archangels: Raphael (ラファエル Rafaeru), Uriel (ウリエル Urieru), Gabriel (ガブリエル Gaburieru), and Michael (ミカエル Mikaeru).[3]
El Shaddai began development in 2007 and was formerly known as Angelic: Ascension of the Metatron. A work in progress trailer featured different designs of the characters.[4]
The game's aesthetic is anime-styled, loosely drawing on sources such as Studio Ghibli.[5]
El Shaddai was promoted with a trailer shown at the 2010 E3 press conference, as well as the Tokyo Game Show. It was met with strong feedback, which has been attributed to a line of dialogue spoken by Lucifel to Enoch: "You sure that's enough armor?". This quote earned first place of the Net Buzzword Awards 2010 Grand Prix in Japan. Despite the trend being the creator's intention, it exceeded their expectations.[6] Other than the game's promotional movies, pre-release merchandise such as Edwin jeans and action figures were available for sale.[2] Bandai also produced several figures of the game's protagonist, which were featured in a Tamashii Features event in Akihabara, Osaka and Taipei.[7]
| Reception | |
|---|---|
| Aggregate scores | |
| Aggregator | Score |
| GameRankings | 79% (PS3)[8] 77% (X360)[9] |
| GameStats | 8.0 / 10[10] |
| Review scores | |
| Publication | Score |
| 1UP.com | B[10] |
| Edge | 8/10[9] |
| Eurogamer | 9/10[10] |
| Game Informer | 9/10[10] |
| GamePro | |
| GameSpot | 8/10[10] |
| GamesRadar | 8/10[10] |
| GameTrailers | 8.6/10[10] |
| GameZone | 8.5/10[10] |
| IGN | 5/10 |
| Official PlayStation Magazine (US) | 9/10[8] |
| Official PlayStation Magazine (UK) | 8/10[8] |
| Official PlayStation Magazine (Australia) | 8/10[8] |
| Official Xbox Magazine | 7.5/10 |
| X-Play | 3/5 |
| Joystiq | [8] |
| Destructoid | 8/10[8] |
| Planet Xbox 360 | 8.8/10 |
| Sci Fi Magazine | A+ |
The game was met with positive reviews and critical reception. Reviewers praised the sophisticated and visually arresting aesthetics and remarkably deep and nuanced, yet easy to grasp, combat system.
Voice over artist Peter Serafinowicz called the voice acting "excellent", and admired the inclusion of Jason Isaacs.[13]