El Shaddai: Ascension of the Metatron
| El Shaddai: Ascension of the Metatron | |
|---|---|
 North American cover art | |
| Developer(s) | Ignition Tokyo |
| Publisher(s) | UTV Ignition Entertainment |
| Distributor(s) | |
| Designer(s) | Takeyasu Sawaki |
| Composer(s) | Masato Kouda Kento Hasegawa |
| Engine | Gamebryo |
| Platform(s) | PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 |
| Release date(s) | |
| Genre(s) | Action |
| Mode(s) | Single-player |
| 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 was led by Takeyasu Sawaki, who was design lead on Devil May Cry and Ōkami.[1] El Shaddai became a surprise social media phenomenon in Japan with fan cosplaying and creating trailer remix videos on video streaming website NicoNico that broke several records in the service. The game was released on April 28, 2011 in Japan, on August 16, 2011 in North America, and on September 9, 2011 in Europe.
Gameplay
El Shaddai is a third-person action game featuring platform game elements, in which players control Enoch. Enoch wears holy armor that loses its pieces as the player takes damage, although it can be restored using hearts found by breaking objects. If the player is damaged when Enoch has no armor left, they are given a small amount of time to repeatedly push buttons to repair the armor before they have to restart at the last checkpoint. Throughout the game, Enoch and the majority of his enemies utilise three weapon types, Arch, Gale and Veil, each with their own strengths and weaknesses in and outside of combat. The Arch is a swift close range weapon which can perform quick combos and allows Enoch to descend slowly whilst jumping. The Gale is a long-range weapon that fires projectiles at enemies and allows Enoch to perform dashes over large gaps. Finally, the Veil is a slow but powerful weapon that can easily damage enemies and break certain objects that the other weapons can't. Enoch can retrieve these weapons by stealing them from enemies after they have taken enough damage or by taking them from icons found during platforming sections and boss battles. These weapons dull over time, requiring Enoch to purify them to restore their power, or steal a new weapon from an enemy. After a certain point in the game, Enoch will gain the assistance of the archangel Uriel and can activate 'Overburst' mode, increasing the power of Enoch's attacks and allowing him to perform a special attack combo.
Plot and setting
The story is inspired by the apocryphal Book of Enoch, and follows Enoch, a scribe seeking seven fallen angels to prevent a great flood from destroying mankind.[2] He is helped in his quest by Lucifel, a guardian angel in charge of the protection of the world who exists outside of the flow of time, and four Archangels.[2]
Development
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.[3]
The game's aesthetic is anime-styled, loosely drawing on sources such as Studio Ghibli.[4]
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.[5] Other than the game's promotional movies, pre-release merchandise such as Edwin jeans and action figures were available for sale.[6] 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
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The game's reception was generally positive. Reviewers praised the sophisticated and visually arresting aesthetics and remarkably deep and nuanced, yet easy to grasp, combat system.
Actor and voice over artist Peter Serafinowicz called the voice acting "excellent", and admired the inclusion of Jason Isaacs.[12]
References
- ↑ Andrew Park (2010-06-17). "El Shaddai: Ascension of the Metatron Impressions - First Look". Gamespot. Retrieved 2010-06-20.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Mike Fahey (June 18, 2010). "El Shaddai Has God On Speed Dial". Kotaku. Retrieved June 20, 2010.
- ↑ "El Shaddai: The Prototype". Andriasang.com. Retrieved 2011-06-14.
- ↑ "News - Interview: Beautiful, Creative El Shaddai Is Daring To Be Weird". Gamasutra. Retrieved 2011-06-14.
- ↑ "Net Buzzword Awards 2010 Grand Prix decided, the first place is "You sure that enough armour?"". Sankei Shimbun Co., Ltd. June 18, 2010. Retrieved February 15, 2011.
- ↑ "El Shaddai - エルシャダイ - OFFICIAL WEBSITE". Retrieved 2010-11-16.
- ↑ "大天使ルシフェル様 浅草でPV収録｜バンダイコレクターズ事業部×エルシャダイ まさかのコラボ実現！？". Retrieved March 25, 2011.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 8.4 8.5 "El Shaddai: Ascension of the Metatron (PS3) at Game Rankings". Game Rankings. Retrieved 2011-12-30.
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 "El Shaddai: Ascension of the Metatron (Xbox 360) at Game Rankings". Game Rankings. Retrieved 2011-12-30.
- ↑ Splechta, Mike (December 28, 2011). "GameZone's Game of the Year Awards Day 2: Technical Awards". GameZone. Retrieved 30 December 2011.
- ↑ "1UP's Best of 2011 Awards: Editors' Picks". 1UP.com. December 22, 2011. Retrieved 31 December 2011.
- ↑ October 26, 2011 at 12.33pm (2011-10-26). "Peter Serafinowicz: My Favourite Game - Edge Magazine". Next-gen.biz. Retrieved 2012-05-22.