In the flurry of announcements, in and surrounding the annual E3 show, there were a few titles announced that stood out because they were so visually strong: Kirby's Epic Yarn, and ThatGameCompany's Journey were a couple of the more high profile ones, but El Shaddai: Ascension of the Metatron was a game I had heard nothing about, and simply didn't expect.
El Shaddai's story, based on a non-canon old testament book, revolves around treacherous angels that have become fascinated with man, abandoned their station in Heaven for Earth, and begun the corruption of humanity. The Heavenly Council resolves to flood the Earth to destroy them, but a human scribe, Enoch, appeals on behalf of man. The Council concedes that if Enoch is able to recapture the fallen angels, they will relent.
Ignition Entertainment, a publisher and developer better known for its handheld titles and importing of Japanese games (and now, infamous for bringing Deadly Premonition to the West), has created a lot of buzz for the game based purely on the cel-shaded, vibrant art style on show. I can only describe it as a blend of 2008's Prince of Perisa and No More Heroes, but numerous comparisons to defunct french developer Delphine's classics Out of this World and Flashback have also been made by many who have seen the trailers--which can never be a bad thing in my opinion.
Gameplay-wise, El Shaddai appears to be a platformer that delves into 2D and 3D, with combo-heavy combat elements, but the ambiguous Info page on the official site simply states that the game's genre is "Single-Player Fantasy Action". I'd hazard a guess and say that if you're a fan of Japanese-style action, this is going to appeal to your sensibilities: in fact, I would not be surprised if the game shows a rank at the end of a stage and grades your combos, a la Devil May Cry or Bayonetta.
The website hints that there will be a selection of weapons, all formed from the stolen crystalline manifestation of God's wisdom that Enoch must reclaim and purify to be able to use. There also appears to be some puzzle elements: for example, the trailer shows Enoch jumping from platform to platform and at one point freezing the clouds in place and using them to progress.
As excited as I am for the game, you can imagine how sad I was to hear El Shaddai Director Takeyasu Sawaki reveal in a brief interview with G4TV that El Shaddai is not slated for release in the US until Winter 2011. But here's hoping more details will emerge at the Tokyo Game Show this September.
El Shaddai: Ascension of the Metatron's official US website >>
