Take on the fallen angels as Enoch while fighting your way through a series of surreal, beautiful environments in an often-forgotten action game that now has a second chance at life.
El Shaddai: Ascension of the Metatron
Developer: crim Co., Ltd.
Price: $40
Platforms: PC
MonsterVine was provided with a PC code for review.
I missed out on the original El Shaddai: Ascension of the Metatron, but it always intrigued me, so I was delighted to learn that it was finally getting a PC port. Loosely inspired by the apocryphal Book of Enoch, it follows a scribe named Enoch on a journey to stop the fallen angels in order to avert the Great Flood.
It is an action-adventure game that largely consists of 3D platforming sections, occasional shifts to 2D platforming, and combat. The platforming is simple enough, with a few areas that add moving platforms and other obstacles to make your journey more difficult. And while you might find an optional path or secret level to get some additional lore, the progression is pretty linear. Combat makes up a majority of the gameplay, although there isn’t much enemy variety outside of the bosses. You only have a single attack button, but timing lets you pull off a couple of different moves, most notably delaying your strike for a second in order to use a guard-breaking attack instead. There are three different weapons you can wield, each with different attacks and uses. For example, the Gale is a ranged projectile weapon that also lets you perform a quick dash, while the Arch is essentially a sword but also adds a slight glide effect to your jump.
However, you can’t carry more than one weapon at a time. To switch weapons, you’ll need to either pick one up from the weapons that appear in key battles or at specific points in the world or steal one from an enemy after dealing enough damage to stun them. Stealing enemy weapons has the added bonus of disarming them, but since different weapons work better against different enemies, you’ll want to think carefully about which one you take. As you fight, your weapon will take damage and eventually change colors. It will break and force you to rely on your fists if you continue to fight with it in that state, but you can purify it before it breaks to restore it and keep going.
Weapons aren’t the only things that break. Health is represented through armor damage for both you and your opponents. The more damage you take, the more Enoch’s armor shatters. Once you’re down to only jeans, another few hits will kill you–or try to. When you reach the point of death, you get a chance at revival by mashing the buttons as fast as you can. I’m not sure if this is actually limited at all, but each subsequent death on a given life makes it harder to mash the buttons in time. On one hand, this revival system feels strange. On the other hand, that’s right in line with everything else about it.
El Shaddai feels like a Biblical fever dream. You’re on a mission from God, and the archangels watch over you along your journey (although for some reason, Gabriel is female). One angel is your constant companion throughout this journey: Lucifel, who appears to be a pre-fallen interpretation of Lucifer. He can stop time whenever he wants just by snapping his fingers, even pulling you to another space mid-battle at one point to tell you about a new combat mechanic before sending you back, and he acts as your save point by calling God on his cell phone to report your progress. Half of these phone calls are mildly concerning, as you overhear Lucifel’s repeated assurances that Enoch probably knows what he’s doing.
Meanwhile, the levels are beautiful, surreal, and even psychedelic at times. Sometimes they’re so stylized that it hinders the platforming by making it difficult to tell what you’re doing, but for most of the game, it was a treat to see each new area. The music is also gorgeous, with incredible orchestral pieces. The presentation of El Shaddai is top notch even a decade later, and it’s a definite high point of the game. As for the story itself, it’s nearly as strange and surreal as the world. Don’t get me wrong, you can usually follow what’s happening–and Lucifel gives a post-chapter summary every time–but everything is so bizarre that I was never quite sure what might happen next.
The PC version has no mouse and keyboard support, which might turn some players away, but otherwise it seems like a fine port. It also comes with a PDF copy of Lucifer’s Fall: Chronicles of Ceta, accessible from the launch menu as a clear bonus. This is a collection of three short stories that, according to the foreword, didn’t make the final cut of El Shaddai. It’s a nice way to further expand the story and lore of a very unique game.
The Final Word
El Shaddai: Ascension of the Metatron is a strange experience. The platforming is basic and the combat gets tedious after a while, but the surreal presentation of its loose interpretation of the Book of Enoch makes it an intriguing journey from start to finish, with beautiful art and music that help it stand out. If repetitive combat doesn’t bother you, it’s well worth a look for the spectacle alone.
-MonsterVine Rating: 3.5 out of 5 – Fair
