El Shaddai: Ascension of the Metatron HD Remaster – Review

Originally published in 2011 on PlayStation 3 And Xbox 360, El Shaddai: Ascension of the Metatron it stood out at the time in particular for its artistic design and musical tracks, as well as the presence of a “clean” HUD and a cryptic yet profound plot. Despite this, the work never experienced a true golden age, even recording low sales numbers.

The title returns to be talked about only ten years later, in September 2021, through a first remaster version for PC, which allowed the title to live a second life, also thanks to the publication of a sequel, The Lost Child, a few years earlier. The game is now ready to be talked about again, through a new remaster version on Nintendo Switch released on April 28th. Will the title finally be able to reach a wider audience? Or will it end up remaining a small pearl dedicated solely to a niche audience today? Find out in our latest review.

Semyazaa former member of the Council of Heaven, steals fragments belonging to God’s wisdom, descending to Earth to fully experience his love for human beings. Together with Azazel, Ezekiel, Armaros, Sariel, Arakiel, and Barakelsayings Grigoriaccelerate human evolution and produce new hybrid creatures, called Nephilimwhich now threaten to destroy the world. Enochoriginally brought in Sky as a scribe, he is sent to Earth by God to capture the Grigori before the Heavenly Council unleash a great flood to sweep away all life. After three centuries of research, accompanied by the guardian angel Lucifel and by four Archangels, Enoch he finally finds out where he is Grigori Towerready to face a reality darker than he could ever imagine…

Between hack and slash and apocryphal books

Although the title is characterized by a plot that is not always easy to follow and by small playful tricks (such as taking the player back to the initial menu after the first apparent death) which aim to differentiate it from similar and more famous decimating titles, the same cannot be say about its gameplay. El Shaddai: Ascension of the Metatron aims to make the player experience asimple experience, mainly focused on the complete enjoyment of the plot and the beauty of the game environments. What captures attention, among the many uniquenesses of the title, is first of all theabsence of a real HUD, with the damage inflicted and received clearly visible, respectively, only on the armor of the enemies and the protagonist himself. Commands also carry one forward gameplay style focused on “simplicity”presenting a button to jump, one to attack, one to parry (or in combination with the action buttons to perform special moves) and finally one to purify weapons, a function also at the basis of the entire gameplay.

The game will present only three different weapons: a bow for close and fast combat, a series of projectiles from the distance that will push away Enoch from danger, but being weaker, and finally a shield for close combat which will help to inflict more damage albeit slowly. By attacking enemies, our weapon will progressively lose its effectiveness, until it becomes completely corrupted, thus inflicting less damage. We will thus be called to purify our weapons, an action which, however immediate, will lead us to sacrifice our defense for a short time. Weapons can be recovered in the various game areas, but they can even be stolen from our enemies after dealing enough damage to stun them. In this case, after a short animation, our protagonist will steal the enemy’s weapon, leaving him without offensive power and easily defeated. Enoch however, he will be able to rely on only one weapon at a time, forcing the player to carefully choose which weapon to use for the best strategy. By progressing through the plot we will also be able to activate the overboostwhich increases attack power and unlocks unique abilities.

The levels host secret areas and collectibles along with items that help the player. These objects are the Lights of Blessingwhich restore the armor of Enochthe Flames of Powerwhich can be used to increase the level of overboost hey Fruits of Wisdom, which provide access to one of three weapon topologies. In most scenarios where Enoch will be knocked out, the player will be able to revive him by quickly pressing the front buttons, with the recovery window decreasing as the game progresses. Completing the title, however, will not be a feat, given the easily accessible difficulty and one longevity which stands at 7-8 hours.

Designs that age like wine

El Shaddai: Ascension of the Metatron conquers once again however with its high artistic design, which often also translates into a change of perspective and style of play. In fact, the title will often lead the player to face different situations, whether characterized by the classic third-person view, or by a more lively 2D platform guise, which, thanks to the high fluidity of the title, bring guaranteed fun and satisfaction. On Nintendo Switch the title performs very wellalbeit not always keeping its 6th FPS stable. The settings are beautiful to look at and it will not be rare to stop to admire them or take some snapshots. The title allows you to live a unique experience, comparable at times to a journey inside an art exhibition, accompanied by some of the most beautiful and evocative tracks of the old days.

Some flaws can be found inside the repetitiveness of situations or enemiesas well as in the Italian localization of the texts which presents some slight error, without however affecting the overall experience. Also noteworthy is the presence of a QR Code in the game pause menu, designed to bring you back to original manual of the title which, at the time of writing this review, can only be consulted in English.

Who do we recommend El Shaddai: Ascension of the Metatron HD Remaster to?

El Shaddai: Ascension of the Metatron HD Remaster it is recommended to all those who loved it in its original version about thirteen years ago, as well as to all those players who were intrigued even just by its refined design, capable of arousing inspiration as well as nostalgia. A recommended title also for the price at which the experience is provided, which will certainly take you on an adventure that is decidedly from another era, but this time in a positive sense.