El Shaddai: Ascension of the Metatron
Encyclopedia
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
. 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.
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 corrupt as they are used and routinely they have to be purified. A corrupt weapon is weaker than a purified weapon. The player performs combos with the rhythmic use of one button.
Book of Enoch
, and follows (voiced by Blake Ritson
), a priest seeking seven fallen angel
s to prevent a great flood from destroying mankind. He is helped in his quest by (voiced by Jason Isaacs
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 Archangel
s: , , , and .
The game's aesthetic is anime
-styled, loosely drawing on sources such as Studio Ghibli
.
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. Other than the game's promotional movies, pre-release merchandise such as Edwin jeans and action figures were available for sale. Bandai
also produced several figures of the game's protagonist, which were featured in a Tamashii Features event in Akihabara
, Osaka
and Taipei
.
PlayStation 3
The is the third home video game console produced by Sony Computer Entertainment and the successor to the PlayStation 2 as part of the PlayStation series. The PlayStation 3 competes with Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation of video game consoles...
and Xbox 360
Xbox 360
The Xbox 360 is the second video game console produced by Microsoft and the successor to the Xbox. The Xbox 360 competes with Sony's PlayStation 3 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation of video game consoles...
video game consoles. It is developed and published by Ignition Entertainment
Ignition Entertainment
Ignition Entertainment Ltd. is a British video game publisher formed in April 2002. It was created from a selection of smaller developers and publishers, such as Archer MacLean's Awesome Studios.-History:...
. The development is led by Takeyasu Sawaki, who was a character designer in Devil May Cry
Devil May Cry
is an action game developed and published by Capcom, released in 2001 for the PlayStation 2. Although it is the first game in the series of the same name, the events in Devil May Cry are second in the series storyline's chronological order, taking place after Devil May Cry 3: Dante's Awakening and...
and Ōkami
Okami
is an action-adventure video game developed by Clover Studio and published by Capcom. It was released for Sony's PlayStation 2 video game console in 2006 in Japan and North America, and 2007 in Europe and Australia...
. 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.
Gameplay
El Shaddai is a third-person action game featuring platform gamePlatform game
A platform game is a video game characterized by requiring the player to jump to and from suspended platforms or over obstacles . It must be possible to control these jumps and to fall from platforms or miss jumps...
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 corrupt as they are used and routinely they have to be purified. A corrupt weapon is weaker than a purified weapon. The player performs combos with the rhythmic use of one button.
Plot
The story is inspired by the apocryphicBiblical apocrypha
The word "apocrypha" is today often used to refer to the collection of ancient books printed in some editions of the Bible in a separate section between the Old and New Testaments...
Book of Enoch
Book of Enoch
The Book of Enoch is an ancient Jewish religious work, traditionally ascribed to Enoch, the great-grandfather of Noah. It is not part of the biblical canon as used by Jews, apart from Beta Israel...
, and follows (voiced by Blake Ritson
Blake Ritson
-Early life:Blake attended the Dolphin School in Reading, Berkshire until 1993, before going to St Paul's School, an independent school for boys in Barnes in West London on an academic scholarship. He then attended the University of Cambridge, where he studied English and Medieval Italian, Dante...
), a priest seeking seven fallen angel
Fallen angel
Fallen angel is a concept developed in Jewish mythology from interpretation of the Book of Enoch. The actual term fallen angel is not found in either the Hebrew Bible or the New Testament. Christians adopted the concept of fallen angels mainly based on their interpretations of the Book of...
s to prevent a great flood from destroying mankind. He is helped in his quest by (voiced by Jason Isaacs
Jason Isaacs
Jason Isaacs is an English actor born in Liverpool, who is best known for his performance as the villain Lucius Malfoy in the Harry Potter films, the brutal Colonel William Tavington in The Patriot and as lifelong criminal Michael Caffee in the internationally broadcast American television series...
in English; Takeuchi Ryota in Japanese), a guardian angel
Guardian angel
A guardian angel is an angel assigned to protect and guide a particular person or group. Belief in guardian angels can be traced throughout all antiquity...
in charge of the protection of the world who exists outside of the flow of time, and by four Archangel
Archangel
An archangel is an angel of high rank. Archangels are found in a number of religious traditions, including Judaism, Christianity and Islam. Michael and Gabriel are recognized as archangels in Judaism and by most Christians. Michael is the only archangel specifically named in the Protestant Bible...
s: , , , and .
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.The game's aesthetic is anime
Anime
is the Japanese abbreviated pronunciation of "animation". The definition sometimes changes depending on the context. In English-speaking countries, the term most commonly refers to Japanese animated cartoons....
-styled, loosely drawing on sources such as Studio Ghibli
Studio Ghibli
is a Japanese animation and film studio founded in June 1985. The company's logo features the character Totoro from Hayao Miyazaki's film My Neighbor Totoro...
.
El Shaddai was promoted with a trailer shown at the 2010 E3
E3
The Electronic Entertainment Expo, commonly known as E3, is an annual trade fair for the computer and video games industry presented by the Entertainment Software Association...
press conference, as well as the Tokyo Game Show
Tokyo Game Show
The , commonly known as TGS, is a video game expo / convention held annually in the Makuhari Messe, in Chiba, Japan. It is presented by the Computer Entertainment Supplier's Association and the Nikkei Business Publications, Inc...
. 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. Other than the game's promotional movies, pre-release merchandise such as Edwin jeans and action figures were available for sale. Bandai
Bandai
is a Japanese toy making and video game company, as well as the producer of a large number of plastic model kits. It is the world's third-largest producer of toys . Some ex-Bandai group companies produce anime and tokusatsu programs...
also produced several figures of the game's protagonist, which were featured in a Tamashii Features event in Akihabara
Akihabara
, also known as , is an area of Tokyo, Japan. It is located less than five minutes by rail from Tokyo Station. Its name is frequently shortened to in Japan...
, Osaka
Osaka
is a city in the Kansai region of Japan's main island of Honshu, a designated city under the Local Autonomy Law, the capital city of Osaka Prefecture and also the biggest part of Keihanshin area, which is represented by three major cities of Japan, Kyoto, Osaka and Kobe...
and Taipei
Taipei
Taipei City is the capital of the Republic of China and the central city of the largest metropolitan area of Taiwan. Situated at the northern tip of the island, Taipei is located on the Tamsui River, and is about 25 km southwest of Keelung, its port on the Pacific Ocean...
.