Honestly, if you saw a screenshot of El Shaddai: Ascension of the Metatron without any context, you’d probably think it was a high-end French animation or a living watercolor painting rather than a PlayStation 3 action game. It doesn't look like Devil May Cry. It doesn't look like God of War. It looks like a fever dream sparked by a Sunday school session gone rogue.
Released in 2011, this game is a massive anomaly. Developed by Ignition Tokyo and directed by Sawaki Takeyasu—the character designer for Okami and Devil May Cry—it sits in this weird space between "arthouse project" and "hardcore character action." It’s based on the Book of Enoch. Yeah, apocryphal Jewish religious texts. Not exactly the standard fodder for a hack-and-slash title, right?
The game follows Enoch, a scribe in heaven who is sent back to Earth to round up seven fallen angels before God decides to just flood the whole planet and start over. It’s heavy stuff, but the game treats it with a mix of transcendental beauty and bizarre, modern flourishes.
The Visual Language of El Shaddai
Most games try to be "immersive" by adding more polygons. El Shaddai went the opposite way. It uses minimalism as a weapon. Some levels are just outlines of neon light against a pitch-black void. Others look like someone dumped a bucket of pastels onto a canvas and told you to run through it.
It's breathtaking.
But it’s also confusing for players used to clear UI. There is no health bar. None. If Enoch’s armor starts breaking off, you’re dying. If the screen loses color, you’re a hit away from a game over. It forces you to actually look at the character instead of a HUD. This design choice was polarizing back in the day, and it remains one of the boldest things about the El Shaddai video game today.
Takeyasu’s background in Okami is obvious here. There’s a specific kind of "wash" to the environments. You aren't just moving through a 3D space; you’re moving through an illustration. This wasn't just an aesthetic choice, though. It was a way to mask the technical limitations of the era while creating something that literally cannot age. If you play the 2021 Steam port or the recent Switch version, it still looks like it could have come out yesterday.
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Lucifel and the Red Umbrella
We have to talk about Lucifel. He’s the game’s version of Lucifer before the fall, acting as your save point and heavenly liaison. He wears a designer black suit. He talks on a cell phone to God. He snaps his fingers to fast-forward time.
It’s hilarious. It’s also deeply cool.
He stands in total contrast to Enoch’s ancient, holy mission. While Enoch is fighting with celestial weapons, Lucifel is leaning against a wall, checking his watch, and asking God for more time. This juxtaposition is exactly why the game developed a cult following. It’s not just "religious game"—it’s a "reimagining" that feels like it belongs in a fashion magazine.
Combat: Simple on the Surface, Brutal Underneath
Don't let the art fool you. This is a technical action game. You only have one attack button. Just one.
But here’s the catch: the timing matters more than the combo string. Delaying your press changes the move. Holding it down changes it again. Then there’s the weapon stealing mechanic. You don't just find items; you beat the "impure" energy out of enemies and take their weapons.
There are three main weapons:
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- The Arch: A curved blade for balanced combat.
- The Gale: Long-range projectiles for keeping distance.
- The Veil: Heavy shields that double as massive fist weapons.
It works like rock-paper-scissors. The Arch beats the Veil. The Veil beats the Gale. The Gale beats the Arch. If you have the wrong tool for the job, you’re going to get absolutely wrecked. And because your weapons get "corrupted" and lose damage as you use them, you’re constantly forced to either "purify" them (which leaves you vulnerable for a second) or steal a fresh one from a stunned enemy. It’s a rhythmic, hypnotic dance.
Why Did It Flop (and Then Become a Legend)?
When it launched, Western critics didn't really know what to do with it. Some called it repetitive. Others found the platforming sections—which shift into 2D—clunky.
They weren't entirely wrong.
The platforming is definitely the weakest link. Depth perception in a game with no shadows and abstract art is a nightmare. You’ll jump for a ledge and realize too late that the ledge was actually five feet behind you. It’s frustrating.
But the "flop" label is misleading. In Japan, the game became a massive meme before it even launched. The "Lucifel and Enoch" trailer, where Lucifel asks, "You sure that's enough armor?" and Enoch replies, "No problem," became a viral sensation. It created a level of hype the game could never quite live up to commercially, but it ensured the El Shaddai video game would never be forgotten.
It’s a game of "vibe." If you need a complex skill tree and 400 side quests, you will hate this. If you want an experience that feels like visiting a museum while someone throws rocks at your head, you’ll love it.
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The Lore is Deeper Than You Think
While the game is abstract, it sticks surprisingly close to the themes of the First Book of Enoch. The fallen angels aren't just "evil." They are beings that fell in love with human culture. One angel, Sariel, is obsessed with human fashion and idol culture. His "circle" in the game looks like a futuristic J-Pop concert.
This isn't just random weirdness. It’s an exploration of how divine beings might be corrupted by the very things we take for granted. It turns the "fallen angel" trope into something much more human and, weirdly, more relatable.
The 2026 Perspective: Why Play It Now?
We are currently in an era of "safe" AAA games. Everything is an open world with a thousand icons on the map. El Shaddai is the antithesis of that. It is linear, focused, and unashamedly bizarre.
Playing it in 2026 feels like a breath of fresh air.
The HD remaster on Steam and consoles fixed many of the performance issues the original PS3/Xbox 360 versions had. The load times are gone. The frame rate is locked. You can finally see the brushstrokes in the background without the blur of 720p resolution.
Actionable Steps for New Players
If you're going to dive into this, don't go in blind. You'll bounce off it within an hour.
- Learn the "Purify" Rhythm. Don't just mash the attack button. Watch your weapon's color. If it turns red or dull, your damage drops by nearly 50%. Get into the habit of purifying after every kill.
- Listen to the Sound. The audio cues in this game are more important than the visuals for combat. There’s a specific "shimmer" sound when an enemy is ready to have their weapon stolen.
- Don't Fear the "Easy" Resurrection. The game has a unique mechanic where if you die, you can mash buttons to wake Enoch back up. It gets harder each time you do it in a single fight. Use it. Don't feel like you failed; it’s part of the game’s "divine intervention" theme.
- Play with Headphones. The soundtrack, composed by Masafumi Takada (Danganronpa, No More Heroes), is a mix of Gregorian chants and orchestral swells. It’s half the experience.
El Shaddai: Ascension of the Metatron isn't a perfect game. It's flawed, sometimes annoying, and occasionally incomprehensible. But it is one of the few games that feels like a genuine piece of art. It doesn't care about market trends. It doesn't care about your expectations. It just wants to show you something beautiful and a little bit frightening.
Grab the HD Remaster on Steam or the Nintendo Switch. Turn off the lights. Forget everything you know about "standard" game design. Let the watercolors wash over you and remember that sometimes, the most interesting games are the ones that don't try to fit in.