[HO] El Shaddai Ascension of the Metatron

Ignition Entertainment will be showing product at the Tokyo Game Show later this month, and there's a big reason to go to the publisher's booth. How does a world premier playable build of El Shaddai sound?

The multiplatform action title will see its playable debut at the event, Ignition announced today. Just what attendees will be able to sample was not announced, but it looks like Ignition will be making a big event out of it, even showing off the past works of director and character designer Sawaki Takeyasu.

El Shaddai will be joined by other games, Ignition also said today. This will be the publisher's first Tokyo Game Show exhibit.

Ignition Entertainment's original PS3 and Xbox 360 action title El Shaddai is scheduled to make its playable debut at the Tokyo Game Show later this week. Famitsu.com used its connections for an early sampling.

The version of the game the site demoed is the exact same demo that TGS players will be able to sample. It runs about 10 to 15 minutes.

You start the game down on earth atop a giant seven fingered hand. Enemies appear, and Enoch quickly jumps into battle.

This has been reported in past previews, but the game's control system is meant to be simple. Outside of movement with the analogue stick, you have three buttons: attack, jump and guard. Famitsu reports that despite the simplicity, you can still do quite a bit in terms of timing-based combos. The game also has charge-based attacks where you have to hold down on the attack button.

Enoch has access to three attack methods in the demo: his bare hands, a shield-like weapon (I'm not sure of the English name) and his "arch" sword. The shield weapon is an item that was left on the earth by fallen angels. It's equipped on both hands and can serve as both an attack method and as a shield capable of deflecting enemy bullets.

There's more to the demo than just combat. The demo offers players a chance to try out a number of small sequences from different stages. Some passages make use of the platforming elements as you move Enoch around and jump between platforms.

Famitsu's writer seemed impressed with the game, saying that players will be surprised with the amount of variation offered by the three button setup. The aesthetics are also a big attraction, both for the backgrounds and the character visuals.

Ignition's Tokyo Game Show booth is, according to Famitsu, being designed in the image of El Shaddai, so those lucky enough to attend the event later this week should stop on by and give the game a try.

Famitsu.com reports a Spring 2011 time frame for the game.

In a recent interview with Inside Games, El Shaddai: Ascension of the Metatron producer Masato Kimura offered some background information on the mysterious forthcoming action game for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. A few remarkable quotes:

"Right now there are 120 people developing this game. We began three years ago, although at the start it was only me, the director [Sawaki Takeyasu] and representatives of the company. Our core members have been involved in games such as Devil May Cry, Resident Evil, and Okami. From there our staff gradually increased until we were able to arrange the structure we have now."

When asked for more details on the game's mechanics: "[El Shaddai] has four pillars. First of all there's the 3D combat, then there's the 2D action. These are the only two components we could show at the Tokyo Game Show, but we're also preparing the 2D combat and the 3D action. Balance is distributed among these four pillars of the game. I believe we can do this due to the varied development experience of the people we've gathered."

On the "mysterious sensation" of the game's music: "That was written for us by composer Masato Koda who has worked on Monster Hunter and Devil May Cry."

Development may have begun three years ago, but we'll have to wait until early 2011 to see how well this high-profile team balanced those gameplay pillars. The organizers of the Tokyo Game Show were certainly impressed by the two pillars on display last week, as they awarded El Shaddai with a "Future Game of Show" Award.

"Calm and soothing" isn't exactly the most common design aesthetic among the creators of game booths at the Tokyo Game Show - which is perhaps why UTV Ignition's booth for El Shaddai: Ascension of the Metatron stands out so prominently.

Shrouded in billowing white drapes and softly lit in soothing, understated pastel colours, it's a curious oasis of calm in the middle of a show floor dominated by the bold, the brash and the exceptionally noisy.

Yet if El Shaddai's booth is strikingly different from those of other games, that's no more than an expression of the game's own artistic feel. Ever since the appearance of the very first screenshots of the game, El Shaddai's visual style has intrigued. On seeing it in motion and being given a chance to actually walk through its world for a while, that sense of intrigue is only heightened.

Where the vast majority of games on the HD consoles are focused on realism, using the power of the systems to deliver ever more complex depictions of reality, El Shaddai repurposes that power to create a visual style that's deceptively simple.

Epic landscapes, rather than being crisp and detailed, are drawn in broad brush strokes, looking like a cross between a watercolour painting and a child's chalk drawing - yet never losing a powerful sense of scale and place.

Through this curious landscape move the game's characters - its hero, Enoch, and his morally ambiguous friend, the pre-fall Lucifel. Set in biblical pre-history (and loosely based on some of the ideas found in the Dead Sea Scrolls, which is rather new territory for videogame narrative), the game sees Enoch tasked with rounding up rogue angels who have descended to Earth and started causing havoc.

Like the landscapes, the heroes and their foes are depicted with deceptive simplicity. The game employs flat-shading, giving an artistic effect which is similar to cel-shading but with its own unique feel, and regularly throws modern items - umbrellas, mobile phones, and even designer jeans (the game has a rather curious sponsorship deal with a Japanese designer denim label) into the mix, creating deliberate contrasts in the art style.

While the game's artistic style is both unusual and exciting, however, its gameplay is innately familiar. It's a third-person action game in the mold of Devil May Cry or Ninja Gaiden, and while the short demo which was playable at TGS obviously can't showcase all of the game's depth, it seems clear that anyone expecting the kind of complex, involved combat seen in games like Ninja Gaiden or Bayonetta should look elsewhere.

Instead, the game and its creators are actively proud of the simplicity of their combat, which is designed to be balletic and graceful without being very difficult to get the hang of.

Only a handful of buttons are used by the game - jump, block and attack, essentially - with your ability to fire off dramatic special attacks being based on timing and rhythm rather than complex combos.

The game's director, Takeyasu Sawaki, makes no bones about the fact that El Shaddai is designed to appeal to more casual players than other games of this ilk - although many hardcore players will probably be attracted by the unique art style and atmosphere. Indeed, when asked to list the game's key features, Sawaki places the art style first on his list without a moment's hesitation.

Yet none of that is to say that El Shaddai's combat is actually bad, or dull. The same simplicity which the developers hope will open the game up to more casual players also provides for a fantastic sense of speed right from the outset of the game, with Enoch kicking, flipping and slashing around his foes at a lightning pace.

The basic beat 'em up style combat is underscored by a weapon system, which allows Enoch to steal demonic weapons from stunned foes and transform them into angelic versions.

During the demo, we got to play with two different varieties - a bow-shaped weapon with blades on either end, and a pair of powerful, heavy gauntlets. Upon equipping either of these, Enoch's entire play-style changed - from fast and nimble to slow and powerful, respectively.

According to Sawaki, the finished game will essentially feature three different classes of weapon, balanced using a classic rock-paper-scissors system. Other systems were only hinted at in the demo - Enoch occasionally starts to glow after a few moments of frantic combat, a charge which can be used to fire off a special ranged attack if you have an appropriate weapon equipped.

The final game will be around 10 hours long, in Sawaki's estimation, and it will be interesting to see how the combat evolves over the course of that time. Given the team's stated intentions, it seems unlikely that it'll ever develop serious complexity, but the quality of the animation and responsiveness of the character suggests that it won't outstay its welcome either.

One aspect which provides a bit of variety is the inclusion of two-dimensional platforming sections. These break up the pace of the game quite nicely and give the team a chance to showcase some of their beautiful 2D artwork in the background.

The platforming section in the demo was entirely filled with exposition, with the still-loyal archangels who will assist in your quest being introduced by means of a gorgeous stained-glass portrait in the background and a voiceover in the foreground. Later stages, I was assured, will feature much more combat and more challenging platforming.

At present, El Shaddai is shaping up to be a solid, competent game wrapped in some of the most glorious packaging we've seen in ages. The bold art style and striking visual touches combine with excellent music and animation to create a truly memorable whole. Right now, the combat doesn't excite quite as much as the presentation does, but nor does it actively disappoint or detract from the experience.

The demo we played was, in Sawaki's rough estimate, about 70 per cent complete. However, it certainly felt polished and accomplished, even at this stage. We're hoping that a longer play session with even more complete code can't be too far off, and will answer some more of our lingering questions about whether El Shaddai is just a pretty face - or an action game of truly biblical proportions.

darzia escribió:Tiene muy buena pinta, al menos en cuanto a estética a ver si la jugabilidad acompaña y sale un buen juego.

REJE escribió:No se si alguien lo ha dicho pero ¿el juego es un descargable? es que segun meristation "Se trata de un ambicioso título descargable de 2011."

Jason Isaacs, conocido actor que interpreta a Lucius Malfoy en las películas de Harry Potter, pondrá la voz a Lucifel en el juego. Se suma así a otras voces conocidas como Blake Ritson (Enoch), Samantha Francis (Nanna), David Rintoul (Azazel) y Nicolette McKenzie (Ezekiel)

El Shaddai: Ascension of the Metatron se lanzará en 2011, y ha llamado la atención desde su anuncio gracias a su particular estilo artístico.

Nanna “You are Enoch, right?
…hey, why are you always so quiet?”

Una chica ciega que conoce a Enoch en “La Torre” y le ayuda guiándole en su camino. Fue criada por el líder de los "hombres libres", el cual se opone a los ideales distorsionados y las artes mágicas de la tierra de los ángeles caídos. Por alguna razón ha perdido sus recuerdos de la infancia, y se desconoce su origen exacto. Conoce la leyenda y la profecía de Enoch gracias a los adultos que hablan de ello a su alrededor, y a ella le merece un gran respeto y admiración.

goldenaxeband escribió:(Creo que) nuevo trailer:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vWgg0ZRklZQ

El Shaddai: Ascension of the Metatron, developed by Ignition’s Tokyo studio, has completed development. The game’s already been dated for April in Japan, and according to a new release from Ignition today, should be dated in North America and Europe “shortly.”

El Shaddai, in development for three years, represents “first of several exciting new blockbuster gaming properties.” The game revolves around an original adventure inspired by an alternate telling of biblical mythology as narrated in the Book of Enoch. Its development team boasts credits from franchises including Devil May Cry, Resident Evil, and Okami.

“The creation of El Shaddai has truly been a long and exciting journey, and yet there is still much to be done to prepare for the game’s launch. So far, the public’s response to the game has been very encouraging, and I hope that the final product will greatly exceed their expectations. I also look forward to having time to consider the future direction of the El Shaddai franchise,” said Game Director Sawaki Takeyasu.

A “monumental international marketing campaign” for El Shaddai should kick off soon. Be on the lookout.