El Shaddai: Ascension of the Metatron DEMO [PS3/ Xbox 360]

[jimtendo]

I've done a few runs with this on both Easy/ Normal difficulties and on the whole a pleasing game, with very little in the way of confusion as to what to do next. Straight up platformer/ combat game.

Whilst the combat isn't as technical as Ninja Gaiden/ Devil May Cry/ Bayonetta, you can't mash-it-til-it-works and get away with it on the Normal difficulty as such.

The controls are:

• Square or Triangle - Attack. You can hold the button for a charged attack
• X or O for jump. You can double jump also.
• R1 - Block, and if timed right just before an attack you can counter?
• L1 - Weapon charge. You can also aquire enemy weapons once they are in a stunned state
• R1 + L1 - not sure what this one is.
• R1 + Square or Triangle - Launcher attack
• R1 + X or O - Dodge

The two weapons available from the demo are a sword and flying daggers. Both these weapons also change your dodge attributes and jumping as well. Say for example you have the sword, initiating dodge will give you a short diagonal upwards jump. When double jumping with the sword you can hold the jump button for a second time to double jump and float down. Yet when you have the daggers, it gives you a ground dash and air dash.

Visually very nice and reminds me of a few games. More recently Malicious due to its vibrant bold colours and when the main protagonist takes damage, shards of armour fall off revealing his torso and jeans.

Initial previews mentioned the somewhat dodgy platforming or cameras associating the jumping sections, in some ways I agree. Think Crash Bandicoot where in instances you have to run forwards and platform that way. It could be hard to judge distances. Then there's the side on platforming which doesn't prove much of a problem.

Anyway, the quasi-Panzer Dragoon art style has piqued my interest a little more to invest in the import version come the 28th April.

[fuse]

Whereabouts is this available? J-PSN, or is it on the 360 marketplace too?

[jimtendo]

I downloaded it from the Japanese PSN, I think the J-360 version is next week.

[Psyduck]

I think you can get it on JP 360 if you're a gold member, otherwise it's the 20th.

[MisterBubbles]

Wow just played through the japanese PS3 version and its absolutely fantastic, but theres some bits that frustrate me, ie the platforming bits , sometimes too easy to fall to your death, but these are small negatives. The positives are greater, first off the art and graphics style is amazing and natural and the hack n slash feels responsive and natural. Im going to pre order it i like it that much.

http://www.play-asia.com/paOScore/19-71-bn-49-en-15-El%20Shaddai:%20Ascension%20of%20the%20Metatron.html

[Sketcz]

The Asian release is entirely in English then? (according to Play-Asia)

If so, I might import it myself. The US release just says Q3 in various other places.

[crocky-chocky]

Seem to remember a Giant Bomb quick look saying it's US bound in June/July.

Had a single blast on the demo, a must buy for me.

It oddly reminds me of Rez with the really stripped down visuals and focus on rhythm rather than button hammering.

The art-style was a bit hit and miss for me, it mostly looked great but ocassionally looked downright odd and took simplicity a little too far. A few too many filters in there, too. Though there's a rapid montage at the end of the demo that featured a ton of shifts in visual style, and that was pretty ace.

[Neon Ignition]

Had a try of this and it's quite enjoyable. It feels like the gorgeous art style is carrying quite alot though, the action is accessible but fairly basic. If it was a PSN title (which it feels like) then I'd give it a go but there's not enough to it to warrant a full price.

[Sketcz]

Finally got my download finished today (damned slow connection) and...

I didn't like it?

Loved the art style, thought that was incredible, but the combat felt a bit meh.

Once I got the bow I couldn't get rid of it, in fact once you get any new weapon you can't revert to hand combat or a previous weapon at all. Really annoying since the bow was crap. Retried the first 2 guys about 8 times before beating them, retried the next enemies twice before beating them (having to redo the first two guys AGAIN), and then I promptly fell down a hole because the camera didn't catch up with my character fast enough, prompting me to start ALL OVER AGAIN. At which point I said **** it and switched off.

The dull combat (which is less fun than Otogi, Okami, or even something like Demon's Souls), inability to drop weapons, poor check-pointing (could be the demo's fault) and slow camera all put me off this. I'll buy it, but only to support these kinds of niche developments and because I love the whole aesthetic.

Maybe I'm just losing my "mad skillz"?

[Bort]

The JPN 360 demo is available to silver member now. 770 megalibits.

Beyond the visuals I found it quite boring. I need to try it again to see if you can manually raise the camera so you can make traversal easier. In the demo you were mostly jumping to lower short platforms and you didn't have enough time after your shadow appeared on the platform to alter your path which led to Lots of death plunges.

[fuse]

Oh my - just tried the demo and loved it. Feels like the bastard offspring of Okami and Rez; combat is not fantastic but feels very empowering, looks incredible, and makes very little sense.

There only seems to be a Japanese (as in, no Asian) release for the 360 - soon as there is a confirm that this is in English (as per the demo) I am sticking my pre-order in.

[Bort]

Ignition/Shane Bettenhausen have been pimping the hell out of it to western media. On the games site they even start PEGI/ESRB as Ratings Pending.

I can't remember specifics but the Giantbomb preview with Shane essentially confirmed it without directly announcing it.

[Sketcz]

Review up on Eurogamer:

http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2011-06-01-el-shaddai-ascension-of-the-metatron-review?page=2

How the HELL can they give it 9/10 when they describe the gameplay as being so utterly broken?

It's not quite so happy to reinvigorate the gameplay, though, which is the one thing that counts against El Shaddai. There are no new combat innovations to look forward to, and the enemies are similarly limited to the same three fighting styles throughout. It can also be a total bitch at times, particularly the bosses.

The platforming requires a real feel for distance and timing, and it's very strict about whether or not you've landed exactly on a surface - come down just at the edge, and you'll fall off. El Shaddai's incredible art gets in the way of being able to see where you're supposed to go.

[Golgo]

Oh shaddai'pa your face. Heh. Doesn't sound "utterly broken", just not perfect/innovative in all areas. Overall the mash-up of bizarre aesthetics and bizarrely stripped back gameplay sounds a bit like Killer 7 to me...which is good.

[Brad]

Played the demo. Got bored pretty quickly and there were technical framerate hitches which, given the simplicity of the graphics, was a little surprising. Dev team's ambition seems to have exceeded their ability to execute. I appreciate the art style though.