El Shaddai

[Jakanden]

The demo for El Shaddai was released on the JP PSN this week and I checked it out last night. I really, really love this demo.

The combat is quite a bit more involved than I was expecting and it does so in a good way. The weapon stealing mechanic is fun and the whole system is fast.

The art style is amazing as it should be with Takeyasu Sawaki (Okami) involved. It also invokes comparisons with Killer7 to me in the way it is animated.

I really can't wait for this game so i preordered the japanese version as I didn't want to wait on a US release that might not come. I don't know why I loved the demo so much, but it sold me.

[gobbleskat]

Splendid!

[shadowdancer21b]

But why is it named El Shaddai? Makes me think of Elshudai (a name for God, if I'm not mistaken. Not the Tetragrammaton, but you know.)

[Jakanden]

Yes, that is exactly why it is called that. It is based on the Book of Enoch (whom you play as) and the story is about the Nephilim and the fallen angels. If you have an understanding of biblical theology, you will get a lot more out of the story for sure. The demo has Azazel, Ezekiel and Lucifer in it and my understanding is it has the archangels are in the full game as well.

[shadowdancer21b]

OOOOOOH. My interest is piqued. I flatter myself that I am a biblical scholar.

[Jakanden]

Yeah, I am into theology as well which is one of the reasons i was interested in this game in the first place.

[Jakanden]

So I have spent some time with the full game and i am not disappointed at all. Here are some random thoughts:

- The game has an amazing soundtrack. I immediately hit the net and downloaded it and was listening to it this morning.

- The demo doesnt tell you much about the combat aside from attack, jump, block. There is actually a lot more to the combat system in the full game with counters, guard breaks, chains and the like. It isn't as deep as a Ninja Gaiden or DMC, but it is fun.

- The third weapon missing from the demo (Veil) is pretty cool, but I prefer the Arch. Each weapon has their place though and switching between them is a requirement as there is a rock/paper/scissors element to the combat system as well as the fact that the Gale is necessary to find hidden areas.

- I can't emphasize enough how gorgeous this game looks in motion. The screenshots don't do it justice. I also haven't seen this much graphical variation between levels in a long time.

- Unlike most character action games, i actually care about the story in this one, but my love of it might be a bit biased as I am a fan of theology.

- The side-scrolling platforming levels can get really difficult and they harken back to the 16bit days. There is one level in particular that made me think of SMW as it is extremely bright and colorful with cheery music, but has some tricky segments in it.

Overall, it was well worth picking up early for me since not only is it awesome, there is nothing else coming out i care about for awhile. There is a PS3 region-free Asian version coming out in June which supposedly has English options and then the US release is supposed to be Q3. I might pick up the 360 US release to see the differences.

[Juese]

I like having this reassurance for when the game comes state-side. Really looking forward to getting my hands on it.

[Jakanden]

Finished it off last night. I would rate the game a B+/8 or so.

Since there is no level up system, the combat can get kind of repetitive towards the end. There is a new game+, but aside from over boost level, there isn't a real reason to use it. I will definitely play through it again on a harder difficulty, but i can completely understand someone playing through it once and being satisfied. Some of the bosses are quite a pain in the ass too and I cant wait to give them a shot on hard.

I enjoyed the story although I was a bit disappointed that a considerable amount of it is Lucifer explaining things in between levels. His conversations with God over the cell phone can get pretty funny though. The story does seem a bit disjointed, but that could be because my Japanese is just barely serviceable and not fluent.

The art style is definitely the high point of the game. The levels vary dramatically and each one looks amazing. You can definitely see the Okami influence and it is quite possibly the best looking game out so far. Obviously not in terms of graphics, but in terms of the overall visual style.

As an odd side note, the Japanese release has the US voice cast in the credits even though there is no english language option.

I honestly dont see this game selling too well in the US, but I hope it does as I really want a sequel.

[Jakanden]

Re: El Shaddai discussion in the podcast - The demo doesn't really explain much about the game or the combat system. The combat in the actual game has a lot more to it as I mentioned in the El Shaddai thread and there is a rock paper scissors element of the combat. You have to learn which enemies to steal from in which order or the battles will take forever. Additionally, normal mode on this game is quite hard until you learn system. I am currently on my third playhrough on hard and i a m stuck on the 4th level as it is hard as fuck.

[Ekkebus]

So finally picked up a copy on the cheap and walked away totally impressed. The demo does the full product absolutely no justice whatsoever. Everything I found confusing and off-putting about the demo is completely explained and/or given context early on in the game. The combat, that I found to be frustrating and dull in the demo is actually totally intuitive and I never got bored of it. It has a really good flow to it as you go from enemy to enemy, stealing their weapons and putting them to use. The story is really interesting, and given the source material, a lot different from what other games are drawing their inspiration from. Of course, the highlight of this game is it's presentation. Easily one of the best, most-interesting looking games ever made though there is notably some slowdown in a couple of areas. Plus its visual prowess is backed up by an awesome soundtrack and some stellar voice action.

Totally love this game top to bottom and it easily falls in with the likes of Bayonetta and DMC3/4 as my favorite enteries in the genre.

[Jakanden]

Glad you enjoyed it as much as I did. I figured no one else would even try the game aside from me. I will probably rent the US version and give it a play through sometime this summer.

[Ekkebus]

I was always interested in it but that demo basically told me I wasn't going to chance $60 on. I think there's a lot to like once people get around to playing it first hand. It definitely would have made my Overlooked Game of last year if I'd played it sooner.

[Ekkebus]

Sequel??????

http://www.elshaddai-sb.jp/

[Jakanden]

Nice, it looks like it says something about god is calling or looking for the highest angel? I know the characters but I am not good enough to figure out the context.