El Shaddai: Ascension of the Metatron

A basic port of a cult classic action adventure that's still as visually stunning as ever, but also retains repetitive combat that makes exploration a real chore at times.

El Shaddai feels genuinely more creative and interesting than a lot of the titles it would consider bedfellows today. It shares a place with the likes of ICO, Nier, and Panzer Dragoon in its arcane design and historically inspired symbolism. Elsewhere, it borrows from the likes of Okami and Mizuguchi's Rez for its abstract, acid-trip beauty. It's true that the combat can become routine, the platforming occasionally frustrate, and some of the boss encounters appear slightly samey, but it runs smoothly and assuredly across 11 visually astounding stages. El Shaddai, more than anything else, is a game of moments, and a lot of them. It's certainly one of the most intriguing titles in the action-adventure, hack-and-slash genre, and deserves the attention this time around that it never achieved on its original release.

El Shaddai: Ascension of the Metatron is an imperfect wonder. On the one hand, its novel world and beautiful sights always kept me interested in exploring what’s around the bend. On the other hand, its simple combat and archaic storytelling hold it back from being more than just a gorgeous vignette. It doesn’t help that the remaster offers little in terms of frills or extras. At $29.99, this is a tough sell for those expecting a “definitive” rerelease in line with modern performance expectations. Still, if you’ve never played El Shaddai before and are curious about what you missed back in 2011, I can’t help but suggest you give it a look. The vibes are that good.

I want to love El Shaddai: Ascension of the Metatron, but the HD Remaster on Switch is not the place to do so. It runs so poorly you can't even navigate menus properly. Even besides those problems, the action and platforming are incredibly bland and the story is nigh incomprehensible, even as someone who loves artsy titles.The visuals are drop dead gorgeous and the voice acting is good, but that's not enough to carry a game.

El Shaddai is unlike anything you’ve ever experienced. If you never had a chance to check it out, it is now available on Switch and PC, or you can dig up a copy on 360 or PS3, but the main point is, you should play it. It just oozes creativity and some of the best art design in a game. I was excited for each new area, the combat, while repetitive, is fun, and it has a story that remains interesting throughout. Find a way to play this game, it is more than worth the price of admission.

The fact that El Shaddai has been remembered as a cult classic (albeit with a fleetingly small cult) that has never been replicated, while its immediate peer from a decade ago has been relegated to the deep collective memory of “content that was kind of fun, I guess, but I have new toys to play with” highlights which of the two we, as a collective, should be trying harder to encourage more of. We need to stop acting like “complexity” (i.e. some abstract ideas and the occasional metaphor) is an inherent flaw.

As this new and improved version shows, El Shaddai ASCENSION OF THE METATRON HD Remaster is still very much a game for a very specific niche. Beautiful visuals and an inventive story can only take you so far; at some point the gameplay needs to be there too, and as you’ll see time and again, that’s not the case here.

El Shaddai ASCENSION OF THE METATRON HD Remaster updates to HD one of the most peculiar titles from the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. Though the title inspired by Enoch's book isn't immune to occasional performance issues on Switch, this is an excellent reminder that experimentation and establishing connections to art should be more valued in the game industry instead of being left only to indie works. Overall, if you'd like to relive this adventure or to know it personally, Nintendo's console is indeed a good way to do it. It's just better, due to the aging marks, to adjust expectations.

Presenting El Shaddai: Ascension of the Metatron to a new audience and preserving it for future generations is a great thing, especially considering its cult status. Whether that audience will enjoy it is another matter entirely.

El Shaddai ASCENSION OF THE METATRON HD Remaster is an artistically inspired platformer and it deserves its status as a classic. Alternating between 2D and 3D stages and playing with the gamer's perspective with its aesthetic efects, this work is a great addition to the Switch.