El Shaddai: Ascension of the Metatron

El Shaddai: Ascension of the Metatron is an action adventure from Japanese studio Crim inspired by the apocryphal Book of Enoch, in which the player, as the angel Enoch, sets out on a mission to stop seven fallen angels threatening humanity. The game combines a fluid combat system based on disarming enemies and taking their weapons with platforming sections whose visual style dramatically transforms as the game progresses, from minimalist white surfaces to psychedelic, colorful worlds. As Enoch descends ever deeper into the fallen heavenly realms on his journey, each new area presents a different visual and mechanical treatment, setting the game apart from most action titles of its time and maintaining a constant sense of discovering something new.

On PS3, the game stood out especially for its thoroughly unique audiovisual style, created by art director Sawaki Takeyasu, who brought influences from modern art, fashion, and architecture into the game. The combat system is deliberately simple and accessible, built around three types of weapons and a rhythmic alternation of attack and defense, giving the game the feel of an interactive work of art rather than a classic action game. The soundtrack blends electronic and orchestral elements and rounds out the unusual, dreamlike atmosphere that accompanies the player across wholly distinct visual chapters.

Even though El Shaddai did not do particularly well commercially, it earned a reputation among players and critics as a cult favorite, precisely because of its visual daring and willingness to take an unconventional artistic direction instead of following established genre conventions. Today the game is valued as an example of how an action adventure can function as a full-fledged artistic experience, and it belongs among the titles worth discovering even years later, precisely for a unique aesthetic that had no equal among PS3 titles of its time.

Why play it: For players open to unconventional artistic aesthetics, it's worth discovering even years later thanks to a visual daring that had no equal among PS3 titles of its time.