El Shaddai: Ascension of the Metatron HD Remaster | Switch Review

El Shaddai: Ascension of the Metatron was a game that always piqued my interest whenever I saw it on store shelves. Its artwork and story looked and sounded so intriguing, but I unfortunately was never able to pick it up originally. When I heard that there would be an HD remaster released on the Nintendo Switch this year, I knew my chance had arrived. After playing this underrated gem, was my excitement warranted? Overall, I’d say yes, even though I had some gripes.

Enoch, Wake Up

You play as Enoch, a scribe who has been tasked with defeating and purifying six fallen angels. To do this, he must ascend The Tower. The Tower was erected by the six aforementioned angels and their leader, who have fallen in love with humans. Of course, angels and humans don’t mix very well, and their offspring, the Nephilim, are also causing havoc. Enoch has a big task ahead of him, and it’s quite a challenging one.

Along your journey, you’re joined by Lucifel and a mysterious girl named Nanna. Lucifel is cool as hell, wearing a leather jacket and reporting to God via smartphone (of course they’ve been around for 14,000 years). Lucifel is also your save point, so meeting him is always a massive relief. He’s also voiced by the incredible Jason Isaacs (Event Horizon, Black Hawk Down), who is always a treat to listen to with his velvety, cool voice. Nanna pops up occasionally to guide Enoch in certain areas, and may just be harboring a secret of her own.

Good Intentions

The gameplay is a combination of hack-and-slash combat and platforming. The combat is incredibly satisfying and always provides a fun yet strategic beat to the story. Even if it does become repetitive after a while.

Enoch has access to three weapons: the Arch, the Gale, and the Veil. The Arch is a mix between a bow and a sword that’s perfect for getting up close and quickly wailing on enemies. The Gale shoots missiles that makes it the perfect long-range weapon, while the Veil is a heavy-duty shield that is slow yet packs a major punch. It was a treat to switch between the three to find the perfect tactic to take down a specific enemy. I also enjoyed the fact that the game doesn’t have a traditional HUD. You can only assess damage taken and given by the state of the characters’ clothing. If Enoch is down to only his jeans, you’re in trouble.

My Own Personal Hell

Now to discuss my least favorite aspect of the game: the platforming. I’m admittedly terrible at platforming to start with, but El Shaddai adds further frustrations to this mechanic. The camera is always fixed, and I often found my depth perception thrown off by that damn camera. I’d jump only for the view to shift in mid-air, showing that I wasn’t actually lined up the way that I thought I was. I suffered many deaths (and uttered way too many unholy words) due to the maddening nature of the platforming.

This was quite a difficult game for me to play, and I chose the Normal difficulty option. I was actually going to knock down the difficulty to Easy due to the challenging nature…only to find out you’re locked in to what you selected at the beginning of the game. I had to woman up and persevere, and I’m honestly glad I did. Even though it was tougher than I expected, I felt accomplished when I downed a boss or finally pulled off one of the dreaded platforming sections. It also helped that you can revive Enoch four or five times before receiving a Game Over screen.

Humans Can Do Some Good

El Shaddai is an absolutely gorgeous game to look at. It’s a genuine piece of interactive art. Each level has a different artistic aesthetic, and I eagerly awaited each one to discover how it would appear. The visuals would switch between styles such as watercolor, cyberpunk, and cartoon-inspired, and it was a sheer delight just to stand there and absorb the creativity for a bit. This is honestly one of the biggest selling points of the game.

The story is also incredibly interesting, but to really get to the meat of what the game is trying to teach you, you must search out the hidden Freemen in each stage. They hold notes that further explain the current situation and the history of The Tower. This adds another layer to the gameplay and had me thoroughly scouring everywhere I went. The rest of the narrative is explained to you by Lucifel in an amusing nature.

The Final Verdict

El Shaddai: Ascension of the Metatron HD Remaster is worth playing just for its artistic merits alone. This is a wholly unique game that I can’t imagine would be made in this day and age. It’s absolutely stunning to look at and just soak in for the approximately twelve hour playtime. The combat is satisfying despite becoming repetitive after a while, and the story keeps propelling you along to discover the secrets of The Tower. The fixed camera is frustrating, though, and the platforming was what I dreaded most while playing.

It caused me so much frustration, and I honestly haven’t wanted to chuck a controller more due to the difficulty than I have in this game. If you’re better at platforming than I am, though, and are looking for a good challenge, give El Shaddai a shot. It takes daring risks that aren’t common in gaming now.

On a side note, if you’ve already played it, there isn’t really any incentive to pick the game up again. The framerate now runs at a smooth 60 fps, and there is an additional digital novel and art book unlocked after completing the game, but these aren’t really strong enough to justify double-dipping for most players. It’s ultimately up to you if these inclusions are worth it.

To hear me talk more about El Shaddai: Ascension of the Metatron HD Remaster, be sure to listen to the April 24, 2024 episode of The Gaming Outsider podcast around the 43:36 time stamp.

This review is based on a Nintendo Switch copy of El Shaddai: Ascension of the Metatron HD Remaster provided by PR Hound for coverage purposes. It is also available on PC via Steam.