If it wasn't for its fantastic combat system,
El Shaddai: Ascension of the Metatron wouldn't be much more than a pretty face with a weird personality. However, once Enoch gets into the thick of it with the fallen angels and their fanatics, the game becomes really exciting.
As you progress through each of the surrealistic landscapes that compose the Watchers' tower, you'll alternate between the aforementioned platforming sequences and the circular combat arenas. Enoch may be a mere man, but he is able to use God's weapons. There are three: the sword-like Arch, the projectile-firing Gale, and the cloven shield fragments called the Veil. There is a rock-paper-scissors dynamic to the weapons, so while one weapon might trump another, it is weak compared to the third. What makes this really interesting is that all of your enemies can use these weapons. When any of your enemies are knocked unconscious, you have the opportunity to steal their weapons from them. Most of the time, any weapon will suffice, but some encounters require that you come up with a battle plan on the fly.
El Shaddai's combat system consists of one attack button, a defense button, and a jump button. Sounds simple, right? Wrong. If you're a button-masher, you will only get so far. Timing is everything in this game. Enoch can unleash a flurry of attacks with heavy button-mashing, but if you hold off for a split second, he will launch into a devastating defense-shattering blow. Combining the attack button with the defense button will set up an aerial combo, that is, if you connect. Each of the three primary weapons has its own variation on the combat control scheme, and some feature special defense or movement options. It's surprisingly deep and quite well-designed.
As if the Watchers and their followers aren't enough, Enoch must keep the threat of corruption at bay. Every time he successfully lands a hit, his weapon absorbs a bit of "vileness" from the target. After a while, the weapon will become corrupted and turn red, and its effectiveness will drop sharply. A tap of (LB) will have Enoch purify the weapon; again, timing is everything, as he becomes vulnerable to enemy attack for about two seconds.
El Shaddai: Ascension of the Metatron is bold, audacious, and honestly, kind of wonderful. It's one of the most immaculately produced games in recent memory, and it fortunately has the gameplay to back up all the eye and ear candy. El Shaddai may be based on apocryphal texts, but it's a religious experience all the same.
