El Shaddai: Ascension of the Metatron is one of the most underappreciated gems of the PS3/Xbox 360 era. That's what people who've played the unusual action platformer, released back in 2011, will tell you.
One look at El Shaddai — the only game developed by Ignition Tokyo before it was shut down just before the game's 2011 release — reveals a stunningly beautiful world bursting with light and colour. Visually, it captured people's attention. However, while the game sold almost 100,000 units by the end of 2011 in Japan, it failed to make a splash anywhere else in the world.
Fast-forward to 2024, however, and the game is getting another chance on Switch. El Shaddai: Ascension of the Metatron HD Remaster launches worldwide on 28th April 2024, with Limited Run Games releasing a physical version. The game already made a return on Steam in 2021, but this is the first time Nintendo console owners will get a shot at exploring the stunning, unique world as the scribe Enoch and fallen angel Lucifel.
Ahead of the Remaster's release, we had a chance to chat with the game's Director and character designer, Sawaki Takeyasu. Known for working on character designs for Devil May Cry, Steel Battalion, Okami, and Fatal Frame: Mask of the Lunar Eclipse, El Shaddai was the artist's first game in the director's chair. Since then, Takeyasu has gone on to form his own studio, crim, and managed to buy back the rights to El Shaddai from former publisher UTV Ignition Games, developing a handful of follow-up media, including 2017's dungeon crawling RPG The Lost Child.
Our chat with Takeyasu looks back on the original release of El Shaddai, how the Apple iPod inspired the visual style, and the challenges of creating such an ambitious game in 2011 as well as the difficulties (and rewards) of bringing it to Switch in 2024.
Nintendo Life: This is the first time we’ll be getting El Shaddai: Ascension of the Metatron on a Nintendo console. What makes the game such a good fit for the Switch?
Sawaki Takeyasu, Director and character designer of El Shaddai: In order to make the Nintendo Switch version of this game, we made an entirely new game engine to improve the game with 60 frames per second in Handheld mode and full HD in TV mode. This engine also allowed the game to run more smoothly than ever on a more beautiful screen and partially reduced its loading times compared to the past. Additionally, since El Shaddai features many jump actions, we felt playing in Handheld mode on Nintendo Switch is particularly enjoyable.
Overall, we think that the Nintendo Switch is the best platform for playing El Shaddai due to these enhancements.
El Shaddai was your directorial debut after working on games such as Devil May Cry and Okami. What experiences did you bring with you when directing your first video game?
I had quite a challenging experience transitioning to a new studio and taking on the role of a director. During my time at Capcom, I honed my skills as a technician, but assuming the responsibilities of a director at a new studio brought about a significant increase in my workload.
...my biggest inspiration for El Shaddai was the art directors who teamed up with me
While I was confident in my ability to oversee the artistic aspects, starting a new game studio required me to handle various aspects such as management, team building, recruitment, studio production and making decisions as a director regarding scenarios, music, 3D models, programming and of course the gameplay. To tackle all of these responsibilities, I made an effort to have a clear vision and build a team I could trust to help me achieve my goals.
El Shaddai is based on the apocalyptic Hebrew text, the Book of Enoch. What drew you to that in particular?
The Book of Enoch was relatively unknown among Japanese audiences, especially its name at that time.
The fact that foreign audiences were more familiar with it than Japanese people sparked my interest. Also, I decided to create a fantasy world based on the Book of Enoch, rather than using the source material directly, which allowed me to take creative liberties.
As a result, the story of Lucifer’s Fall, especially the bonus after-story that is included in the game, diverges significantly from the original Enochian text, becoming an entirely original narrative.
The visual style of El Shaddai is incredibly beautiful and it still looks fantastic today. Can you talk us through how you came up with the art style and about any inspirations?
...the idea of bringing El Shaddai to a new audience on the Nintendo Switch is exciting
I aimed for the themes of creating a world that no one has ever seen and a world that never becomes old. There are many inspirations but at that time, I got inspired by Apple’s iPod commercials.
But my biggest inspiration for El Shaddai was the art directors who teamed up with me. Just because of their existence and help, I was able to actually visualize the complicated visions that I imagined and came into life as a game.
Rereleasing the game in 2024, how do you think themes of religion and self-sacrifice will resonate with players compared to in 2011?
It’s interesting to note the cultural differences in how El Shaddai is perceived. While the game may be seen as a fantasy in many parts of the world, it appears that in Japan, it’s generally not associated with religion. Instead, it’s viewed more as a light-hearted and fun experience, almost like a game of the internet meme of that famous quote from the game “No problem. Everything's fine” or “I'll take the best you have”.
Therefore, I have an impression of how there are different perceptions between Japan and other regions particularly concerning the emphasis on the visual beauty of the game.
What was it like returning to El Shaddai after you bought the IP rights from UTV Ignition Games and after developing The Lost Child, another game set in the El Shaddai universe?
It’s quite a remarkable journey to talk about the development and release of El Shaddai, especially the fact that the studio had closed by the time it was released, and I was alone in the team on the day of its launch. This unique circumstance likely contributed to the game still being relatively unknown to many people.
After 13 years, the idea of bringing El Shaddai to a new audience on the Nintendo Switch is exciting. The challenges of porting the game may have initially led to hesitation, but finding a dedicated main programmer, Mr. [Hiroyuki] Hayashibara, who could make it happen, reignited my determination to revisit El Shaddai. It’s a testament to my dedication and passion for the project, and it’ll be interesting to see how the game is received by a new generation of players on the Switch.
You originally stated that El Shaddai was the fourth game in a planned nine-chapter story. With this Remaster and The Lost Child, do you think you’ll return to the El Shaddai universe and the ‘Mythical Concept’ again with a new game?
The story of El Shaddai is further expanded in the bonus novel “Lucifer’s Fall”, covering chapters 4 to 9.
Additionally, I wrote related books under the brand “Shinwa-Kosou” (Mythological Concept) in Japan which adds depth to the lore and world-building of the game. I would like to explore chapters 1 to 3 in the future.
If you could go back in time and change anything about El Shaddai’s development, what would it be?
I hope that Lucifer might offer a chance to turn back time one day.
All the fallen angels are supposed to transform and re-appear many times. That was something I had envisioned for El Shaddai, however, due to resource constraints at the time, it was not possible to include all of them. Looking back, I believe that by redistributing these transformation elements, it would have been feasible to include all the fallen angels.
If I could just go back in time, I think I would revisit the overall level design. I hope that Lucifer might offer a chance to turn back time one day.
This interview has been edited lightly for clarity.
Thank you so much to Takeyasu-san for speaking to us about El Shaddai: Ascension of the Metatron HD Remaster, which is coming to Nintendo Switch on 28th April 2024. Don't forget, if you want to bag a physical version of the game, pre-orders open up on Limited Run Games' website on 26th January.
Are you excited to visit the world of El Shaddai? Let us know in the comments.
Comments 33
Edit: Article typos are fixed finally. Moving on.
I need to finish this game. Bought it day one but got distracted by other games. Will try again with the remaster. I love it when Japan uses religious mythology as a backdrop for games. Such fantastical characters but because it’s an active religion people get so mad (as an atheist I can’t relate) if people do that in western made games. Used to be why I loved assassins’ creed as they took all religion, gave it an in universe explanation and chucked them into a blender. Ancient people had wild imaginations. It’s a pity we aren’t allowed to play with that.
I hate when a talented studio gets 💩 down
This game blew my mind on the xBox 360. Beautiful and deep, and a very clever adaptation of the source material. It has a unique atmosphere, and the relationship between Lucifel and Enoch (and God!) is adorable. They also have a lot of fun with the idea that the angels know everything, but have no concept of timelines... leading to my favourite scene involving an umbrella. 😊 A really incredible achievement, this game. Very, very hard at points, though!
I’ll undoubtedly get this again. Had a little trouble with the spacial platforming sections, but meh. Is this s*** Switch and Steam only? If it performs well on Switch, I imagine that will be my choice, as physical.
I always wanted to play this during the X360 era so I’m glad they’re bringing it back!
And as others have mentioned there is a pretty, uh, unfortunate typo near the beginning of the article.
insert Jordan Henderson joke here
One of my favorite games of the PS3?360 generation, would love to get the physical copy on switch. Now I only need "3D dot game heroes" , "Black knight Sword", and "Drarkengard 3" and I can Store my PS3 away
I remember playing a demo for this back on the 360 and thinking the visuals were just incredible. Never got around to buying it, though, so hopefully I will this time.
Funny, I've never played the game before, but I was recently listening to some people talk about this game and it piqued my interest. Nice to know I'll now get a chance to play it.
I'd never heard of this game before, but as someone who enjoys games based on religious/folk mythology I'm eager to give it a shot. Thanks for publishing this interview (typos and all, lol).
@Ryu_Niiyama to be fair it's past tense, so it should be "shat down"
@AlanaHagues
Oof, might want to fix your second paragraph.
The book of Enoch is is a fascinating inspiration for a fantastical setting. I think back on the Dante’s Inferno (based on book that is likewise non-biblically canonical, yet impactful on various dogmas) game from the same era, and lament it’s relative fame.
El Shaddai has been on my radar for a decade, LRG is really helping make these dreams come true
I absolutely loved the look of this game and I was away to buy it but a friend talked me out of it. He was slagging it off saying how broken it was.
But are they rereleasing the official jeans?
"the only game developed by Ignition Tokyo before it was ***** down"
Beg pardon? 😅
So it's FINALLY coming to Switch... It's a very niche game, but I love it. Played it on PS3
@Vaporeon_meme I am simply trying to notify the author of the typo. That’s all.
@Ryu_Niiyama I know mate, mine was just a joke on the typo
@Vaporeon_meme That is fine, please just make it a general comment or tag someone else next time. No need to tag me. I don’t find such comments humorous and would rather not be drawn into any conversation as such. Thank you.
Edit: Given that both users have admitted to trolling (poorly), adding to block list and moving on.
@Ryu_Niiyama @Vaporeon_meme
Maybe it's not a typo. The games industry can be a tough business.
@Woderwick given general journalistic standards, the location of the letters on a QWERTY keyboard, the rules of this actual site and other typos in this article, as well as the lack of response from the author, which suggests she isn’t actively working today…I am fairly certain it is a typo. If not, I will wait on the author to correct me and then edit my comment. Thank you.
Edit: Given that both users have admitted to trolling (poorly), adding to block list and moving on.
@Ryu_Niiyama
It's somewhat unsporting of you to resort to using facts to prove your argument.
Hi all. Just seen this, and yes, that was a typo. Thanks to everyone for highlighting. Carry on!
Great interview as always despite the typos, happy to see this and many other games getting a second chance (also) on Switch!
@dartmonkey There are also some other typos: a hashtag after "This unique circumstance likely contributed to the game still being relatively unknown to many people.", "covering chapters of 4 to 9.", a relative pronoun missing in "I wrote related books under the brand “Shinwa-Kosou” (Mythological Concept) in Japan adds depth to the lore and world-building of the game." and "All the fallen angels are supposed to transform and re-appear many times was something".
@JohnnyMind We've got those now too. Thanks, as always!
And thanks to everyone for pointing out the other typo at the top 😅
@AlanaHagues Glad to hear that, thank you and everyone at Nintendo Life for your work!
The game looks amazing, but I will never forget the memes it sparked.
https://youtu.be/KiPRF50lVpg?feature=shared
Man, the internet sure was weird back in the day.
@Woderwick Don't mind him mate, he's just the type of person that doesn't like humour
I've got this for my Xbox 360. It's right there on my shelf. Now if only microsoft had been capable of doing even just okay hardware, my 360 would be still up and running and I would play El Shaddai, which I delayed back in the day to play a famous Platinum classic. I remember thinking damn, this game Vanquish is one of the best games I ever played. And then right in the middle of the last part of the game, boom, death of an unlamented system.
Never bought microsoft again.
@Vaporeon_meme
I'm well aware that my sense of humour isn't for everyone so I'm not I'm not bothered.
And their comprehensive response to me made me smile anyway so it's all good.
I tried the demo on PS3 back in the day and wasn't impressed. I like crazy over-the-top Japanese action games but this one just never clicked with me. Then again, I was deep into my Bayonetta obsession back then so nothing could compare to Bayo in my book.
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