El Shaddai: Ascension of the Metatron Reviews

El Shaddai: Ascension of the Metatron is ranked in the 60th percentile of games scored on OpenCritic.
5 / 10.0
Oct 7, 2021

I looked forward to giving an game like El Shaddai a try, but its aged...everything...fails to hold my attention.

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Unscored
Oct 5, 2021

El Shaddai: Ascension of the Metatron is truly a unique game, and despite its bland gameplay, feels like a genuine cult classic.

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8 / 10.0
Oct 5, 2021

After 10 years it is still fresh-looking third-person action adventure and platformer.

Review in Slovak | Read full review

7 / 10.0
Sep 28, 2021

Its setting and story are basically unheard of in gaming, given how devs are not exactly comfortable tackling Abrahamic religions in this kind of medium. As a concept, it’s fantastic. As an action game, it’s quite shallow.

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6 / 10
Sep 14, 2021

I can't imagine anybody was clamouring for it, but I'm still happy El Shaddai: Ascension of the Metatron was ported to PC. It's a shame when games are lost to time, and even though this one has some clunky combat and repetitive gameplay, it's still one of the most artistically inventive and stunningly original games of the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 era.

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7 / 10
Sep 13, 2021

It has the occasional wrinkle of age, but don’t let that put you off. El Shaddai is a mad, colourful and beautiful adventure that, whilst not quite Devil May Cry levels of greatness, is still very entertaining. Don’t overthink it, go in and enjoy the pseudo-silliness of this over-the-top brawler.

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Unscored
Sep 13, 2021

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.

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80 / 100
Sep 9, 2021

If you like weird games, play El Shaddai. If you like games with incredibly creative visuals and great music, play El Shaddai. If you like games where half-naked men beat the crap out of each other for very poorly explained reasons, play El Shaddai. The only reasons you should skip this title are if you hate platforming or you need the plots of your games to actually make sense.

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8 / 10.0
Sep 8, 2021

El Shaddai: Ascension of the Metatron uses numerous elements to create a unique experience. Accompanying Enoch on his journey to defeat the fallen angels is quite engaging because of the constant mix of 3D action, platforming and combat. The impactful art direction is one of the highlights, and the title is not afraid to dare with drastic changes in visual style and gameplay. But not everything is wonderful: the simplicity of the systems and mechanics can make things a little boring, after all most of the adventure is very linear and the battles are repetitive. Furthermore, the PC port is extremely basic, lacking customization options. In the end, El Shaddai: Ascension of the Metatron is an exotic and imperfect game that is hard to forget.

Review in Portuguese | Read full review

Noisy Pixel
Nathan Mejia
6.5 / 10.0
Sep 7, 2021

El Shaddai has a lot to offer players with its art direction and stunning visuals though I found it difficult to appreciate them when dealing with graphical issues, generic combat, and a ham-fisted story. This port should have been a great introduction to new players and giving veterans a clean way to view it. Instead, we are left looking at a port with missed potential in various ways.

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3.5 / 5.0
Sep 7, 2021

El Shaddai: Ascension of the Metatron is a strange experience. The platforming is basic and the combat gets tedious after a while, but the surreal presentation of its loose interpretation of the Book of Enoch makes it an intriguing journey from start to finish, with beautiful art and music that help it stand out. If repetitive combat doesn’t bother you, it’s well worth a look for the spectacle alone.

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6 / 10.0
Sep 7, 2021

El Shaddai: Ascension of Metatron has always been a title I've enjoyed but often struggled to recommend. It's repetitive due to shallow combat and few and far between set pieces. Visually the game is untouchable, but in such a way it almost damages the game by trying to make such rich visuals with an experience that's otherwise average at every turn. It's not all bad, the game does what it sets out to do and provides a memorable and unique experience. It's just a pity that shallow gameplay and a lack of significant improvement in the PC version knock it down somewhat. I do think gamers who enjoy more cult classic titles will find enough to love here to justify a few nights of angel chasing.

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75 / 100
Sep 6, 2021

El Shaddai: Ascension of the Metatron is a unique experience, with a very strong identity. It has some playable problems, and above all, some things to improve in the conversion to PC itself, but the narrative and the audiovisual section are captivating enough to overlook them and give it a try. Its short duration also works in its favor.

Review in Spanish | Read full review

6 / 10
Sep 5, 2021

Overall, I step away from this new port of El Shaddai with much the same opinion I had as when I played the original ten years ago. It’s an intriguing premise with absolutely stunning audiovisual presentation, but the repetitive gameplay struggled to hold my interest. The story I’m mostly neutral on – it’s just plain odd and told in a weird way, which somehow works in the full package.

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Liked
Sep 5, 2021

Overall, El Shaddai: Ascension of the Metatron is an interesting experience. It’s understandable why this game is considered a cult classic, with the interesting battle system and beautiful designs surrounding the game. The one downside of this game is some aspects of the gameplay. It’s easy to fall into a loop of frustration due to missed jumps and the wrong placement of the camera. If all enemies decide to charge you at the same time, it’s very easy to end up dying before you truly realize it. I do think that this is a game that will appeal to a small niche of people. But with that though, I would say to at least give this game a chance and check out more information about it. Because if nothing else, it is a memorable experience.

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Metro GameCentral
GameCentral
Top Critic
7 / 10
Sep 3, 2021

A decade later and El Shaddai still has some of the best art design in the business, even if its shallow but enjoyable combat can't match it for variety or imagination.

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8 / 10.0
Sep 3, 2021

Embody the wrath of Heaven and bind the fallen angels as you experience cult classic El Shaddai: Ascension of the Metatron for the first time on PC! Help Enoch on his quest to save humanity and bask in some glorious visuals - even by today's standards.

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7.5 / 10.0
Sep 2, 2021

The bare minimum was done to port El Shaddai: Ascesion of the Metatron over to PC, but 10 years later it's still an incredible journey.

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4 / 5.0
Sep 1, 2021

While I wouldn’t want to play it time and again, El Shaddai is an experience well worth having. Some of the sights and sounds in this game are so different from anything I’ve ever seen in a game that I can only marvel at them. The gameplay may be simple, but its ever-changing stages keep things fresh long enough for you to reach the end. It isn’t quite a holy experience, but it’s one I won’t soon forget.

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5.5 / 10.0
Aug 29, 2021
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