El Shaddai: Where Video Games and Fine Art Converge

You hear a lot of discussion about whether video games are an art form, but few games take that quite as literally as El Shaddai: Will Rise of Metatron, among others powers. This game, completely unnoticed to this day, El Shaddai from 2011, is like an action RPG whose gallery is available for films in an art gallery. It is an experimental type. This unnoticed, very inaccessible, but available for five bucks play just showed up on the Nintendo Switch with a remastered edition. 

A forgotten artistic gem

The story of the game El Shaddai is loosely written based on an old Hebraic apocalyptic text called the Book of Enoch, and the game heavily uses and ties religious themes and characters into its narrative. You personify the immortal scribe Enoch from the lord of God, tasked to look for fallen angels, God’s enemies who are threatening humanity with a great flood. Enoch is not alone either: his partner is Lucifel, who is there with Enoch all the time and sometimes can even serve as the exit from the stage. To some extent, this might sound like a lofty story. Still, El Shaddai systematically delivers it by deeply linking the story with characters, and then on top of that, they add layers of religious meaning twist. 

Source:Nintendo

You might think El Shaddai is all about hacking and slashing, but it involves several enemies you will take off using weapons and combos. It’s somewhat close to Demon May Cry if you add the greatest change: stealing their weapon and using it against them! Another game feature is the corruption system; if you attack the enemies, some corruption will stack to your weapon. Eventually, the weapon gets the full corruption effect gun, and unless you purify it, it’ll reduce the damage.

The El Shaddai action combat is appropriately good, but it’s supported by the game that focuses on the art expression in the uttermost meaning. No UI or HUD is provided the first time you play the game, and it will perform as if the screen had no additional fragments. It is not a bit of info you need on a display because you draw all the knowledge you want through the game environment. 

This same immersive experience is reflected in the changing colors of Enoch’s weapons, the way the enemy’s health was represented in their armor, and the absence of any save menu as speaking to Lucifel saved your game process. The very concept of the game is about immersion. Such an experience is flung to the ether and could feel extraterrestrial, thus dragging you on a spiritual trip. Gamesonography chaired by Takayasu Sawaki, best known for character design in Devil May Cry and Okami. I can almost see Takeyasu happily going crazy with their imagination by saying, “Here’s a blank check. Catch me later.“

Blurring reality and abstraction

The variety of the stages of El Shaddai is one more trump card. Each level brings something new, and all of that helps you feel that the dream world presented for you is actually an abstract art exhibition. The gallery is in two different areas, and one area will give you goosebumps as if Enoch’s gargantuan stained glasses might pour down from the ceiling on your head, while the other area makes you feel like Van Gogh roamed here and worked on his week-long brooding brushwork. The game looked alive then, thanks to the beautiful graphics, but still, the current treatment and updating make your blood pulsate in your veins.

Consequently, the NieR male offspring also takes a fragmented view of his character. Much like NieR games, El Shaddai constantly changes the camera effects. 3D character action usually swaps to 2D platformer randomly or has the camera lock in a particular way provided you feel it from the top-down; it is isometric; although the fight mechanics did not have a major progression as the game progressed, the relentless display of an awe-inspiring art style and non-conventional camera approach in El Shaddai always kept the player engaged. You don’t have to be bored; El Shaddai is very good at making sure. As for the rules of the game, they are a bit secretive, yet it forms a big part of the experience. 

Ghibli successfully paired a neutral world with a hazy and foggy storyline to emphasize the outstanding artwork. You don’t play El Shaddai thinking about improving your character or discovering secrets; you live it as a ghost at your back, a sweet reminder of what awaits you. The combat mechanic related to all the play elements is fulfilling and excellent, but the game makes us delve into its storytelling depth and enjoy its graphic creativity. The game El Shaddai offered and exhibited Solid proof that games are also an art form. That is a magical piece of art.