El Shaddai: The Ascension of Metatron is one of the most underrated gems of the PS3/Xbox 360 era. This is what people who 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 scrapped just before the game’s 2011 release—reveals an incredibly beautiful world bursting with light and color. It visually captured people’s attention. However, although the game sold nearly 100,000 copies by the end of 2011 in Japan, it failed to make a series anywhere else in the world.
However, fast forward to 2024 and the game is getting another shot on the Switch. El Shaddai: Ascension of the Metatron HD Remaster launches worldwide on April 28, 2024, with Limited Run Games release a physical version. The game has already returned to Steam in 2021, but this is the first time Nintendo console owners will get the chance to explore a stunning, unique world as the scribe Enoch and the fallen angel Lucifel.
Ahead of the release of the Remaster, we had the chance to speak with the game’s director and character designer, Sawaki Takeyasu. Known for his character design work for Devil May Cry, Steel battalion, Okami and Fatal Frame: Mask of the Lunar Eclipse, El Shaddai was the artist’s first feature in the director’s chair. Since then, Takeyasu has formed his own studio, Crim, and managed to buy the rights to El Shaddai from former publisher UTV Ignition Games, developing a handful of spin-offs, including the 2017 dungeon crawler RPG The Lost Child.
Our conversation with Takeyasu looks back at 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 the 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 so good for the Switch?
Sawaki Takeyasu, director and character designer of El Shaddai: To make the Nintendo Switch version of this game, we made a brand new game drive to enhance the game with 60 frames per second in handheld mode and full HD in TV mode. This engine also allowed the game to run smoother than ever on a nicer screen and partially reduced loading times compared to the past. Additionally, since El Shaddai has a lot of jumps, we felt that playing in handheld mode on the Nintendo Switch was especially enjoyable.
Overall, we feel that the Nintendo Switch is the best platform to play El Shaddai due to these improvements.
El Shaddai was your directorial debut after working on games like Devil May Cry and Okami. What experiences did you take with you when you directed your first video game?
I had quite a challenging experience moving to a new studio and taking on the role of director. During my time at Capcom, I honed my skills as a technician, but taking on the responsibilities of a director at a new studio saw my workload increase significantly.
…my biggest inspiration for El Shaddai was the art directors who partnered with me
Although 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, hiring, studio production and decision making as a director regarding scripts, music, 3D models, programming and of course gameplay. In order to tackle all these responsibilities, I have worked hard to have a clear vision and build a team that I can trust to help me achieve my goals.
El Shaddai is based on the apocalyptic Hebrew text, the Book of Enoch. What specifically attracted you to it?
The Book of Enoch was relatively unknown among Japanese audiences, especially its title at the time.
I was interested in the fact that the foreign audience knew it better than the Japanese. Also, I decided to create a fantasy world based on the Book of Enoch, rather than using the source material directly, which allowed me creative freedom.
As a result, the story of Lucifer’s fall, especially the additional after-story included in the game, deviates significantly from the original Enochian text, becoming a completely original narrative.
The visual style of El Shaddai is incredibly beautiful and still looks fantastic today. Can you tell us how you came up with the artistic style and what inspirations you got?
…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 seen and a world that never ages. There are many inspirations, but then I was inspired by Apple’s iPod commercials.
But my biggest inspiration for El Shaddai was the art directors who partnered with me. It was thanks to their existence and help that I was able to actually visualize the complicated visions I imagined and they came to life as a game.
Re-releasing the game in 2024, how do you think the themes of religion and self-sacrifice will resonate with players compared to 2011?
It is interesting to note the cultural differences in how El Shaddai is experienced. While the game may be considered fantasy in many parts of the world, it does not seem to be generally associated with religion in Japan. Instead, it’s seen more as a carefree and fun experience, almost a play on the internet meme of that famous quote from the game “No problem. Everything is fine” or “I’ll take the best you have”.
So I get the impression that there are different perceptions between Japan and other regions, especially regarding 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 an extraordinary journey to talk about the development and release of El Shaddai, especially the fact that the studio was shut down before it was released and I was alone on the team on its launch day. This unique circumstance probably contributed to the fact that the game is still 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 led to hesitation at first, but finding a dedicated lead developer, Mr. Hayashibara, who could do it reawakened my determination to revisit El Shaddai. It’s a testament to my dedication and passion for the project and it will be interesting to see how the new generation of Switch players embrace the game.
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 be returning to the El Shaddai universe and the ‘Ithical Concept’ again with a new game?
The story of El Shaddai is further expanded in the spin-off novel “The Fall of Lucifer,” covering chapters 4 through 9.
Additionally, I have written tie-in books under the brand name “Shinwa-Kosou” (Ithological Concept) in Japan, which adds depth to the game’s lore and world building. I would love the idea of exploring chapters 1 through 3 in the future.
If you could go back in time and change anything in the development of El Shaddai, what would it be?
I hope that one day Lucifer might offer a chance to turn back time.
All the fallen angels are supposed to transform and reappear many times, something I envisioned for El Shaddai, however, due to resource limitations at the time, it wasn’t possible to include them all. In retrospect, I believe that by redistributing these transformational elements it would have been possible to include all the fallen angels.
If I could only go back in time, I think I would revisit the entire level design. I hope that one day Lucifer might offer a chance to turn back time.
This interview has been slightly edited for clarity.
Many thanks to Takeyasu-san for telling us about El Shaddai: Ascension of the Metatron HD Remaster, coming to Nintendo Switch on April 28th, 2024. Don’t forget, if you want to have a physical version of the game , pre-orders open at Limited Run Games Website January 26th.
Are you excited to visit the world of El Shaddai? Let us know in the comments.
