Last month I complained about why videogames aren't art yet, but this game takes things way to far in the artsy direction. El Shaddai is a super-artsy action game in which style is supposed to take the place of substance. The first thing I noticed is that the game's storyline was random and ill-paced. You take control of the angel Enoch and have been tasked with recapturing a number of his rogue counterparts. You descend from Heaven on a giant angel-sealing-hand to Earth.  Your right-hand man in your search is, oddly enough, Lucifer. A sharp-dressed version of Lucifer who calls in to God on a cell phone with your progress. Yeah, that's what I thought, too. The art style is this weird flowiness that is pretty to look at, but separated me from the game; I never felt like I was connected to the setting. You watch the scenery rather than ever feeling immersive. I imagine that they were aiming for a style similar to Okami, but I ultimately felt it lacking.

An odd story and gorgeous yet odd graphics are two things that wouldn't normally keep me away, though. It was the gameplay that ultimately sealed the game's fate for me. I'd heard people comparing to this game to Devil May Cry, so naturally I was excited to play it. This, however, is no DMC or even DmC. Now, I know the DMC and Okami atmospheres are because the development lead was Takeyasu Sawaki, character designer for Devil May Cry and Okami. But it feels more like Dynasty Warriors than any decent action game I know. The system revolves around the fact that you can make up a combo depending on your timing. The longer you wait between attacks depends on your next move, and of course you can add charge attacks into the mix. But it never feels deep, never feels like it matters. In DMC, the combos you use get you a higher rating and thus earlier powerups. But in El Shaddai, what do you get? Nothing. I looked to see what kind of powerups I would get...none to be found. Okay, so I looked online to see what they were...none to be found. So the whole game consists of you doing the same combos with only three different weapons. Weapons which you don't pick up and get to keep: you have to steal them from enemies. 

All I can say is that this is a game you either love or hate. It won't take you more than an hour to figure out what side you're on. Unfortunately, I couldn't bring myself to keep playing it. With nothing grabbing me and nothing to even look forward to, I just couldn't do it. Play at your own risk.