My play through ofEl Shaddaiwas easily the most informative time I had at PAX East. For one, the game taught me what happens when one of the most talented visual artists in gaming today gets to be in charge for once. Thelead visual designer onOkamiandViewtiful Joedidn’t make the jump to Platinum Games when Clover disbanded. Instead, he took the reins as the director ofEl Shaddai, which explains why the game looks so gorgeous. It’s rare for a game to tie together so many visual ideas, and so many styles of gameplay, into one cohesive package.
That’s just the start of what I learned about the game from Shane Bettenhausen (formerly of EGM and 1UP, now at Ignition Entertainment). For instance, did you know that Lusifel, the time traveling angel, looksexactly like Travis Touchdown, while the evolution-loving angel Azazel looks just like a battle armoredMarlon Brando? Or did you know that there are parts of the Bible that most Christians don’t consider “canon”, sort of like how someStar Warsfans choose to believe that Han and Luke had a secret sexual relationship, because that’s their…
