In this game, you play as Enoch, a HUMAN chosen by God to rip the souls from the Watchers and return them to Heaven. You are guided by the Archangels Michael, Gabriel, Raphael and Uriel. The Archangels appear as Swans in the game and their voices often tell you where to go, what to do, or warn you when a hazard lies ahead of you. The Watchers were sent to Earth by God to watch over humanity, but grew to be enamored with Humanity instead and decided to rebel. They created a huge tower on Earth and hid it away from heaven with a dimensional veil. Each of the floors of the Tower are guarded by a Watcher and their realms are often dramatically different in environment and art style. The Seven Watchers are: Azazel, Ezekiel, Armaros, Semyaza, Sariel, Belial, and Baraquel.
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The Watchers:
- Azazel: Leader of the Grigori (Watchers) and Semyaza'a right hand man.
- Ezekiel: Talks of Love but doesn't know the meaning.
- Armaros: Good Luck getting him to repent.
- Sariel: Don't let his idea of Love fool you.
- Arakiel: We can't let him live out his days on Earth.
- Baraquel: May this be the place he dies.
- Semyaza: You know the Boss, He used to be an Elder on the Council.
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The Archangels:
- Uriel: The Archangel of Battle.
- Michael: The Leader of the Archangels. The messanger of God's Will and Lucifel's twin brother. They are polar opposites in both personality and temperment.
- Raphael: Archangel of Understanding. Sees you as a pure hearted friend and helps you figure out how to use the items you come across.
- Gabriel: Portrayed as a woman. The Archangel of healing and information. Gives advice and warnings on your Journey.
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Lucifel is the liason between God and Enoch. He gives Enoch his armor, gives him his mission and allows you to Save in the middle of the stages of the Tower. Yes, this is THE Fallen Angel Lucifer before he falls. Time means nothing to Lucifel. All things exist at all times for him and he sports modern clothes, dresses Enoch in jeans and armor and talks to God over a cell phone. Will Lucifel fall in El Shaddai? I don't know, but here he is using a tool of man (an umbrella) and the Archangels (and possibly God) are none too happy about it. Early on, although he is God's Right Hand Man in the storyline, he is already showing signs of loving humanity JUST as the Watchers do. This may be pivotal to the plot!
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Many of the former Clover Okami team helped design this game. It's apparent in the liberal use of varying art styles --NOT-- just the wood cutting style used in Okami, but many different styles of Abstract Art. Some of the effects are downright jaw-dropping. The team's devotion to art and beauty is apparent here and has become their unique "signature" on games they work on! The combat system used in the game, along with how the weapons work (there are three) also seem very reminiscent of Okami as well.
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You probably see what I mean here, BUT the game also calls to mind, VERY STRONGLY, Miyazaki's and Studio Gibli's work. The Nephalim in particular bring about memories of Spirited Away almost immediately! I wonder if they had anything to do with this game or it's story?
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You get three weapons in the game:
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- The Arch: is a Holy Blade of Light with the powers to slice through anything. (Medium Range)
- The Veil: the steel fist that crushes all. Two parts of a shield that act as the Holy Fists of God. Highest defensive strength. (Close Range)
- The Gale: the free flying silver wind that flies across the battlefield like a looming tornado. (Long Range)
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Once obtaining them the first time in the game, they can be freely stolen from your enemies and purified for you to use. They have an order to which they are more powerful over one another, and it goes like this:
Gale over Arch-------Arch over Veil-------Veil over Gale.
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You can also fight with your hands and feet, but... against Angels, would you want to?
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Throughout the course of the game you get Boost and Overboost Attacks associated with each weapon.
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Yes, there is only one attack button. How can this be in a game that seems remiscent of Devil May Cry in it's action? Well, as Aspro said in the News Forum, the rhythm to which you hit the button decides the strike you will make. Continous tapping make quick strikes, punches or fires quick bolts as you would expect. Holding the button Charges a stronger attack. Pausing between hitting the button initiates a Guard Break if your enemy is blocking. It is actually more like Muramasa in this respect than Devil May Cry. Your strikes also vary depending on if you are pressing in a direction or if you are in motion, or if you are standing still as you press. To be fair though, you also have a Jump button and a Block button. Combinations of Block and Attack, Jump and Block, and Jump and Attack do varying strikes as well. With "one" attack button, you would expect this game to be overly simple. Not AT ALL so! The nuances of the fighting system, how when and where to attack, when you purify, the rhythm of your attacks... ALL matter! I almost forgot to mention: Counter-attacks happen when you charge and release JUST before an enemy hits you. Sound overly simple to you? It's not. You'd be surprised at the depth "one" attack button provides!
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*Achieved by pausing before hitting the attack button!*
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I've heard, time and again, complaints about the obscure story in reviews. If reviewers actually took 5 minutes of their time to do what I did and READ a little about the source material, it wouldn't be all that confusing! What I am taking away from it so far is both simple and thoughtful at the same time.
The Watchers are Holy Beings (Angels) assigned a task by God to protect and watch over Humanity. They land up falling in Love with the humans and admiring their Freedom of Choice and Creativity. It almost seems like God and the Archangels look down on the Humans and boast about things like: "Heaven has ideas that would take the humans 1000 years to understand." They almost have the attitude that they are the Masters and the humans are to be kept in check and not allowed to get too powerful. The very idea there is a Hierarchy IN Heaven and not all Angels are even equal seems to be the foundation for all of this. The Watchers start to procreate with the Humans and create the Nephalim. Instead of being loved by God, these children of Humans and Angels are looked upon as Abominations. Their creation and the Union of Angels and Humans is God's great motivation behind The Great Flood.
Enoch is tasked with Ripping out the Souls of the Watchers and imprisoning them for Eternity in Heaven. All for falling in Love with Humans. Thing is, the Humans seem to be genuinely HAPPY with their place in the scheme of things and are THRIVING and CELEBRATING being with the Watchers. God and the Archangels are seen in both a GOOD Light and a BAD Light in the middle of all this. As you begin your trek to find the Tower, you stumble thru a Celebration, complete with Fireworks and Jubilant Music. You can't help but ask yourself: Why is this so wrong? What have the Humans done? What have the Nephalim done? If we are ALL God's children, why should the Watchers be condemned for imparting some of Heaven's knowledge to Humanity?
Finally, you have to wonder what Lucifel's place is in all of this?
Love, Betrayal, Loyalty, Empathy and Jealousy. All Biblical themes, told in typical Japanese-anime-like style, and not too hard to understand at all. Kind of makes me embarassed for those game reviewers out there that just don't "get" it!
I can't wait to get it.
Is this a boxed or download game? Looks interesting to say the least. And Team Okami makes it very promising
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Listen to Wu-Tang and watch Kung-Fu
Boxed!
Notice how I haven't been "gushing" about this game yet, as I always do? Notice how I am just describing it and not getting all emotional yet? It's not that I dislike the game --AT ALL-- yet I'm not going to claim it's 100% perfect (yet) either!
With the One button attack scheme, you REALLY have to learn how to use it effectively. You tell yourself it should be simple, but you'll find yourself not always knowing how you did some move or another. There's A LOT of hidden depth there, but, at times, you'll wonder if you'll ever truly master it all. There's a rhythm and flow to the game that's probably intentional; there are right and wrong times to use certain weapons, and it's not always clear. Timing is important too, and until you get that down, you might become frustrated.
This is the SAME way I was feeling about Muramasa (Wii) at first too; another game with a so-called "simple" attack scheme. At first it feels uncontrollable, once you learn it though, it feels sublime. I haven't reached that point yet.
The STORY and the ART are the motivating factors in the game OVER the gameplay, at least at first. THAT'S why I wanted to introduce all of THAT stuff in here FIRST! There's NOTHING quite like it out there, even though you'll compare it to many games. It is STILL something any REAL gamers need to behold, good or bad!
I admit, I am a sucker for games with Biblical themes. I am counting on the fact that the art and story will STILL be motivation enough for everyone else though!
One thing I definitely DON'T like at the moment: The side-scrolling action is a little too "slippery" using an analog stick. I keep on finding myself wishing I could use the d-pad in those stages! Some of the game's most striking art is in those side-scrolling stages (wait until you see the stained-glass imagery of the archangels!) so THAT keeps you pressing forward, in spite of the controls. I am hoping they eventually are something you can get used to!
The game wants to tell a story, more so, it seems, than be a perfected action game. To that end, there are game mechanics that may bewilder players. For example, you'll be confronted by a Watcher and you think you have to fight... but then you are stomped in one shot! It's not always easy to tell when you --HAVE TO-- lose a battle. A lot of the times you'll be asking yourself: "What just happened?!" Whether or not these battles are winnable EVER or if it's just part of the story line, I STILL don't know! Sometimes it seems, win or lose, the game goes on, and you just don't know if that's just part of the design!
Another somewhat perplexing thing is the way the game references TIME. Enoch, even though he is human, supposedly lives for thousands upon thousands of years. There are anachronisms all over the place and even Lucifel will tell you "Well, that only took you 300 hundred years to do!" Your winning, losing, apparent immortality and the story ALL seem to be wrapped around this somehow, yet, it's not clear HOW. That's the one and only confusing thing in the game so far. Whether or not the story will explain that, I don't know. It's based on the actual stories, as was posted above, but as you play the game, you don't quite see how it all fits together. If they somehow resolve THAT, then the game will tell a damn good story! Jury is definitely still out on that!
Don't be discouraged by all the was just written, the game is still something you need to at least experience, if not outright own!
I hope you are satisfied Aspro! One little comment by you this morning has set me off on a several hour long writing/posting spree! Good thing I settled all my obligations for the day earlier... STILL, it's all your fault!
One of the writings in the game about Watcher Sariel:
"Beautiful and refined mothers, elegant and wise older sisters, cute and innocent younger sisters, and very special lovers...
All love Sariel, and are in turn loved by him.
For all the hatred I feel over the various bonds women share with Sariel, I have not the power to set them free.
I fear they may never regain their love."
Errr... I have been told by God to rip out Sariel's soul and imprison it in Heaven for all eternity...? Why don't I feel right about this?
*Now playing drunk El Shaddai!*
No problem! Have a good flight!
Coming home or going away again?
...and it finally happened!
You know that feeling when everything just "clicks" and you get it? Yeah. The game crossed over from being a little uncontrollable to being a flowing, ass-kicking, dance-of-death, sublime experience! Suddenly you are timing your button presses just right. You are recognizing what weapons are best in what situations. The game just got GOOD! Same, exact feeling as in Muramasa! Makes me want to start over with what I've learned and feel what it's like to play the early levels "right."
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...but first, some more observations!
The use of abstract art in this game --UNLIKE ANY OTHER BEFORE IT-- is so well done it is scary... LITERALLY scary! The developers, instead of trying to pound an idea in your head using blood, guts, gore or an overly verbose story, INSTEAD use simple abstract art designs that appeal to your subconscious mind. Some of the imagery will make you --FEEL-- uneasy, even when there are no enemies on the screen! You'll feel joy, sadness, dread and not even consciously know WHY! It's done sooo well, I can literally say NO OTHER game has appealed to my mind in such a way. There's no way in HELL I'll be able to do it justice in words! It's just something you have to see and experience for yourself!
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...speaking of hell...
Lucifel is starting to show signs of his true nature as I play further into the game! Some of the conversations with God seem almost a little sarcastic. Tinged with un-truth. You wonder what he is up to and start to doubt him little by little. I honestly can't say if these suspicions are going anywhere or if it's just my imagination, knowing who he becomes! It makes you stop and wonder: Some people believe Lucifer is the opposite of God, a force of evil to balance out God's "good." Others believe he is part of God's design. He is God's "right hand man" in the game as I have said before, so maybe all was planned in advance and he's just going along with it... for the time being? Are God and Lucifel in cahoots through this whole quest? Is this all by Lucifel's design? Right now, I just don't know! Funny thing is: You honestly like Lucifel in the beginning of the game; he's the calm voice of reason, the cool character. He's handsome and dresses well, he's got the kind of voice (actor) that conveys a suave nature and believability juuust enough... If this is NOT just my imagination, and the developers designed him to be this way... Wow! It is done BRILLIANTLY!
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Sadly, even though my excitement grows, I just --KNOW-- this game is going to be just another Okami/Shadows of the Damned/Little King's Story when it comes to sales. The imagery is going to be too abstract for the Call of Duty crowd. The Devil May Cry kids are going to be turned off by the themes. I'm not the kind of gamer that NEEDS other people to like what I am playing to feel better about it myself, but just for once I would love to see a creative, well-designed game get it's due!
phantom_leo said:Sadly, even though my excitement grows, I just --KNOW-- this game is going to be just another Okami/Shadows of the Damned/Little King's Story when it comes to sales. The imagery is going to be too abstract for the Call of Duty crowd. The Devil May Cry kids are going to be turned off by the themes. I'm not the kind of gamer that NEEDS other people to like what I am playing to feel better about it myself, but just for once I would love to see a creative, well-designed game get it's due!
Dvader said:I'll buy it when it's $15.
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There's so much to discuss about this game I don't even know where to begin! Just to make things clearer, I'll do something I've never done before and start with definitions of concepts seen in the game!
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Despite the brief descriptions of him, Enoch is one of the main two focal points for much of the 1st millennium BC Jewish mysticism, notably in the Book of Enoch. Additionally, Enoch is important in some Christian denominations: He is commemorated as one of the Holy Forefathers in the Calendar of Saints of the Armenian Apostolic Church and the Armenian Catholic Church on July 26. He also features in the Latter Day Saint movement. Enoch appears in Genesis as the seventh of the ten pre-Deluge Patriarchs. The function of the Patriarchs is primarily to mark the passage of immense periods of time[citation needed]: each lives for several centuries, has a son, lives more centuries, and dies. Enoch is unique in the series on two counts: his life-span of 365 years is extremely short in the context of his long-lived peers, and he does not die, the Bible noting rather that "he was not, for God took him."
Archangels: Archangel (
/ˌɑrk.ˈeɪndʒəl/) is a term meaning an angel of high rank. Archangels are found in a number of religious traditions, including Judaism, Christianity and Islam. Michael and Gabriel are recognized as archangels by Judaism and by most Christians. The book of Tobit mentions Raphael, who is also considered by some to be an archangel; Tobit is recognized in the Catholic and Orthodox versions of the Bible, but considered apocryphal by Protestants. The archangels Michael, Gabriel and Raphael are venerated in the Roman Catholic Church with a feast on September 29 (formerly March 24 for Gabriel and 24 October for Raphael). The named archangels in Islam are Gabriel, Michael, Raphael and Azrael.
The Watchers: In the Book of Enoch, the watchers are angels dispatched to Earth to watch over the humans. They soon begin to lust for human women, and at the prodding of their leader Samyaza, they defect en masse to illicitly instruct and procreate among humanity. The offspring of these unions are the Nephilim, savage giants who pillage the earth and endanger humanity. Samyaza and associates further taught their human charges arts and technologies such as weaponry, cosmetics, mirrors, sorcery, and other techniques that would otherwise be discovered gradually over time by humans, not foisted upon them all at once. Eventually God allows a Great Flood to rid the earth of the Nephilim, but first sends Uriel to warn Noah so as not to eradicate the human race. While Genesis says that the Nephilim remained "on the earth" even after the Great Flood, Jude says that the Watchers themselves are bound "in the valleys of the Earth" until Judgment Day.
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