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This is a weird game. You thought Platinum and Suda51 made weird games? Think again. This game is so weird, many people don't understand what it's all about. Well, most people. Okay, everyone not involved in the making of El Shaddai. Okay, everyone in the entire world.

Ghost stairs are best stairs. I will try to explain the plot, hoping that what little mental stability I have won't evaporate as soon as I try to remember what I just finished playing.
A long time ago, a pretty anime man wearing nothing but jeans called Enoch is tasked by Lucifel, a pretty anime man who talks to God himself on his cellphone and likes to stop time itself to break the fourth wall, to bring back the seven Fallen Angels to Heaven before the Lord floods the world to get rid of the vileness they spread. Of course, that won't be easy, as the Watchers erected a gigantic tower, heavily guarded by an army made up of their children.
It doesn't seem really confusing, but the story likes to make what happens unnecessarily complex, and it tries its hardest to make the cutscenes look as stylish as possible, at the cost of comprehension.
It's also worth noting that the game sometimes expects you to figure out things on your own, or to remember characters you only saw once more than a few hours earlier, or to pretend what's happening is definitely not out-of-place and unexplained.
The developers took many, many creative liberties, but still, some insight on the original work, the non-canonical biblical text "Book of Enoch", will at least help you understand who everyone is, so it's highly recommended to at least skim through a couple of Wikipedia pages.

Did you know that evil towers also have underwater caves? The visual department was clearly their main focus, as each and every place you visit looks absolutely stunning. You will find yourself stopping every few minutes just to stare at the amazing non-euclidean scenery, and for good reasons. The character models also look well-detailed.
Anyway, you don't need me to explain, just try to look at the pictures without your jaw dropping. No, you can't.
The soundtrack is really good as well. A good number of majestic- and epic-sounding pieces will accompany you in your journey, and though none of them come even close to being memorable, they get the job done.

The game's presentation is fantastic, but does it play well?
El Shaddai is a linear hack 'n slash with heavy platforming elements (or a platformer with a heavy focus on combat). Throughout the game's eleven Chapters you will jump over bottomless pits, both in 2D and in 3D, somehow similarly to Nier, and fight a lot of enemies either bare-handed, or with one of three weapons. You'll be able to steal one from your enemies when they're stunned, and you'll keep it until you get another one. Each of the three weapons suits a different playstyle: if you like a regular quick blade you'll use the Arch, if you like to hit from a distance you'll fight with the Gale, if you like a slow, hard-hitting weapon you'll prefer the Veil. Whatever you choose, you will find yourself switching between the three rather often, as each enemy is weak to a certain weapon and strong against another.

If you hold an Arch, you can descend slowly, making platforming easier. The battle system itself is fairly simple. You have one attack button, a jump button and a guard button. Mash Square (X if you play on the 360) and you'll perform a standard combo, delay further attacks and you'll break the enemies' defenses, hold it and you'll charge a stronger move. Guard at the right time to stun the enemy for a few moments, guard too much and they'll tear through your defense. Attack too much and your weapon will become weaker, requiring the press of the left bumper to purify it. By filling an invisible gauge during battle (most notably by Perfect Guarding a lot), you'll be able to activate the Overboost by pressing, strengthening your attacks for a short amount of time. The Overboost can be leveled up by collecting red orbs scattered everywhere, found inside breakable objects and dropped by dead enemies.
When I mentioned "invisible gauge", that applies to the entirety of the HUD. As in, there isn't one. Your enemies' health, as well as Enoch's, can be told by looking at the state of their clothes, which adds to the game's unique style. Once your health does deplete, you have a few seconds to mash all the buttons on your controller to wake up before you're sent back to the nearest checkpoint. The more times you faint, the harder it is to get up, kind of like a boxing game.

Even regular fights can look great. It's all fairly fun, when the enemies don't suddenly decide to have super armor and not flinch from your attacks, but it all feels rather repetitive after a while. The game suffers from this the most during the first three chapters, which have little in the way of variety, both visually and combat-wise. Once you reach Chapter 4, the game starts to change things up a bit by introducing new enemies or mechanics, and you finally fight one of the game's incredibly fun bosses, which up until that point were either meant to be lost, or didn't really feel like bosses at all.

In the end, though it was hard to play through at first, I really enjoyed my time with it. Considering how cheap it is, I suggest you buy it and give it a shot.
If just to admire the beautiful scenery.
And the pretty anime men, if you're into that. I won't judge.