El Shaddai is a two-face game in multiple respects. What seemed light and cel-shaded cartoony when I watched it became darker when I played it with headphones on. What was promising to be a solid 3D action-adventure game switched gears to be a 2D platformer. And on a lesser note, the androgynous god-like male character appears to have women's breasts up close. 

The graphics are undoubtedly for the art style and not for pushing polygons. Everything has a simple look to it at a distance almost to the point where I thought it might be a downloadable title but everything is deeper then that in close range. 

The demo started off on the palm of a giant stone hand in the sky. Controls were amazingly simple for once, in a good way, with only the control stick and three buttons being used for jumping, attacking and blocking. Combos of the buttons were also used with block and attack for a grab and all three for a super move. 

The first set of enemies looked like they were made out of stone but had no hands, feet or head. At first glance, it looked like a regular hack n' slash affair but I could steal their sword and slash upwards to start an air combo reminiscent of Devil May Cry. Some enemies had armor but once attacked, the armor could start to break and the creature would ooze black. A beefier enemy had a shield that split in two when I stole it and could be used with a dash-block attack. Overall, the action-adventure portion had left me with a positive impression of the game. 

Then bam, halfway through the demo I was left with 2D platforming. The first part was in a dark room with an impressive stained glass background but I was only climbing upwards from side to side. The only point was to advance the story or maybe the developers just wanted me to check out their awesome stained glass window. Silhouettes seem to be all the rage these days in 2D gameplay as they used that effect on the player character during these sequence. 

After, it was back outside again for platforming in the clouds. I did enjoy the watercolor cloud effects and beautiful sun rays peeking through in this segment. However, using the clouds for platforming was unclear at times until I died. I found myself running forward as far as I could on clouds in order to make a jump before the cloud drifted back down off the screen. Gameplay that relies on dying worries me for what's in-store in the final game. 

In retrospect, I'll have to say that a wait and see approach is best with this game. Maybe the art style and tight combat controls will shine through any confusing or simple platforming in the end. It all depends on the percentages of gameplay styles used. El Shaddai is coming out on PS3 and Xbox 360 in spring 2011.