For a while, the God of War series was incredibly tired. The straw that broke the camel’s back was God of War: Ascension — a perfectly fine hack-and-slasher in its own right, but it was so similar to what came before it that fatigue for Kratos’ angry adventures really started to settle in.
It’s exactly why the Norse games took a very different approach, not only changing the setting and the style of gameplay, but also finally making Kratos a more well-rounded character. It was a refresh that was sorely needed, and the more recent titles have further cemented the franchise as a firm favourite PlayStation property.
With God of War: Sons of Sparta, the table has been flipped once again, and we’re seeing the saga literally and figuratively from a whole new perspective.
Developed primarily by Mega Cat Studios, this is a side-scrolling Metroidvania action game, and for the most part, it works very well.
Narrated by an adult Kratos telling a story to his daughter Calliope, the game is set long in his past, when he was just a teenager training to become a Spartan soldier. We’re pleasantly surprised by the game’s setting; it’s much more interesting to explore the character’s childhood and see a new side of him, rather than finding yet another excuse to have him ripping a hole in Greek mythology as an adult.
Kratos has earned an Eiren’s pass, allowing him (alongside his younger brother Deimos) to explore beyond the walls of Sparta. Because of this freedom, the brothers are charged with tracking down a missing boy, Vasilis, and thus begins your usual Metroidvania structure.
You slowly uncover the game’s sprawling map, running into roadblocks you’ll have to return to later once you’ve unlocked new abilities and equipment. There’s an emphasis on combat, which makes sense given this is a God of War game, but there’s a degree of platforming and puzzle-solving that increases as you progress.
It isn’t doing anything you’ve never seen in a Metroidvania before, but it’s a good example of one; it’s fun to explore each area and revisit them with newly acquired powers.
Sons of Sparta smartly incorporates God of War mechanics from the Greek and Norse games, making for something that feels new and familiar at the same time.
The more straightforward upgrade structure from the older games is paired with the way gear works in the more modern ones, for example. It all fits quite naturally into the Metroidvania formula.
One drawback of structuring the game this way is that it doesn’t make the best first impression. You start off with very few tools in your arsenal, and so the first couple of hours can feel a little dull. It takes the game quite a long time to really warm up.
It’s a bit of a shame, because once you’ve unlocked a bunch of key items, upgraded Kratos, and have better equipment, it feels much more varied and interesting than it does in the early goings. We’d say Sons of Sparta generally gets better the further you play it.
Combat is relatively one-note, at least at first; you rely heavily on your basic combo to chip away at enemies. Things are made more interesting with Spirit attacks, which generate health orbs and build up stun meter faster. This costs you your yellow Spirit meter, but you can refill it by performing regular attacks.
On top of that is a generous dodge roll, as well as a shield you can use to block and parry, which has the same satisfying slow-mo effect as the Norse games.
It’s all competently done, but it really grows after you’ve invested in skill trees and have a bunch of decent upgrades. Turning Kratos into a force to be reckoned with is gratifying, and you have some options in how you approach that.
You can customise your spear, shield, and other gear with parts that grant various effects, like elemental damage or being more likely to critical hit. A belt you get later can be adorned with all kinds of passive buffs, like making health orbs more potent or making enemies explode on death.
There’s plenty to sink your teeth into, and we’ve yet to mention the Gifts of Olympus, which are used for traversal and puzzle-solving as well as special combat moves.
The trouble is, we think it takes a little too long before the game really comes into its own. Once it finally builds momentum, Sons of Sparta is a fun spin on the series, but it takes its time getting to the good stuff.
Even things like fast travel are left very late into proceedings; you can travel between temples from the off, but there aren’t too many of them. Many hours into the game, you unlock fast travel between campfires as well, which dramatically eases navigation and makes backtracking much more palatable. It just might come too late for some.
Fortunately, the game’s setting and characters are just interesting enough to pull you along. Kratos’ relationship with Deimos is the centrepiece; their loyalty to each other and to Sparta is tested as they push further and further out in search of Vasilis.
It’s also a nicely visualised world, with some really lovely pixel artwork and varied environments. Again, early on they can feel a bit samey, but further in you get harsh mountain passes, a cursed vineyard, and a peaceful seaport.
Aside from a few rough edges, like occasional visual bugs and one area in particular causing frame rate issues, it’s a decent-looking game, albeit far from the high-end visuals series fans have come to expect.
It sounds great too, thanks to a new score from returning composer Bear McCreary and solid voice acting, including a refreshingly tempered delivery from T.C. Carson as adult Kratos.
One other thing to touch on is the co-op mode, which is unfortunately only unlocked upon finishing the main game. Unlockable modes isn’t a new thing, of course, but advertising that there’s co-op when in fact you have to first complete the single player game (that’s dozens of hours long) is a bit misleading.
