God of War: Sons of Sparta is a forgettable Kratos adventure

It has been a mixed few weeks for the God of War franchise. A series of games about an angry spartan, Kratos, who slays entire pantheons before actually becoming a god himself is now about to become a TV show, with quite a polarising first look at Kratos, who seemed like he was busy chewing paan in a forest.

Then we got actual war in the world, followed by a reveal of the next God of War game featuring Kratos’ wife, Faye. The real highlight was the surprise launch of a brand new God of War game, featuring Kratos himself, except, this one is far from the rage-fuelled action fests that the franchise is known for. Instead, it explores a young version of our anti-hero in a side scrolling Castlevania-like adventure that is quite decent.

When their comrade goes missing, Kratos and his brother Deimos set out on a mission to find him. Framed as a tale told by a much older Kratos to his daughter Calliope, the story takes you through Kratos’s calmer teenage years as he and his brother take part in the famed Spartan Agoge, which was an ancient training programme to build elite killing machines for Sparta.

Deimos has always been one of my favourite characters in God of War: Ghost of Sparta, a spinoff on the Playstation Portable way back in 2010. Where Kratos chose to challenge the gods, Demios was abducted by Ares and tortured. Watching these two brothers reunited in better times was one of the best parts of Sons of Sparta.

Where things start falling apart in the story is the uneven pacing and moments that feel like the makers were trying too hard to pad the game with meaningful interactions, something the voice actors seemed to be struggling with as well. This is sad because God of War is rich with tales and there were so many missed chances at foreshadowing, especially for God of War fans. While I do cherish my time experiencing the youth of one of gaming’s greatest characters, it just felt like a missed opportunity. 

Side scrollers such as Sons of Sparta are called Metroidvania, a combination of Castlevania, which is known for its intricate platforming and levels, and Metroid, known for its phased approach towards exploration of interconnected worlds by gating abilities.

Again, Sons of Sparta is a competent game, which is not memorable, but fun in the way it handles the world. There are some decent bosses and there is nothing remarkable, in both the powers you unlock or the combat. In fact, for a game that redefined combat on so many levels with every iteration, Sons of Sparta does fall short. It could have been a chance to redefine this genre, as games such as Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown and so many more have done recently, with Hollow Knight being the perfect example. 

One thing the game does get right is the art. Told in a rich, hand-painted pixel style that looks like it leapt straight out of an ancient Greek children’s art book and old computer games, with organic colour palettes, beautiful backdrops that feel special and a soundtrack by Bear McCreary that does not disappoint. As someone who loves games with unique graphical styles, this is the best part of Sons of Sparta for me.

Overall, Sons of Sparta is not a bad game, it is just a normal game with nothing that makes it stand out. It rides hard on the fact that it is a God of War game and for the most part weaves a decent story, especially for those who want to delve deeper into the series version of the Pantheons.