God Of War succeeds on almost every level except for its weak level design and some frustrating sections of play.
God of War is about Kratos, a condemned Spartan in ancient Greece, living day by day with the reminder of his unforgivable deeds. He served as a captain for the Spartan army, and later as a workhorse for Aries, the god of war, until he was betrayed by Aries himself (voiced by Steve Blum!). Now the tables have turned, and with the help of the other gods of Olympus, the sea, and the Underworld, Kratos, a mortal, intends to kill the God of War. Dark, eh? Well, it is, and it’s wonderful. This story of revenge and damnation offers no light-heartedness, but is still satisfying. Its gameplay works in the tradition of games past like Devil May Cry and Ninja Gaiden. The kind of free-wheeling slaughter that has redefined action. Its pure hack ‘n’ slash, but of a kind that’s smarter than many of its contemporaries. Kratos’ weapons, the Blades of Chaos, are one of the newest things God of War has to offer, making gameplay very fluid and easy to get the hang of. There is also a large amount of magic spells you can have at your disposal and a light RPG element to powering each of them up. There are a lot of enemies standing in your way, and removing them is quite a highlight, which is a good thing to say for a game. The boss battles are another epic quality, them being larger than life and you being determined to kill them in any violent way possible. The hydra is a standout, and so is Aries himself. There are a few drawbacks, however, so this formula. One, the game is a little short, and should take you no longer than 8 hours to complete, and that’s if you’ve dawdled. This isn’t a big problem, however, as the story wouldn’t be well served by dragging on for 30 hours. It plays a little coy with actual Greek mythology, but I think that’s probably the point, to use the devices familiar (to some, anyway) and exercise freedom within that world, since in reality Kratos’ story can be told, and has, outside of the setting. Which leaves one more complaint, and it’s the doozy. The level design. It’s super-linear and just feels plain shoddy. The linear paths of Killer7 seemed deliberate, this is just restrictive. It’s manageable most of the times, but there’s always a little presence there saying “you can only move about ten feet to each side.” Swimming is an illogical and completely unnecessary addition as well. It’s awkward and is the kind of thing that turns you off from playing the game. But with only a few real major complaints, it’s plain to see that the good far outweighs the bad.
The graphics in the game are among the best the Playstation 2 has to offer. The cut-scene graphics are magnificent, and are probably the best the console has to offer, and the in-game graphics are no slouch. They retain the look of the cut-scenes fairly well, and are quite impressive to gaze upon, especially Aries’ fiery hair. The models are attractive, and the blood effects are a thrill.
The sound of the game is another high-point. A wonderful epic musical score backed by great sound effects and superb voice acting. Kratos voice fits and actually improves upon the character. Aries sounds wonderful as well, with Steve Blum adding a little gruff to his instantly recognizable and beloved voice.
The game is short, as I said before, but comes packed with so many extras the game hardly feels lacking. There’s concept art, back stories, and trailers and documentaries. It’s nice to see how exactly this game was thought up and crafted, and the game is worth keeping around on those merits.
All in all God of War is a great game, even if it maybe isn’t entirely deserving of the fierce accolades it received almost unanimously. It should excite anyone appreciative of the mythology just to see how it is represented here, and fans of action games in general.