Ok right, first off it’s worth acknowledging the fact that God of War: Sons of Sparta isn’t just a prequel of sorts to the series at large, showing off Kratos and Deimos in their formative, adolescent years, but also that the shift in theme and setting provide this latest series with an all new tonal profile. Put simply, this isn’t just yet another entry in either the horny, rage-filled Greek series, nor is it similar (at least tonally anyway) to the more recent ‘angry dad’ Norse set games, but rather it’s something that has a whole heap of familial banter and is much less grimdark than its forebears.
God Of War: Sons Of Sparta PS5 Review
Though comedy and banter are hardly the thematic touchstones of God of War as a franchise (though I suppose that more recent Mimir fans would argue to the contrary), Sons of Sparta makes it make sense by framing its story as a tale told by Greek mythology era Kratos to his daughter Calliope before everything went really, really bad. As such, you very much get the impression that Kratos (voiced with subdued, but returning gravitas by TC Carson, the OG Kratos) is relaying this tale to Calliope in a hopeful light – that in some way the experiences of his youth weren’t as roundly traumatic as you might assume given where future games take him.
It is worth mentioning though that the banter between Kratos and Deimos is quite amusing for the most part, but yet it never falls quite so strongly into outright comedy that it threatens to derail the game entirely. However, your mileage will vary on this depending on whether you think the series absolutely cannot stomach this sort of tonal shift, or, if you’re like me, you kinda just chalk it up to being a prequel where this sort of tone won’t likely be repeated again in a future title. I didn’t mind it personally, but others might, so tread carefully.
As to the game itself, at its heart, yes, God of War: Sons of Sparta is a 2D side-scrolling Metroidvania. It thoroughly embraces that classic exploratory progression hard-stop of requiring players to obtain new abilities to reach previously inaccessible areas, all the while actively encouraging improvements in gear and offensive skills which is in turn tied to a versatile and satisfying combat system. It is absolutely a solidly made entry in the subgenre, albeit one that cannot quite hold a candle to the elite entries in the genre, such as the seminal Hollow Knight and Dead Cells.
Starting with the story, Sons of Sparta centers on Kratos and his brother Deimos as adolescent Spartans looking to make their mark and join the coveted Vanguard Circle in order to become part of the Spartan force proper. However, when a classmate Vasilis goes missing, the two brothers must track down their wayward friend, all the while intrigue within Sparta itself springs up on the regular and provides a degree of foreboding as to what will happen to Kratos and Deimos further down the line.
Speaking of foreboding, after a brief and tender introduction setting up its narrative premise, Sons of Sparta wastes no time thrusting you into an epic confrontation with a rampaging cyclops, all the while a full orchestral score worthy of the core games swells and thunders around you. It makes a favourable first impression to say the least while an early, oddly playful eye-ripping on a post mortem cyclops would presage the messy business Kratos would be getting up to in his later years.
Anchored by some incredibly detailed and charming 2D pixel art, Sons of Sparta doesn’t just have detailed sprites and painterly backgrounds which demand to be gawked at, but also a key talent for spectacle too, as the camera frequently pulls back from the action to provide a complete sweep of its epic hand drawn environments that again begins to recall the breathless spectacle of the franchise at large.
Perhaps one of Sons of Sparta’s biggest achievements is that it feels very much like a core God of War game in a number of notable ways. From the action RPG collection of red orbs from killing a raft of Greek mythological enemies, unleashing brutal executions (though they do lack the variety seen in the core series), breaking pots, knocking down suspended buckets filled with loot and busting open chests to level up your abilities to even the reflexive shield parry seen in the latest God of War titles, Sons of Sparta is practically dripping with the series trademark DNA.
Controlling this young version of Kratos is a delight. Ultra-responsive to every command, Kratos can attack omnidirectionally and has beautifully pixel-perfect platforming (and mantling) to boot, all the while the DualSense controller palpably registers everything our young hero does via its haptic feedback technology. Oh and speaking of the DualSense controller, Sons of Sparta makes ample use of Sony’s current generation controller with voices emanating from the speakers, the previously aforementioned haptic feedback and even an instance where you need to blow into the controller to push the story forward. Sure it’s gimmicky stuff, but I still like it when developers remember such functionality exists, y’know?
Though the platforming in Sons of Sparta is enjoyable enough for the most part, it’s really in the combat that the proceedings come alive. Holding R1 and pressing the standard attack button triggers a Spartan Spirit attack which drains the meter of the same name to inflict stun effects on enemies in lieu of additional damage, with a view to staggering them sufficiently to allow an execution attack to take place. As you might expect, landing regular strikes helps to refill the meter, lending a new tactical layer as you alternate between stun and damage attack strategies depending on the foes in front of you.
Beyond such abilities, Kratos can roll past and through many enemies, which turns out to be the centrepiece of any strategy against harder enemies further in the game because doing so provides a small number of invincibility frames, saving you from grievous harm in the moment. Blocking can prevent damage to your health, but only for as long as you remain unhit, while a Ragnarök style parry ability enables Kratos to not just interrupt his enemies, but depending on the progression paths and weapons you have, interrupt them with a devastating counterattack into the bargain.
Significantly bolstering all of this is the level of customisation that Sons of Sparta affords players when it comes to armaments. Though Kratos’ trusty spear is his primary means of dishing out pain to his adversaries, you can, by collecting the necessary materials and blood orbs, unlock new hilts, spear tips and more which can confer elemental effects, stat bonuses and other such boons. The same also applies to his shield as well, with a variety of different craftable rims which can also materially affect your playstyle depending on what you choose.
Even though the combat is an undeniable highlight of Sons of Sparta, the exploration is also compelling if not particularly original when compared to the genre at large. There is a genuine compulsion to not just keep playing in a general sense, but also explore every nook, cranny and take the time to backtrack and use your new abilities to access all of those previously walled off areas which taunted you with their rewards earlier in the game. It’s not anything revolutionary of course, but a mere statement of fact that together with the combat and platforming sides of the equation, Sons of Sparta nails the fundamentals of the Metroidvania genre pretty darn well. There is a lot to do in Sons of Sparta, too. Not only are there a metric ton of secrets and loot to uncover, but so too are there a massive number of side quests to be completed as well. Again, this is nothing revelatory or new, but it reinforces the fact that not only does Sons of Sparta get how Metroidvania games ‘tick’, it also respects the player’s investment by providing them with a pleasingly muscular chunk of interesting stuff to do.
Beyond the tone, something which might also anger not just God of War fans but genre fans alike is the fact that a two player, local co-operative mode cannot be accessed from the beginning of the game, instead it can only be unlocked once you’ve completed the game for the first time. Now, the ‘Pit of Agonies’ mode isn’t a cooperative tale on the main campaign, but rather a series of extremely punishing exhibition boss fights in which you can drag a mate along to help even up the odds somewhat. I get having modes like New Game Plus locked behind a game completion wall, but having something like local co-op – which ostensibly should be a selling point for the game – not available from the get-go feels like a baffling omission to me.
Though the tonal shift might be too much for some longer term God of War vets and it really doesn’t achieve anything fresh or new in the Metroidvania space, Sons of Sparta nevertheless stands as proof that AAA developers like Sony Santa Monica should continue to let talented indie devs play in their sandbox because despite such flawed, the results are still more than worthwhile.
God of War: Sons of Sparta is out now on PS5.
Review code kindly provided by Sony PR.