God of War Sons of Sparta Review

Sons of Sparta is the earliest game in the God of War chronology and the first Greek era game since God of War: Ascension in 2013. Although I had fun at times playing it, this game unfortunately has more in common with the lukewarm reception of Ascension than it does with the heights of the original God of War saga. What starts as an interesting peak into Kratos' childhood eventually becomes something quite tiring.

What Works

At first I thought the visuals were a bit one-note, but as you progress you're able to see a lot more variety and the detail and lighting in many areas of the game is beautiful. There's a conversation to be had about art style and use of color in 2D games, but what's here is still frequently very nice to look at. Overall, the game has an aesthetic that reminds me of Nickelodeon cartoons like Avatar: The Last Airbender, but I actually think that fits given the tone and framing of the game.

This is the first God of War game to receive anything other than a Mature rating. I think the reasons for this are entirely reasonable and the way Santa Monica and Mega Cat Studios justify it is very clever. The narrative in Sons of Sparta is a story being told by an adult Kratos to his daughter Calliope, and at one point in the game Kratos even admits to censoring the events of his past to make it more appropriate for her. I really enjoyed this framing device, especially since you get to hear TC Carson reprise his role as Kratos. The rest of the voice acting is mostly serviceable, but Carson's voice is as suave and commanding as ever.

My favorite thing about this entire experience is probably the exceptional soundtrack created by series veteran Bear McCreary. It'll likely get overlooked this year due to the reception Sons of Sparta is receiving, but I think it really deserves accolades. The main motif of the score has been stuck in my head for weeks.

What Doesn't Work

Other aspects of the game began to grate on me as time went on. I was able to find merit in the style and direction of Sons of Sparta, but the writing and execution often made me question whether that was ultimately a good decision. The ending of the game is handled fairly well, but much of the dialogue before that point is hard to listen to. If the visuals are like The Last Airbender, the dialogue was like Dora the Explore in many places. I feel like this could have been avoided if the voice talent had been directed differently or if some version of cutscenes had been implemented to heighten the drama. The characters just need more forms of expression, otherwise it feels awkward.

The gameplay itself holds Sons of Sparta back as well. It's functional and entertaining enough at first, but there's no real hook. Combat, traversal, equipment, puzzles, collectibles, and other challenges all feel very average for the genre. There were a couple of boss fights that I really enjoyed, but otherwise combat and puzzle solving was something I actively avoided in the waning hours of the game because it just wasn't fun anymore. Also, bugs and AI shortcomings abound. Enemies always guard ledges, ladders occasionally don't work, subtitles will be randomly missing from dialogue, and sometimes dialogue will continue after you've died.

Verdict

As much as it pains me to say, if "God of War" wasn't in the title I definitely wouldn't have taken the time to play this. I want to see a young Kratos defeat giant sea serpents and eldritch wine warlocks, wrestle with his former devotion to the gods, bond with his brother Deimos, and discover the meaning of "duty". I want this type of God of War game to exist, but unfortunately Sons of Sparta misses the mark in too many places and ends up being a very middle of the road experience. It's enjoyable at times, but I wouldn't give my life to Ares for it.