God of War Sons of Sparta: Digital Deluxe Edition

A pretty mediocre metroidvania, clearly taking the form and function of these games but failing to meet the high bar set by the titans of the genre.

But it's difficult to recommend, because so much of the metroidvania design--the core of the genre that Kratos has found himself in--is like that frozen wasteland: slowly plodding through, just trying to reach the next warm spot where it's fun again.

A lack of definition goes some way to explaining why combat feels a bit lifeless.

God of War: Sons of Sparta is a fun spin-off that takes a series we all know and love and places it somewhere entirely different. It's a mostly successful experiment; the Metroidvania structure works well with the franchise's mechanics, and it looks and sounds the part. However, it takes too long to really come into its own, leaving the early parts of the game feeling a bit lacking compared to the richer experience found later on. If you have the patience to see it through, and can overlook some rough edges here and there, this is a worthwhile adventure for fans that delves into Kratos' history in a way we haven't seen before.

Sauceless combat, a do-nothing story, and striking lack of personality don’t do any favors to a novel premise and quality voice acting that gave an initially promising first impression. A God of War Metroidvania could have been a productive and exciting use of the IP, especially in a post-Silksong world, but Sons of Sparta doesn’t have a fraction of that juice.

God of War: Sons of Sparta plays it safe when no other God of War title had done so before. Rather than the rage-fueled narrative of a Kratos beyond redemption, this story focuses on his formative years as a proper Spartan and learning the meaning of duty. Trouble is, the story could have just as easily been told with any two Greek brothers to the same effect.

The locales are neat, the corridor design is fine, but getting through the first couple of hours is a real chore. Combat fares better thanks to a smart implementation of Greek and Norse era mechanics, but Mega Cat Studios never manages to capture the God of War feeling. God of War Sons of Sparta is a satisfactory adventure in the God of War universe, but it's far from the triumphant return of the Greek era fans have been waiting for.

God War Sons of Sparta is a basic entry in both the beloved IP and the Metroidvania genre, one likely to be forgotten by fans of both.

Although the game provides up to thirty hours of gameplay, numerous issues make it difficult to call it a truly enjoyable experience. The poorly balanced difficulty prevents the combat mechanics from being used to their full potential, while the art style significantly differs from what fans were expecting. The Polish localization also leaves a lot to be desired and falls far short of the quality associated with PlayStation Studios. If you’re not interested in every single chapter of Kratos story, it might be easier to skip this one and wait for a remake of the Greek trilogy instead.

I’m not going to sit here and tell you that God of War: Sons of Sparta is the best metroidvania ever. I’m not even going to tell you it’s the best game that I’ve played this year, because the truth is that it’s not. But it is a very competent and fun game, and something that I’m very glad exists.