God of War: Ascension Review

Richard Walker

In school, teachers tried to teach us all about Greek mythology, and happily some of it sunk in. What would have helped us to absorb more about Greek myth is a few lessons from Kratos, as we've learned far more about the epic stories and the myriad creatures of Ancient legend from the God of War games. And Jason and the Argonauts, obviously. Having wrapped up the God of War saga with God of War III three years ago, Sony Santa Monica is going back to where it all began with God of War: Ascension, which means more vertiginous monsters, even more blood-soaked hack 'n' slash action and more sweeping, epic, eye-popping set-pieces.

As a prequel, Ascension deals with a slightly more mortal version of Kratos, which means a slightly stripped down move set, less weapon variety and a slightly less vengeance-fuelled Spartan with a few less battle scars. He's still not averse to a bit of dismemberment, disembowelment, head severance and impromptu brain surgery however, which is undoubtedly good news. God of War: Ascension preserves the core gameplay and still revels in overblown showers of blood and gore then, as well as more then a few quick-time events that are starting to wear a little thin these days. Some buttonless mini-games help keep things fresh, although you'll still find that you're doing a lot of button-matching sequences as per usual.


Kratos is still king of the bad-asses.

In terms of first for the series, there's clearly been an attempt to mix things up a bit, even if Sony Santa Monica is still essentially playing it somewhat safe and sticking to the established formula. Using the circle button as Kratos' all-purpose grab and execution move is out, and using R1 to initiate a 'grapple tether' is in. Tethering an enemy enables you to throw, ram, slam or slice them up as you see fit, or you can keep them on a leash and deal with them when you're ready. Circle is now used to wield so-called 'World Weapons' like swords, shields, clubs, slings and javelins, or you can stick the boot in with Kratos' Spartan kick when you're unarmed with a secondary weapon.

There's also a new Rage meter that's unfortunately nowhere near as gloriously gratifying as God of War III's, simply feeding into a bar that enables you to let rip once it's full, expiring the moment you get hit. God of War: Ascension's combat is ever so slightly different then, but the essence of the series remains, with the same kind of truly jaw-dropping set-pieces that the God of War games have made their forte over the years. While the well is beginning to run somewhat dry in terms of the menagerie of mythological creatures that Kratos can slay, there's no shortage of creativity in the environments that expertly blend puzzling and combat.

Navigation and climbing around locations is now more fluid too, while Kratos himself feels a mite more responsive. Those pesky aforementioned QTEs can prove a bugbear at times, throwing in a curve ball when you least expect it (usually in the middle of a brutal execution, meaning you have to start over), but the new checkpoint save system ensures that the game is fair most of the time, except notably during a quite hideous difficulty spike towards the game's finale, as you face the Trial of Archimedes.

The suitably epic narrative is also all present and correct, yet not nearly as compelling as Kratos' past endeavours. In God of War: Ascension we begin proceedings with the Ghost of Sparta shackled in chains, before one of the three Furies, the insectoid Megaera attacks, unleashing infecting parasites to reanimate Aegaeon the Hecatonchires, a creature tortured by the Furies for breaking a blood oath. As opening set-pieces go, it's pretty spectacular stuff, and clear evidence that the franchise's epic sense of scale and capacity to inspire awe is still very much intact. What follows is a series of flashbacks as we discover how Kratos came to be imprisoned by the Furies, with a series of locations and beasts that are typically vast in scale.


Icarus vents are out. Sliding fun time is in.

Nonetheless, despite the incredible scale and fantastic combat, Ascension feels lacking. After God of War III, there's a sense that Sony Santa Monica is starting to run on empty, with awesome weapons like the Nemean Cestus gauntlets, Nemesis Whip and Hades hooks eschewed in favour of having the Blades of Chaos as your solitary weapon. Sure, it's exciting seeing the blades evolve as you upgrade them – both in their power and cosmetic attributes – but chances are you'll be pining for a fresh weapon to help lend more variety to proceedings.

That's not to say there's no variety whatsoever. That'd be a churlish accusation to level at the game. Kratos' blades harness the elements, with you acquiring Ares' fire, Poseidon's ice, Zeus' lightning and the Soul of Hades as you progress. Each element can be upgraded alongside the Blades of Chaos themselves, lending Kratos a formidable arsenal, especially when you start pouring red orbs into it. Maxing out each element unlocks a new magic ability, and a whole suite of moves.

Then there's the Amulet of Uroborus that can temporarily slow enemies and heal or decay designated chunks of scenery, making for some fantastic puzzle sections. Late in the game you'll also gain the Oath Stone of Orkos, which enables you to summon an ally to momentarily fight by your side. He can also be used to hold levers in place, or act as a weight on switches, widening the scope in some of the later puzzles.

There's another first in Ascension too, and that's the divisive inclusion of multiplayer. Really, you can take it or leave it and still enjoy the full-fat single-player experience, but you'd actually be missing out on something that's not nearly as bad as you might think. Its modes are mostly standard fare, but the combat is intricate and exciting enough to keep you involved, even if it does sometimes descend into complete chaos at times. It can be that when it does get a bit messy, multiplayer feels like something of a joyless slog, but persevering with it pays off, revealing battles that require more than simple button-mashing. The maps are also well-designed, able to contain the wanton violence nicely, and upgrading your fledgling warrior is also hugely gratifying once you've aligned with one of the four gods.


Multiplayer: surprisingly decent.

There are four core multiplayer modes to choose from, covering all of the bases you'd expect, from free-for-all with the Match of Champions for four or eight players to the co-operative Trial of the Gods, which can also be played solo if you prefer. Capture the Flag does what it says on the tin, while the meat of competitive multiplayer really lies in the Team Favour of the Gods, wherein each team competes to capture designated points to earn favour that grants the opportunity to take down the huge monster hovering over the map, like the huge cyclops Polyphemus on the Desert of Lost Souls stage or the Apollo statue on the Walls of Troy, for instance. Multiplayer is good, dirty fun then, but hardly essential.

Mercifully, there are no multiplayer trophies to strive for beyond completing the simple training section on Mount Olympus, which lasts about five minutes. That leaves the rest of the trophy list dedicated to the game's single-player, with some funny, tongue-in-cheek trophies amid the usual unmissable progression-based stuff. There's some retreading of old ground here however, with the return of the 500 buckets of blood trophy and the horrible goal of racking up a 1000 hit combo, as well as trophies for fully upgrading Kratos, finding all of the treasures and locating all of the Gorgon Eyes and Phoenix Feathers. All in all, it's a decent list with a good spread.

God of War: Ascension is yet another fantastic outing for Kratos, but it sadly pales in comparison next to the previous three instalments in the main series. God of War is still unrivalled in creating unparalleled spectacle and incredible set-pieces, with hulking contraptions to manipulate, fiendish puzzles to solve and towering mythological beasts to fell. There's no doubt that Kratos has still got it, but only just.

 

God of War delivers on epic orchestral bluster once again, with that catchy theme still providing goosebumps. All of the growling, gushing blood and other sound effects are suitably bold and visceral.

Quite possibly one of the best looking games money can buy on PlayStation 3, God of War: Ascension is gorgeous, even improving on God of War III's near flawless visual fidelity. No mean feat. See the Temple of Delphi or Statue of Apollo for evidence.

Sony Santa Monica has switched things up a bit, meaning you'll have to re-learn some of the controls you've always taken for granted. The combat is still massively entertaining though, even if you only get to wield the Blades of Chaos as your main weapon, albeit with different elements from each of Gods of Olympus. Multiplayer also works rather well.

Clocking in at roughly nine hours, God of War: Ascension's single-player is in keeping with the series, while the newly added New Game+, chapter select and unlockable Titan difficulty will have you coming back for seconds. It's multiplayer where the real longevity lies however.

A superb trophy list with a great sense of humour. There's a good blend of progression-based tasks, collectibles to discover and some neat creative trophies thrown in for good measure. Good stuff.

While it's quite possibly the nadir for the series, God of War: Ascension is still an almighty instalment that deserves a place atop Mount Olympus with the gods. There's simply a sense that a case of diminishing returns is starting to set in, thanks in no small part to Sony Santa Monica simply setting the bar far too high with God of War III. God of War: Ascension ironically can't quite ascend to that height.

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