Sony has released a new trailer and dev diary for God of War: Ascension, featuring gameplay footage and plenty of interesting titbits. Plus, there’s some new info on how to access the game’s multiplayer beta.

The trailer focuses on Zeus and his electricity-focused powers, while the dev diary is all about Sony Monica’s build up to the game’s “big reveal.”

There are two routes into the multiplayer beta. One is via a PlayStation Plus subscription, as invites will be dished out to all members. The other involves playing a new social game tie-in.

Called The Rise of the Warrior, the game gives you the opportunity to align with either the Spartans or the Trojans, where you will then compete in various challenges in order to earn your faction one week’s beta access.

“You’ll live out your warrior’s journey in an epic new graphic-novel style story. You will embark on a quest for redemption that leads you toward becoming the next Champion of the Gods,” says the PS Blog blurb.

The Rise of the Warrior will also enable you to unlock various in-game goodies for when God of War: Ascension launches next year. There’s more over at GodofWar.com.

God of War: Ascension is out in North America on March 12th and Europe on March 13th. You can find our latest preview here and a whole bunch of Special Edition info here.