God of War: Ghost of Sparta is worthy of baring the God of War name unlike the previous handheld outing (Chains of Olympus) which I did not like. Without delving into the predecessors problems too much, I felt it was a poor quality attempt at making a God of War game. For thing it wasn’t cinematically shot like the previous games, lacked any memorable moment or experience and showed clearly the technical limitations faced by the developer. Whether it was the lack of on screen enemies at one time or the uninteresting weapons and magic system present, I was disappointed with the entry compared to the high quality of the main (numbered) games in the franchise. God of War: Ghost of Sparta pleasantly surpassed my expectations of what a portable outing of the rage filled Kratos could be and while it just falls short of being a defining entry in the saga, I was an enjoyable experience from beginning to end.
From a gameplay standpoint the game follows the tried and true standards of what a God of War game should play like, which by this point can feel a bit rote. Thankfully the developers have chosen to allow their creative wings to flourish and introduce a few new additions to the gameplay, that despite failing to make any great impact, add a little bit of variety to the set standards of a game in the franchise. New additions, aside from the differing magical abilities that are by no means the best in the series to date, include a third flame meter for the God which enrages him to the point of igniting with flames. Essentially a ‘fire mode’ required to break certain pieces of enemy armour or deal a minute amount of extra damage its a nice addition which adds something new to the overall gameplay. Also new is a traditional Spartan shield and spear for Kratos which I found to be pretty lame and questioned its purpose outside of providing an infinite ranged projectile for certain gameplay sections. Overall the new additions feel like an attempt to freshen up the almost rote gameplay now and whilst some are better suited to the game than others its a valid attempt nonetheless.
Fans of spectacle and awing moments will be glad to know that I encountered more in the first 30 minutes of my time with this game than I did with the entirety of Chains of Olympus. Unfortunately it can’t keep up the act for the entire show and dips into a lull during the middle of the game but the finale ends on a slightly higher note than the mid-section.
Plot wise don’t expect Shakespeare. While the series certainly isn’t renown for its story it does fill in a little background information about the God’s family and younger days. Its interesting enough to make the whole adventure feel like it has a point and purpose and moves the game along fairly well. Again its hard to criticise the game for its lack of greater meaning and memorable plot but as a whole it meets the series standard average.
If it weren’t for a noticeable dip during the middle of the game that can feel like a trudge to get through I would have no probably singing wonderful praises of this game. Unfortunately the lull costs it dearly as the overall ease at which I flew through the game in around five and a half hours, collecting every collectible on offer, didn’t help its case either. For fans of the series though its pretty much God of War done justice and for those who aren’t deeply invested in the antics of the rage filled God its a good action game with some awesome set pieces thats worth seeing.