Game review: God of War Sons of Sparta (PS5)

God of War is a franchise that is now 21 years old, with the first game released on PS2 back in 2005. The first few games in the series were epic 3D slashers with a fixed camera and lots of violence. 

It wasn't until the release of the 2018 God of War game that the series slightly pivoted its gameplay. The newer God of War games used an over-the-shoulder point of view and featured a calmer version of Kratos. Despite the change in atmosphere and setting, most fans still loved the atmosphere. 

2026 is now here, and God of War fans are in for a treat because a new game in the franchise is finally out. Sony shadow dropped God of War Sons of Sparta, and this is the first in the series to be a 2D side-scrolling action game. 

In this game, Kratos is narrating about his past to his daughter, Calliope. In this adventure, Kratos is only 13 years old, and he's training with his brother, Deimos. At the start of the game, the two are searching for a missing classmate, and this leads them outside of Sparta to face lots of enemies and bosses along the way. 

The game is a cool prequel for fans to see what life was like for a young Kratos before he became the man we know and love in the mainline series. That being said, God of War: Sons of Sparta plays a lot differently from the other games in the series thanks to the new 2.5D perspective. 

Unlike God of War and God of War: Ragnarok, Sons of Sparta was not developed by Sony Santa Monica. Sons of Sparta was instead made by a new studio called Mega Cat Studios. This studio is no stranger to making side-scrolling games, as it previously developed the 8-bit Angry Video Game Nerd game back in 2025. 

Speaking of 8-bit, God of War Sons of Sparta is, without a doubt, the most simplistic-looking God of War game in history. Unlike the photorealism of the 3D games, this game looks like one that was released back in the early '90s. 

I've seen the online chatter for this game, and the art style is mixed at best. It doesn't have the fancy visuals of last year's Shinobi: Art of Vengeance from Sega, but it resembles a game I used to play called Shadow of the Beast on the Amiga. 

For a game that is a PS5 exclusive, Sons of Sparta won't look that great playing on a 4K TV. However, if you are playing the game on a PlayStation Portal, I'm sure the smaller screen of that device will hide Sons of Sparta's visual flaws a lot more. 

While the graphics are simplistic, the gameplay is also dumbed down because Kratos isn't the skilled warrior he is in the other games. At the beginning of the game, Kratos is only armed with a spear, a shield, and a jumping ability. 

I have to admit, the start of the game can be quite boring when it comes to combat because Kratos only has access to a basic set of moves. You can only press Square and Triangle to hack using his spear, and the combat is uninspired at best. 

It's not until you progress further into the game that the combat gets much better. For example, Kratos will start to learn combos, so hacking the spear isn't as basic as it was at the start of the game. 

Not to mention, Kratos will have access to other types of magic the further he goes into the game, too. One of his earliest items is a solar swing that can be used to open doors or hit enemies at long range. There are lots of other items he gains that are essential to use during his travels outside of Sparta. 

Sons of Sparta isn't just about fighting normal enemies and exploration because the game also has tons of cool bosses to face as well. I will not spoil the type of bosses you have to face here, but their designs are cool, and some of them fill up the entire screen!

You usually have to use Kratos' dodge ability to avoid getting hit during bosses, and parrying sometimes works too. Most bosses have a familiar pattern you have to exploit so they're not as hard to beat as in Souls-like games. 

The only disappointing thing about the combat, though, is that Kratos does not have access to the number of weapons that you see in the other games. His spear is okay, but it's not as cool as his axe in the Norse mythology games. 

The other thing that annoyed me is the amount of backtracking and exploring that you have to do. Even though the game has a map, your next objective can be hard to reach because you may face lots of locked doors or dead ends. You really have to explore every nook and cranny to know which is the right path. 

The other disappointing thing at launch is that two-player co-op is locked until you finish the game at least once. Once you finish the game, only then can a second player join you to play as Deimos. Something like co-op should be available at the start, not the end!

While I admire the God of War series for trying something different, God of War Sons of Sparta is sadly not as enjoyable as other 2.5D games like Shinobi: Art of Vengeance or Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound. If you are a fan of God of War games, it might be best to wait for a sale instead. 

Verdict: 7.0/10