God Of War: Ascension - PlayStation 3

Not So Godly Anymore

2013-03-12T19:00:00Z

When I reviewed the original God of War back in 2005, I remember feeling sorry for other action games. Kratos outpaced his peers by such a wide margin that measuring up to his bloody rampage seemed impossible. Other games took cues from God of War, but each new installment raised the bar even higher, putting more distance between Kratos and his rivals. After years of dominance, God of War: Ascension is the series’ stumble that could allow the competition to close the gap.

Pinpointing where Ascension goes wrong is difficult, because it has all of the components a God of War title should. Whirling blades? Check. Jaw-dropping boss fights? Check. Story about Kratos’ tragic past? Check. The list goes on, but even though Sony’s Santa Monica Studio included the key elements, it doesn’t mean they are executed up to the series’ high standards. In areas where fans expect a new entry to move forward – like narrative and combat – Ascension either stalls or steps backward.

Set 10 years before the first entry, Kratos is on a quest to free himself from the bond of Ares. This puts him at odds with the Furies, creatures charged with enforcing oaths. Series fans know how the story ends: Kratos wins, breaks his bond, and eventually kills Ares. In a prequel, the challenge is to craft a tale that enriches the events that players have already seen – something Ready at Dawn’s handheld God of War titles did exceptionally well. Kratos pushing his daughter away in Elysium and battling his brother Deimos helped players see a different side of the character. Ascension offers no such insight. Its main contribution is emphasizing that Kratos misses his family and is sorry that he killed them, which is well-worn material at this point. The result is a story that has players chasing artifacts and fighting bad guys with no investment in the outcome.

Though Kratos lacks the compelling purpose that drove him forward in other entries, he’s still full of epic exploits. In terms of spectacle, Ascension holds the same note from God of War III. Towering creatures, massive structures, and brutal deaths punctuate the adventure from beginning to end. They all look great, too, thanks to stellar production values. From Kratos’ ashy complexion to enormous mechanical snakes slithering though snowy mountains, I stopped and marveled at the visuals several times. Cinematic camerawork highlights the action well in most situations. It occasionally zooms out so far that you can’t make out what’s happening or who’s attacking, but you usually have a front-row seat for the carnage.

The essence of battle remains intact, with Kratos dishing out stylish combos and executing mythological terrors through elaborate (and entertaining) timed button-press sequences. If you just watch the action, you would think it’s more of the same, but the combat system has undergone some tweaks that change how you play. The removal of superfluous alternate weapons forces you to focus on your blades, which everyone does anyway. Players still have other things to spend red orbs on; blade attacks can be infused with upgradable elemental properties that grant unique abilities. Unfortunately, their most useful elemental powers (the area-clearing magic) are buried at the final upgrade level. The standard attacks look different, but they don’t feel distinct in practice, leaving combat feeling less varied than previous entries.

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Other combat changes converge to make Ascension fall behind. The revamped rage meter unlocks more powerful moves and allows your elemental augments to generate different orbs, but keeping it charged is too challenging when facing hordes of enemies – which is when you need it the most. The decision to make the parry move (which used to activate automatically with a well-timed block) into a separate input breaks up the natural combo flow. The addition of boring secondary weapons lying on the ground is also disappointing, since they are never as cool or useful as Kratos’ standard arsenal. I understand the need to innovate and alter the formula for a new game, but Ascension is different in all of the wrong ways.

Nowhere in the game are the problems more apparent than during the final hour, when Kratos encounters the Trial of Archimedes. This section is punishingly difficult, thanks more to the shortcomings in combat design than the specific arrangement of enemies you face. I’ve beaten previous God of War games on the highest difficulty level, but it took me about an hour of constant dying on the normal setting before I could finish the trial. Just when the adventure should be reaching its crescendo, this section tragically poisons the final chapters and replaces any lingering enthusiasm with frustration.

Maybe multiplayer is to blame for the tweaks to the combat. Perhaps Sony was more concerned with crafting a battle system optimized for multiplayer rather than single-player. If so, that goal was achieved. Ascension’s multiplayer is a well-tuned experience, and the things that feel clunky in the solo campaign (like the parry and secondary weapons) are natural when you’re squaring off against real opponents. Multiplayer also doesn’t feel haphazardly shoehorned in; combat is competent, and the leveling system and various weapon and armor unlocks are noble attempts to add longevity. However, the best way to keep people playing would have been interesting modes. Standard deathmatch, capture the flag, and co-op horde options are how you test your skills. All of the modes function fine and provide some thrills, but they don’t capture what makes God of War entertaining or remarkable.

Despite its faults, God of War: Ascension is a good game. The action is fun, the graphics are astounding, and players are pulled from one high-adrenaline moment to the next. But it’s also disappointing. Fans are accustomed the rising stakes and escalating scale that make Kratos attain deific heights, but Ascension proves that he is mortal after all.

To see God of War: Ascension in action (and to hear our commentary), watch the Test Chamber highlighting the game.

Here's 30 Seconds Of God Of War: Ascension Single-Player Gameplay

2013-01-18T22:30:00Z

Sony has released a brief clip of single-player footage from God of War: Ascension.

The clip shows a calm Kratos interacting with his wife and child. The clip also shows Kratos killing lots of things, as he is known to do, so it looks he hasn't changed too much.

God of War: Ascension is coming exclusively to PlayStation 3 on March 12.

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A Gruesome Look At God Of War: Ascension's Furies – Megaera

2012-09-06T22:40:00Z

As Kratos battles to change his destiny in God Of War: Ascension, he will come up against the wrath of the Furies – terrifying spectres and oath keepers of the ancient world.

Check out Sony's God Of War: Ascension trailer featuring Magaera. She's not much to look at, but she's got a nice personality...actually no she's a b****. We're sure she has trouble getting dates.

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Want more God Of War: Ascension? Check out our enemy concept art gallery here.

God of War: Ascension Concept Art Gallery

2012-07-11T18:00:00Z

Over the course of the God of War trilogy, is seems like Kratos killed nearly every god in existence. Our favorite Greek grump might be running out of deities to kills, but he’ll never run out of creatures to battle. Check out some of the early concept art pieces for the foes of God of War: Ascension.

Don't miss the game's latest trailers.

Learn About The Creation Of The First God of War: Ascension Multiplayer Boss

2012-07-06T02:30:00Z

In a new blog post, a designer tells you about the process that went into creating the series first multiplayer boss, the one-eyed Polyphemus.

The designer, who calls himself "Izzy" in the blog post, details how he researched Polyphemus in the original Greek myth, and helped create an in-game Titan that was "ferocious" and a "constant element of danger" for multiplayer. In the extensive post, you'll see lots of character art that shows the evolution the boss went through.

In addition, there's also the trailer (below), which shows off more Ascension multiplayer, and reaction from fans at E3. For more, read Izzy's full blog post.

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A Look At God of War Ascension

2012-06-14T16:50:00Z

Sony released two new videos today for God of War Ascension. We get a look the single-player campaign shown at E3 in addition to new multiplayer footage.

The game is due out on March 12, 2013. The first video is single-player, the second is the multiplayer. Enjoy!

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God Of War: Ascension Brutally Murders Our Doubts

2012-06-06T01:27:00Z

Here are a few details about God of War: Ascension that Sony left out of their E3 press conference.

Sony wouldn’t give us many details about the game’s story, but we know that God of War: Ascension takes place before God of War 1. Kratos is still enslaved to Ares, but he is desperately seeking a way to break free from this bond.
A group of Furies – female chthonic deities of vengeance – will be the game’s main antagonists.
A combat mechanic called tethering will allow players to grab enemies with Kratos’ blades of chaos. Kratos will be able to drag these enemies around the environment while fighting other foes or throw tethered enemies into environmental objects.
Kratos will now be able to pick up weapons scattered around the environment or stuck into fallen foes and then use them in combat. So far Sony has shown off swords, javelins, and clubs, but there will likely be many more objects that will allow Kratos to dismember his enemies. Players will only be able to pick up one world weapon at a time, but they will be common enough that players can replace them readily if, for example, they lose a weapon by throwing at a foe.
Kratos acquires a new power called the Life Cycle, which allows him to rewind objects within the environment. This is an isolated event, locked to specific areas in the environment, but Kratos will be able to use it to rewind or pause falling objects in order to clamber over them. Kratos will also be able to use this Life Cycle power during combat, knocking enemies into the air and causing them to fall slowly back to the ground.
God of War: Ascension features a simplified UI. Many quick time events have been simplified so that players will be able to instinctively react to interactive mini-game like events. A giant circle button no longer spins over enemies heads. Instead, when enemies are weakened they will shimmer with a golden halo and Kratos will be able to take them out with a brutal takedown attack. Once a red halo appears over an enemy they are nearly dead.

Sony’s press conference demo didn’t offer up a lot of context, but we more impressed with the game now that we’ve gotten to sit down with the title one-on-one. The game comes out next March, but we’re ready to play it now.

Check out what we thought of the games multiplayer here.

Dan And Joe Discuss God Of War: Ascension's Multiplayer

2012-06-01T17:26:00Z

If you had a chance to read my preview of God of War: Ascension at the end of April, you're familiar with the game's multiplayer reveal earlier this Spring. Once I returned from the Sony event, series fan Joe Juba had some questions for me. Our video producer Ben Hanson decided to drag us out to a bridge and film the exchange, and you can watch it below.

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Sony Unveils God Of War: Ascension's Multiplayer

2012-04-30T13:00:00Z

When news of God of War: Ascension’s existence leaked, many wondered what they’d see when Sony officially spilled the beans on the prequel. I attended a recent preview event in Hollywood for the game, and there was no shortage of chatter and predictions amongst journalists before the presentation began. Would the game take place before Kratos’ family died? If so, would he still have his trademark Blades of Chaos? What antagonists can he take down after slaying so many gods? When the presentation came to an end, we still didn’t have answers to these questions. Instead, we were shown a glimpse of the game’s new multiplayer mode.

Game director Todd Papy took to the stage to begin the demonstration, and it was clear that the team planned on teasing the crowd with some misdirection. The familiar image of Kratos’ face graced the menu screen, and the camera pulled out to reveal his body without his trademark ash-covered skin. He carried a large sword in lieu of his traditional blades, and pulled a mask down over his face. Suddenly, a cyclops burst out of a nearby door and began swinging his club wildly at Kratos. A battle ensued that resembled those of past games, with Kratos slashing at the creature’s legs while evading the swings of his club. Another masked human appeared and began fighting the Cyclops, revealing what everyone in attendance assumed to be a co-op mode. The duo teamed up to bring down the beast, with Kratos gutting him from the front while the other slashed his neck from the back.

Once the cyclops was dead, the two humans ziplined down to another battlefield. Numerous combatants swiped at each other with swords and hammers while the massive one-eyed Polyphemus (Poseidon’s son, a cyclops who was featured in Homer’s Odyssey) struggled to free himself from chains in the background of the arena. It didn’t take long to realize that what we were watching was a full-on multiplayer battle, with two teams of four eviscerating each other in this mode known as Execution – essentially a spin-off of Domination modes in other multiplayer games.

Combat was as dramatic as we’ve seen in God of War’s past, with the camera zooming in on brutal kills that split enemies from shoulder to stomach. When the character we were watching had a chance, he ran to a set of blue-tinted gears and rotated them until they turned red. After repeating this process with another set of gears, the glowing Spear of Olympus plummeted from the skies onto the battlefield. The red Spartan soldier grabbed the spear and began throwing it at the blue Trojan warriors, then worked his way towards Polyphemus in the background. On his way there, he was forced to dodge fire and spike traps that were sprung by the opposing team.

Once the Spartan reached Polyphemus (who Papy refers to as “the Megalops”), he began slashing at his giant fingernails until the beast lurched forward in pain. A Spartan soldier then leapt onto the beast’s face and slashed down across his lips, splitting his mouth in two vertically. At this point, the rest of the Spartan soldiers threw chain blades into Polyphemus’ single eye and pulled him closer to the edge of the platform they were standing on. The final image of the demo was of a Spartan soldier leaping towards the cyclops with a spear, ready to plunge it through the beast’s massive eye.

Considering the tease at the beginning of the demo, many questions were presented to Papy. While the demo began with the image of Kratos, the future God of War will not be included in multiplayer. Papy explained that he didn’t want online play to consist of a team of green Kratos’ going up against a team of yellow Kratos’, and he also didn’t want to give a single player the benefit of having control of him. “Nobody wants to be Robin, and we would have had a bunch of Robins,” said Papy.

Players will have a chance to level up their character and align themselves with a god. Your choice of worshipping Zeus, Poseidon, Ares, or Hades will determine which unlocks, perks, and special abilities your character gains. As you progress through the ranks, you gain access to more abilities and items, including customized armor sets. Papy explains that there won’t be any female combatants in the game, as they “do not look pretty” with the traditional combat equipment that multiplayer characters will be adorned with.

Sony Santa Monica is planning on featuring approximately seven multiplayer maps, with five large, unique environments (such as the Polyphemus stage we saw) and two smaller arenas. Split-screen support and drop-in/drop-out play is not included, and the player will be able to slightly alter the mostly fixed camera. The team says they’re more concerned with quality than quantity, so they want to keep the number of modes limited so as not to segregate the player base.

This first look at Ascension was intriguing, but there was a sense of disappointment in the crowd after they realized that we wouldn’t be learning anything about the single-player portion of the game (although Papy did confirm that the game will include one). Bringing multiplayer modes into a third-person action game presents different challenges than FPS titles, which was made more than apparent in the awful online play of Ninja Gaiden 3. On the other hand, Sony has always ensured that this franchise meets a high bar of quality, and we have to imagine it expects the same from multiplayer. Gauging the depth and fun factor of Execution after one brief demo is difficult, but it left us eager to learn more about God of War’s multiplayer debut.