Perhaps the biggest surprise to come out of the recent PlayStation State of Play is Sons of Sparta, God of WarIt is a 2D Metroidvania game from Santa Monica Studio and Mega Cat Studios. On paper, it seemed like a smart decision for a beloved video game IP. god of war While it's staying active and winning over players, Santa Monica is working on a remake and its next mainline entry. At least in some cases, the inherent risk is low and this allows developers to experiment more with that property. That's just the tip of the iceberg, there are countless benefits to expanding a beloved IP with smaller games in a beloved genre. Unfortunately everything is favorable Sons of Sparta, God of War Much less land than needed.
Sons of Sparta, God of WarThe gameplay of exists within an interesting narrative frame. Kratos tells his daughter Calliope the story of the childhood he and his brother Deimos had. Really learn the meaning of duty. This ties in well with Kratos' background and introduces a new aspect of Kratos' character: his youth. But some stories are better left untold. Kratos doesn't feel like Kratos in this flashback game, save for the narration from original Kratos actor TC Carson, and this is made worse by the basic art style. Sons of Sparta, God of War It might not impress anyone visually, but if it did it somewhere else it would be a whole different story. However, the underlying art style is more symbolic of the experience rather than a minor drawback.
all about Sons of Sparta, God of War It can be summarized as “the basics.” There is no major experimentation within the genre in terms of gameplay, story, characters, etc. It affects everything. and while Sons of Sparta, God of War Despite this basic approach, it offers a few strong moments, but few and far between.
Who is that character?
Check out the silhouette before time runs out.
start
Check out the silhouette before time runs out.
Easy (7.5 seconds) Medium (5.0 seconds) Hard (2.5 seconds) Eternal Death (2.5 seconds)
God of War Sons of Sparta hardly fits into the metroidvania genre.
while Sons of Sparta, God of War is described as a Metroidvania game, but I think “2D action platformer with Metroidvania elements” would be more accurate. It's a small difference, but one that completely adjusts your expectations of the gameplay experience. Core features of Metroidvania games include self-based, large, interconnected world maps where abilities anchor progression and encourage exploration and backtracking. The best metroidvania games explore linear stories, allowing players to organically seek out or discover upgrades or story developments. And of course movement is a key component of any metroidvania.
Sons of Sparta, God of War They drop the ball on almost every front. The maps are large and theoretically interconnected, but that doesn't matter at all. The areas don't stack up against each other, but instead have a strangely cobbled feel. And while some backtracking is expected, the game discourages it. Sons of Sparta, God of War There are some DPS/skill checks in the form of bosses, but mastery of the system far outweighs the benefits of a single upgrade. Plus, getting to any area on foot is a huge pain and fast travel is severely limited in the game until it arbitrarily isn't.
Abilities can lock progression, but in the most subtle ways. Rarely has a player felt more prepared to tackle any part of the map, unlocking new abilities that are a gift from Olympus. Navigation is important to keep upgrading. Sons of Sparta, God of WarBut that's it. In fact, the game prevents players from exploring or going back multiple times throughout the game.
Sons of Sparta, God of War It also emphasizes the linear story, made somewhat worse by forcing the player to sit through slow dialogue. There is no skip option, and Kratos and Deimos have the same conversation throughout the game until Kratos magically changes his mind. There's a brotherly aspect to it, but it's the same brotherly conversation, argument, and acquiescence until the two eventually agree.
That's why they say that genre distinction is important. Sons of Sparta, God of War's maps contain some Metroidvania-like elements, but are closer to older 1990s or 2000s action platformers than modern Metroidvanias. But movement and positioning are key. This is perhaps its best defining characteristic. Understanding Kratos' movements in attack combos, their location on the map, how enemy attack patterns unfold, and similar movement strategies are necessary to master the game. This grows, no matter how slim, through play. Enemies and bosses encourage more directed attacks, and equipment/upgrades can and do change certain player strategies, but they're still pretty basic for most of the runtime.
Around the halfway point, the game gets better and more difficult. The first half feels essentially like Baby Kratos in elementary school, and the second half feels like teenage Kratos in high school. Sons of Sparta, God of WarThe various bosses start to better test the player and check their skills, while areas level up more environmental challenges and puzzles for the player. But in the end, what matters is the player's ability to attack, dodge, heal, and jump. had Sons of Sparta, God of War I think it would be a much better game if we progressed faster until the second half and continued to improve.
Sons of Sparta, God of War It features parry and dodge mechanics, but dodge is generally much more beneficial than parry.
God of War Sons of Sparta has a lot of extra content
Although moment-to-moment gameplay affects enjoyment, Sons of Sparta, God of War Just enough to keep players active. In addition to earning upgrades by completing olive trees and the like, players can collect knowledge and owls, find mosaics and gorgon gates, and face several optional boss battles. Sons of Sparta, God of War's co-op mode is limited to as basic post-game content as the rest of the game. If someone can accept the basic nature of many activities, there is plenty to keep them busy. Most of these don't feel all that great, and are more like barebones collecting contests than anything else. Perhaps that is our greatest victory and loss. Sons of Sparta, God of War.
God of War Sons of Sparta is a prime example of playing too safe.
Ultimately, Sons of Sparta, God of War It's playing it too safe, as if Mega Cat Studios and Santa Monica are afraid to rock the boat. The game isn't necessarily bad, but it's not particularly good either. Play Metroidvania games or god of war franchise. In fact, there are only one or two moments that connect it to the franchise, and those moments might be better summarized in something like a comic book. Kratos and Deimos can be replaced with any other Spartan from around the world and no changes are needed to the game for it to work.
Sons of Sparta, God of War It's a decent prequel. The problem is that it feels like it was released not only before the original game in 2005, but before it. The safe approach makes it feel like a game made several generations ago rather than one released in 2026, making it an unforgettable chapter in Kratos' life.
- released
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February 12, 2026
- ESRB
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Youth/Blood, Violence
- publisher
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sony interactive entertainment
- The game gets better in the second half.
- The boss battle later is fun.
- weak metroidvania design
- Uninspired gameplay and abilities
- Poor storytelling
- It doesn't feel like a God of War game at all.
Sons of Sparta, God of War Now available on PS5. GameRant was provided a PS5 code for this review.
