Three console God of War games and a previous PSP title later, God of War returns to Sony’s portable system to bring us yet another adventure featuring the craziest, most brutal, ghostly anti-hero yet. Kratos, while remaining a hero for many, is a lost soul haunted by his horrible past. He’s always been a warrior, but not just any warrior. In this prequel that takes place between the events of the first two God of War games, we finally find out some of the things that happened to him and why he acts the way he acts.

The story in God of War: Ghost of Sparta will touch you at a more personal level, as you see Kratos struggling to find his long lost brother Deimos, who he believed was dead because his mother wasn’t tough enough to tell him the truth. In reality, he was taken away by Ares and is still alive and being tortured in the Domain of Death - all because the gods thought he was the chosen one who would take part in the demise of Olympus. With this unveiling and a few other dramatic, revealing moments, the plot on offer is one of the most interesting we’ve seen in a God of War game. You actually feel like there’s a purpose to all the bloodshed and carnage.

- Kratos has a reason to fight after all -

Embarking on a quest to find his brother Deimos, Kratos sets off for Sparta and eventually makes his way to the sunken city of Atlantis, where he’ll enter the Domain of Death. Throughout his journey, Kratos will encounter numerous raging beasts and other belligerent creatures that want nothing more than his death. As expected, you’ll have to battle these enemies by executing the wildest combo attacks, using your magic, and acquiring new powers along the way. You’ll also have to traverse through the most horrific locations, find the path that lies ahead, and solve puzzles that’ll get you there.

Though his ultimate weapon is the chained Blades of Athena, other weapons and abilities will come into play as well. For example, he’ll receive Thera’s Bane, which lets you perform devastating fire attacks with your blades. This comes in handy when you fight enemies with special shields or those with freezing spells. Certain bosses and mini-bosses are also more vulnerable to fire attacks, resulting in more effective combat. You can also use the fire to blow up wooden structures and other obstructions that impede access to other areas. Unfortunately, the power of fire doesn’t last forever; an onscreen indicator will let you know how much fire you have left. The good news is it actually recharges by itself in just a few moments, so if you use it effectively, you shouldn’t have much trouble with its availability.

Magic elements like the Eye of Atlantis let you unleash furious attacks against the enemies, using the power of elements like electricity to wreak havoc around you. There’s nothing more gratifying than making use of this attacks as you’re surrounded by a horde of nasty skeletons or lecherous medusas. However, the magic meter will keep track of your magic use as well, and this one doesn’t recharge by itself; you have to obtain more magic from either enemy kills or treasure chests. As you know, all of Kratos’ weapons and abilities are upgradeable. You just need to collect enough red orbs to power up the items. I personally find it more effective to upgrade the Blades of Athena and then build upon the rest of his abilities, as head-to-head combat is the most rewarding and is also the core of God of War games. There’s something about grabbing a foe and splitting it in half or slicing the living hell out of it…

- New enemies and new powers keep things fresh -

As always, the game hides the best of treasures in nooks and crannies. Looking around you and trying to break things will unveil secrets that will prove useful during gameplay. In addition to red orb, health, and magic chests, you will find Gorgon Eyes to increase your health meter, Phoenix Feathers to increase your magic capacity, and Minotaur Horns to augment the fire bar. You get upgrades for every five of each kind you find, so it’s important not to miss out, as you’ll be a stronger Kratos in the end, which makes a difference when fighting tougher bosses.

Talking about bosses – for some reason the game doesn’t seem to have a whole lot of these, especially during the first half of the game. I’m the kind of player who prefers to fight big, tough creatures regularly rather than hordes of weaklings that don’t really do much for you or your warrior ego. That said, the game does include nice enemy variety, with enemies never seen in previous games, as well as some awesome bosses that are a blast to fight. In that regard, God of War hasn’t changed. It just seems like the more you get, the more you want, and I just expected a bunch of epic fights that would make this game one of the most memorable yet. Then again, it’s only fair to think that, considering it’s the latest installment of the highly acclaimed, gore-filled franchise.

- These guys hold the automaton gears, which open up your path -

Luckily, God of War: Ghost of Sparta has many other things that make it epic, like the soundtrack, which hasn’t changed at all but is as memorable as it’s always been, full of highs and lows that get you right into the action. The visuals are amazing too – for a PSP game, that is. They’ve included so many details and the environments are so expansive that the game is reminiscent of the console iterations. Of course, the age of the PSP is showing, and the lower resolution on offer means that what you see, no matter how detailed it wants to be, shows slightly blurry. Kratos also looks too small during many gameplay segments, so oftentimes it’s tough to see what he’s doing or to distinguish him from the enemies during battle.

Other handicap that the PSP presents is the lack of a good joystick. Certain sections are just difficult or painful to get through because of this, like when you’re trying to walk on beams and he constantly falls, prompting you to press “X” so he can get back up; or when you’re trying to push statues or activate switches and Kratos keeps going around them, not being able to really get a good grip. Between that and the lack of control of the camera, which is one of the most important things for me in an adventure game, I felt a little annoyed at times, wishing for better controls. Luckily, for the most part, the game controls well.

All in all, God of War: Ghost of Sparta is a superb offering for the PSP, and one that God of War fans surely won’t want to miss. Between the somewhat lengthy story mode, the unlockable challenges that become available after you beat the game, and the extra goodies that modify gameplay in a second playthrough, there’s a good amount of enjoyment to be had with this game. If you’re all about the fast-paced, gore-packed action of GOW games and want to dig a little deeper into the story and meaning of Kratos’ doings, jump right into it and enjoy it to the max.

GameDynamo's Score for God of War: Ghost of Sparta (PSP)

	Score	Description
Graphics	90	The game is full of details and looks similar to the console iterations, but the lower resolution of the PSP screen results in an often tiny and undefined Kratos. Time for the PSP 2!
Sound	95	Like previous God of War games, the soundtrack is memorable, yet no different than the one on offer in other GOW titles. The voices of the characters, especially Kratos’ and Athena’s, are perfect.
Gameplay	84	Playing God of War on the PSP will never be as rewarding as playing it on a console. That said, hopefully this won’t be the end of the series! Not being able to control the camera to look around and the lack of a good joystick to control Kratos hinder some gameplay segments such as walking on beams, pushing statues, and evading enemies.
Play Value	90	Of course, it’s more of the same. Hack ‘n slash action, combo attacks, magic, orbs, weapon upgrades, puzzles, etc. What’s cool is the extra challenges you’ll unlock after beating the game and the items you’ll find throughout that will only work in a second playthrough.
Final Score	90	It’s God of War, so in my eyes, it’ll never disappoint. In fact, the game is awesome as always.

Stories from around the web