» Review: God of War: Ascension

godofwar Spartan warrior Kratos has been pissed off for a long time.

God of War: Ascension, the prequel to the long-running God of War series, helps to explain why.

The God of War series is loosely based on Greek mythology. In the games, Kratos swears allegiance to Ares, the God of War, in exchange for aid on the field of battle. Unfortunately, Ares also tricks Kratos into killing his own wife and child, leading him to break his oath and seek out Ares to settle matters.

Since Kratos broke his oath to a god, the chief antagonists in God of War: Ascension are the Furies – three female beings created by the gods to mete out punishment for those who break oaths to them. They specialize in torture and punishment.

Cinematically, the God of War games have set the bar high visually. They have been epic on a grand scale, with sweeping vistas, uber-large bosses and more drama than you can shake a stick at. God of War: Ascension upholds that high standard, with a strong narrative to boot.

Gameplay consists of a measure of platforming, a boatload of combat, with a decent amount of puzzle solving. The platforming and puzzle solving really come to the forefront during an extended journey into and up through a gigantic statue of Apollo.

Kratos again begins combat with the permanently-imbedded Blades of Chaos – two blades attached to chains capable of wreaking havoc with a variety of moves and attacks. Besides the always-available blades, Kratos can discover five weapons available for use for a short time in his battles - a sword, a javelin, a club, a sling, and a shield.

The Blades of Chaos can also be imbued with magical powers - the Fire of Ares, the Ice of Poseidon, the Lightning of Zeus or the Soul of Hades – that can deliver attacks in line with the specific ability. Each magical power can be upgraded along the way by gathering Souls by defeating enemies or finding chests filled with them. There are also chests scattered about that can refill health and magic levels.

Along with these abilities, Kratos gathers three Relics during the game - the Amulet of Uroborus, the Oath Stone of Orkos, and the Eyes of Truth – that are key in completing his quest.

The three Relics are new to the series and inject some new game mechanics. The best of the bunch is the Amulet of Uroborus, which allows Kratos to “heal” or “decay” certain areas of some levels, for instance, fixing a bridge that has been destroyed so he may cross.

The Oath Stone of Orkos summons forth Orkos, a Fury that is aiding Kratos in his journey. He can help in battles for a short time or can be used to be a placeholder, effectively allowing Kratos to be in two places at the same time.

The Eyes of Truth allow Kratos to see through the trickery of the Furies and to blind foes.

God of War: Ascension also brings multiplayer action to the series for the first time.

To begin online play, the player swears loyalty to one of four gods – Hades, Ares, Zeus or Posiedon. Choosing one gives the player specific abilities and skills. The choice affects options down the road in creating and outfitting your character. You choose weapon, armor, abilities and appearance, with abilities narrowed down to magic, item and relic to take into battle.

God of War: Ascension multiplayer has four basic game modes, with three of them offering choices as to the number of players participating.

The first is Team Favor of the Gods, which is a form of team deathmatch, with players charged with capturing altars, killing enemies and opening chests to collect powerups. This mode is offered in both two against two and four against four scenarios.

The next is Match of champions – a free-for-all mode with everyone out for themselves. This mode can be played with four or eight players.

Capture the Flag is fairly self-explanatory, with only a four on four option.

Trial of the Gods is a timed mode, with one player, or two working as a team, trying to kill as many attackers as possible within a time limit.

There are also extensive personal goals to meet during online play, referred to as Labors, grouped into five categories – Global, PvP (Player vs. Player), PvE (Player vs. Environment), Mode (specific to a game mode) and allegiance (those the god you are aligned with requires).

God of War: Ascension is a quality game from a long line of quality games. It can take its rightful place among the previous God of War games.

Platform: PlayStation3

Manufacturer: Sony

Rating: Mature

Score: 9¼ wrathful chilies