Set in Ancient Greece with characters and creatures from Greek Mythology, a warrior named, Kratos who serves the Greek Gods of Olympus embarks on a personal quest to overthrow Ares and take his place as “God of War.” The first installment in the God of War series was released in 2005 (same year Resident Evil 4 came out) on PlayStation 2. It became a critical and commercial success. God of War spawned a series eight games from 2007-2022. Ragnarök’s the most recent entry.
I have one good reason why I wanna review the God of War series. Christopher Nolan’s highly anticipated action-adventure fantasy epic, “The Odyssey” will be released on July 17, 2026. Both, God of War & The Odyssey are set in Ancient Greece with characters and creatures from Greek Mythology.
Today’s review contains no SPOILERS whatsoever.
Mighty & Weak Aspects
Mighty: Terrence C. Carson did a superb job for his voiceover performance as Kratos.
Other Cast Members such as Nolan North & Steve Blum both did a decent job for their respective voiceover performances.
Linda Hunt (Hetty Lange from NCIS) narrates the story.
David Jaff did a great job coordinating the story.
Graphics for a PS2 game still hold up as they bring a few things to life including character models, fluid movement, lighting and environmental locations.
Soundtrack has some epic tracks.
Gameplay/Mechanics
- Presented as a third-person action-adventure hack and slash platformer, you play as Kratos fighting his way through foes and solving puzzles.
- Green Orbs restore your health. Blue Orbs restore your magic. Red Orbs are a currency to spend them on upgrades.
- Obtaining six gorgon’s eye augments your health meter You also obtain six feathers that’ll augment your magic meter.
- Combat is the meat and potatoes. Duel wield Kratos’ Blades of Chaos mowing down foes. In addition to his blades, you obtain magical abilities and a two-handed sword.
- Boss Battles are intense yet awesome. My favorite’s the Minotaur.
- Enemy Variety has a ton of tough foes. Exploit their strengths and weaknesses.
- A Quick Time Event enables you to press a button or rotate the left analog stick to weaken or defeat a boss/mini-boss.
- Beating up enemies and destroying objects containing Red Orbs will fill up a temporary buff called, “Rage of the Gods” which increases Kratos’ attacks. Use it in case you feel overwhelmed.
- Solve puzzles to unlock new paths.
- If you have a difficult time getting pummeled after a few Game Overs, you can lower the difficulty to Easy.
- Depending on the game’s difficulty. Once you beat the game, you unlock extras such as costumes, behind-the-scenes footage of the game, concept art etc.
The game’s influenced game series, “Onimusha” and “The Prince of Persia.”
Non-games such as “Gladiator,” “Clash of the Titans” and the “Indiana Jones” movies influenced the game’s cinematic atmosphere.
As the story progresses, we learn about Kratos’ motivation on why he wants to go head-to-head with Ares. If you know, you know.
The game has a dark and serious tone. This isn’t like Disney’s Hercules. It’s about a raging soldier who has a bone to pick with Ares.
Weak: Not enough Boss Battles. There are only 4. It would’ve been nice if you fought a giant cyclops.
If you have a hard time navigating, look up YouTube Walkthroughs. They’ll get you out in a jiffy.
My other complaint is the floor trap filled with spikes and climbing are a column full of spikes in Hades. It took me countless times to get out a hairy situation.
The Final Verdict: B, FOR BRUTALITY!
From my point of view, God of War’s first game is a great start of an action-adventure hack and slash series. If you’re looking for something to keep you occupied before The Odyssey comes out, check out the entire God of War series. It’s gonna make you feel like a badass.
Nickthemoviecritic.com 