ABOUT THIS GAME
Ascension is a prequel to the initial God of War series. Six months have elapsed since Kratos stood before the bodies of his wife and child, his hands stained with their blood – duped by Ares into killing the only people he ever loved. The game follows the journey of Kratos on his way to redemption.
Release Date: 15 March 2013
Genre: Third Person Action Adventure
Publisher: Sony Computer Entertainment
Developer: SCE Santa Monica Studio
Platform: PS3
HITS
- Tight, satisfying combat
- Impressive sense of scale used to great effect
- Visuals
MISSES
- Doesn’t quite go past its predecessor
Sony’s Santa Monica Studios’ God of War: Ascension is the latest in the PlayStation’s god-killing franchise that began in 2005. The seventh game of the series is actually a prequel that carries on the work and subtlety of its predecessors. It focuses on combo-based combat, achieved through the player’s main weapon, ‘the Blades of Chaos’ and other weapons acquired by the new World Weapons mechanic. With great fundamental mechanics and a visual treat, God of War: Ascension is a spectacle, but with little substance.
After a leap in game play in God of War III, the developers seem to have run out of ideas in the prequel and have not really innovated apart from making it a multiplayer game.
The plot is the first flaw in God of War: Ascension and this is largely due to its projection as a prequel to the series. The story is loose as Kratos is simply put in a situation with no real motive; the narrative is non-linear, the storyboard going back and forth for no rhyme or reason, simply making it a fun kill game.
The earlier two chapters in the franchise – Chains of Olympus and Ghost of Sparta – were able to provide Kratos with characters with a purpose and relatibility , and Ascension largely forgoes this.
Moreover, one of God of War’s biggest drawback throughout the series has always been its rather stagnant combat system. Ascension is a welcome change in terms of an increase in its move sets in each level, as compared to the earlier versions. The number of weapons have been reduced and kept at a basic level with no multi-weapons. It leaves Kratos with his Blades of Chaos throughout the entire game.
The Kratos’ signature chained blades can now be infused with four different elemental statuses: fire, ice, electricity, and soul..
The magic system has also been changed with super-powerful magic attacks being locked away much further down the weapon upgrade tree. It’s a positive step as it makes the player think out his combat rather than consuming his points for weapons at each level.
The difficulty level is balanced and well-considered. Checkpoints are in abundance and health chests are generously available around making it one of the easiest God of War games overall.
But at times Ascension makes it challenging for the player not necessarily to kill enemies, but by throwing so many bad guys on screen it’s hard to kill them all, it requires a super hero strength at times which may make you end up dying which feels cheap and frustrating.
The Trials of Archimedes section, that will likely frustrate even the most skillful of players, the patent techniques to survive seem useless and it seems a tough challenge. This is frustrating which is not unnatural as it has been the case in every GOW, there are always going to be times when dying is the best option.
The multiplayer isn’t deep enough to hold your attention for long. The single-player mode is a savior having some tricks up its sleeve with a New Game Plus mode that unlocks after you complete the game.
The single-player is where you should spend your time. Though it doesn’t quite reach the heights and heart pounding moments of the previous installments nor does it move the series forward in any way, but it’s skillfully put together, and wonderfully satisfying to play.
Mythology always has a sense of mystique to it and the mix of Greek mythology and schoolboy fantasy manages to grab your attention.
That God Of War Ascension looks stunning is an understatement, from the lighting effects to the detail that has been thrown into each and every stab of a knife, and each drop of blood that flows, the game is a visual treat. On the whole, besides a few tweaks here and there and the new multiplayer mode, it has nothing new to offer nor does reach its full potential: as did God of War 3. But if you are a die hard fan of the series, I am sure this would find the way to your collection.