God of War Sons of Sparta Is a Puzzling Prequel That Should Have Been So Much More (Review)

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I was thrilled when I first heard about a new God of War game that would play like a Metroidvania. Although God of War is known for its action, I thought the core ideas of the series would fit perfectly into that style of game. So, I was really excited when God of War Sons of Sparta was unexpectedly announced and released earlier this month, and I immediately started playing.

I was hoping to love Sons of Sparta, but unfortunately, I found it more confusing and underwhelming than exciting. While it’s not a bad game, this God of War prequel feels too simple for a 2D action title, and doesn’t really offer anything new. Considering its connection to such a popular PlayStation franchise, Sons of Sparta had the potential to be much better than it turned out to be.

Rating: 2.5/5

Pros Cons
Abilities and various items are fun to use Combat gets much too repetitive
Plenty of challenges to beat and collectibles to discover Art direction is bland at best, ugly at worst
Return of TC Carson as Kratos is great Story doesnā€™t flesh out the backstory of Kratos and Deimos in an important way

Sons of Sparta Doesnā€™t Add Much to the God of War Mythos

God of War: Sons of Sparta takes place earlier in the timeline than any other game in the series. It tells the story of a young Kratos as he struggles to establish himself as a man and a warrior. While trying to earn the respect of Spartaā€™s leaders, Kratos also finds himself reluctantly helping his brother, Deimos, on a quest.

I don’t have a problem with the idea of a Sons of Sparta game focusing on a younger Kratos. That period of his life hasn’t been shown much, and it could be a good way to explore his origins. However, the story and characters in God of War: Sons of Sparta itself are simply uninteresting and don’t add much to the overall narrative. While Kratos does experience some growth by the end of the game, it doesn’t feel like a meaningful development that impacts his character in later installments.

I also found Deimos’s part in Sons of Sparta disappointing. He doesnā€™t have much of a personality, since he only appeared in God of War: Ghost of Sparta before this. I was hoping the game would explore his character more. While itā€™s nice to see Kratos and Deimos interact, Deimos mostly comes across as a simple, innocent younger brother, which doesnā€™t add much depth to how we remember him from Ghost of Sparta.

Combat Is Fine, But Leaves a Lot to Be Desired

Look, what I love about God of War is always the super fast, intense combat. And Sons of Sparta definitely tries to deliver that, but honestly, I was a little let down. Most fights just felt like hitting buttons over and over, with a little dodging and blocking thrown in. I mean, God of War has always been about that action, but in this game, Kratosā€™ combos just feltā€¦ uninspired. There wasnā€™t much creativity or variety to them, which was a bummer.

Although it seems like combat is simple due to the lack of new skills you can learn, that’s not the case. Sons of Sparta actually has a surprisingly detailed skill tree you can unlock using red orbs. However, most of these upgrades don’t feel very impactful and don’t quite fit well with Kratos’ existing attacks.

Kratos can unlock some special attack combinations by finding and equipping specific gear for his spear or shield ā€“ a feature similar to recent God of War games. While it’s understandable why this was added, upgrading all this gear can be a hassle. This often means players will focus on just a few powerful items, potentially making their combat feel repetitive instead of offering truly diverse options.

While Sons of Sparta isn’t perfect, unlocking new weapons and abilities for Kratos is definitely a highlight. These additions are not only effective in combat against enemies and bosses, but they also cleverly open up previously unreachable areas. I actually found exploring the game world to be the most fun part ā€“ going back to find every collectible and complete every side challenge was really enjoyable.

The ā€œRetroā€ Aesthetic of Sons of Sparta Isnā€™t Appealing

One of the biggest issues with God of War: Sons of Sparta ā€“ and something that became more noticeable as I played ā€“ was its visual style. The developers, Mega Cat Studios, were aiming for a retro look reminiscent of early video games. However, instead of feeling authentically old-school, Sons of Sparta just felt like it had a retro filter applied, as if they were trying to make it look old without actually achieving that classic feel.

The game’s attempt at a pixelated style actually made me miss the charm of real pixel art. Plus, the animations often felt clunky and unnatural. Kratos and Deimos, specifically, have a weird, hunched-over running style. Considering how good art direction is in many indie games today, playing this title really highlights how impressive some recent games have been.

While God of War: Sons of Sparta isnā€™t a bad game, it doesnā€™t quite live up to its potential. It’s a solid Metroidvania title that fans of the genre will likely enjoy, but it feels like a missed opportunity for the God of War franchise. It could have branched out into something new and exciting, keeping the series fresh for years to come. Ultimately, I hope future attempts to expand the God of War universe are more successful.

You can now play God of War: Sons of Sparta only on PlayStation 5. We received a copy of the game from the publisher for this review.

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2026-02-25 01:13