God of War: Sons of Sparta was a huge surprise when it was revealed for a couple of different reasons. For starters, it is a new God of War game, but perhaps not how you are thinking. Instead of the epic titles we have come to know from the series, God of War: Sons of Sparta is a Metroidvania, which is something I didn’t ever expect. The initial announcement was met with excitement and skepticism because I wasn’t sure how they would make it work within the Metroidvania formula. After playing it, I can say the development team did a damn good job bringing Kratos into this new genre.

God of War: Sons of Sparta is the origin story of Kratos, showing what a 13-year-old Kratos looks like and how, even back then, he was all about honor, duty, and glory for Sparta. Along the way, his younger brother, Deimos, joins the team, and the two of you set out on an adventure to answer some unanswered questions. Both Kratos and Deimos are in the training stage of becoming Spartans, having just earned a pass that allows them to travel freely wherever they want, though some adults still treat them with considerable disrespect and contempt. This is also God of War’s first return to the Greek setting, with God of War (2018) and God of War: Ragnarok (2022) set in Norse mythology.

The story of God of War: Sons of Sparta is told as a recollection, as the Kratos gamers are more used to seeing tells a story to a young girl. Throughout the story, you will hear her interrupt his tales from time to time, and you can tell that Kratos is getting impatient but keeps his cool in a manner that God of War fans are used to seeing. This origin story is interesting as Kratos is just a young boy here, and looks like a normal person. In the other games, especially the aforementioned 2018 and 2022 games, he looks almost super-human and not of this world. I’m not quite sure how big fans of the franchise will take this side quest as we all wait for the next big, true entry in the God of War franchise.

God of War: Sons of Sparta has the trademarks that most games within the Metroidvania genre have these days. The game is a side-scroller with a bunch of different areas to explore. Depending on the route you choose to take, you might end up at a dead end and not be able to advance until you get a particular skill. For example, if you come across a chasm that is too big to jump, you will have to wait until you gain a skill later in the game that lets youjump farther so you can reach the other side. Other instances might be more weapon-based, such as a thorny plant that impedes your path on numerous occasions until you unlock the correct weapon to burn it away. Since Metroidvania games are largely about backtracking and revisiting areas later, the map is an important part of the game.

Each area of the map is color-coded, making it easy to tell when one area ends and the next begins. They also took an idea from Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown and let you place markers on the map, making it much easier to find and return later. It is hard to describe how important a feature like this is, especially if you aren’t familiar with how this genre works. There are a few different icons that you can use to differentiate what you have found. For example, as you can see in the above screenshot, I placed a question mark in the middle of the purple section because I needed to do something there, but I wasn’t quite sure at the time what it was yet. Then, once I complete my objective, I can also remove the marker. It is a great feature and will make it easier for completionists as they search every nook and cranny of this world.

Additionally, as you make your way through this adventure and slay countless beasts, you will acquire different colored orbs. Perhaps the most important ones are red orbs, which allow you to upgrade your skill set. God of War: Sons of Sparta has a few different skill trees, but I focused on the offensive one first so I could be as strong as possible in combat. There are melee attacks you can improve on, such as Vanguard, as well as different techniques Kratos can pick up, such as Nightfall, which is an airborne attack. Additionally, there are also defensive skills to unlock, as well as skills for different items you might find in your adventure. The main place you will upgrade these skills is at a campfire, which is where you can learn something new, enhance existing equipment you have, and save your progress. There will be certain instances where you can upgrade in other locations, but the main location is at a campfire.

For those people out there who will want to do everything possible in God of War: Sons of Sparta, there is a lot of information the game will give you to achieve that goal. The “goals” tab in the menu, for example, will tell you what your active conquests are, which temples you have visited, what landmarks have been completed, what artifacts you have found, and much more. The map has a region report you can look at as well. For example, it might tell you that you have found eight of nine blood coffers in the woods or two of three of the armory depots in the area. It will also show you a region completion percentage, so you can tell at aglance how far away you are from seeing that sweet 100% region completion statistic.

A Spartan needs gear for battle, with the main weapons that you start out with being a spear and a shield. Over time, you can enhance these and make them stronger, and you can also find other gear to help you along your journey. The gear screen is also where you will see some of your stats, such as strength and defense. For those who want an overall picture of their progress, that is here as well, telling you how many blood orbs you have found, what your current playtime is, what your overall completion percentage is, and much more. It also shows you what you have unlocked.

The combat in the game is similar to what you would expect from a Metroidvania. Using your spear, you can thrust in either direction, and you also have a shield to try to block incoming attacks. As you learn more skills, Kratos can also launch aerial attacks against his foes. Be sure to get a good grasp on all of this before you enter a boss fight, as those can be tricky. For a lot of them, you will need a good strategy if you hope to emerge victorious. I know for me, there were a few boss fights that took me multiple attempts as I learned the boss’s mannerisms and what they liked to do. Patience is also key here, as some of my failed attempts were me trying to brute-force the fight and rush through it. Those who take their time and think things through will have more success than those who simply rush in and hope for the best.

The audio for God of War: Sons of Sparta is fantastic, as is usually the case with the God of War series. The voice acting is fantastic as well, especially older Kratos, voiced by TC Carson. Carson was the original voice actor for the Greek era of God of War games, so it is nice to see (and hear) him back for this new adventure. Young Kratos was voiced by Antony Del Rio, who also did a great job. Deimos is voiced by Mark Deklin, and he also did a great job of bringing that younger brother energy to the adventure. Both Mark and Antony did a really nice job developing chemistry, and you could tell they were having fun as Kratos and Deimos would throw verbal jabs at each other, as young brothers tend to do.

Overall, God of War: Sons of Sparta is a really fun title. It isn’t something I asked for, and I was shocked at the announcement. The team over at Mega Cat Studios did a great job of incorporating God of War with the Metrovania genre. As I think back on my time with this game, I don’t really have many complaints. We could have had more marker options on the map to better distinguish the different mysteries you run into, but that feels like nitpicking. God of War: Sons of Sparta doesn’t really do anything to change the Metroidvania genre, but it also doesn’t need to. I suppose one complaint could be that it won’t stand out in a crowded genre, except that it is an origin story for Kratos. Hopefully, that will be enough for everybody until we get another mainline God of War game from Sony and Santa Monica Studio.