GOD OF WAR: GHOST OF SPARTA
Sibling squabbles and bro-bashing await in ace PSP sequel
“BRINGS MYTHIC BEASTIES TO LIFE IN ADRENALINESOAKED STYLE.”
Despite being a near-irredeemable berk with a monstrously ugly personality, your favourite mightily miffed Spartan stars in some outrageously pretty games. Indeed, Ready At Dawn’s second garotting Greek adventure is probably the best-looking title to ever pop up on PSP. Sure, Kratos is still as much of a brutish jerk as ever, but at least his drum-tight combat offers constant eye-arousing sights. Like its PSP predecessor, God Of War: Ghost Of Sparta tries to flesh out the furious soldier’s backstory, something it surprisingly nails. Kratos’ series will never rival the likes of The Last Of Us for pathos or carefully plotted storytelling chops, but the addition of the Spartan’s brother, Deimos, sheds yet more light on why the slaphead psycho holds such a deep-seated grudge against the Olympians. Extra credit to Ready At Dawn for sneaking in some cutely executed flashbacks to kid Kratos, too.
The Big Bads don’t disappoint, either. A predictably stellar opening sees Kratos take on Scylla – think the Hydra’s older, angrier sister – in one heck of a deathly damp skirmish. That’s always been one of God Of War’s core strengths: taking mythic beasties from Greek mythology (in this case Homer’s Odyssey) and bringing them to life on screen in pulsating, adrenaline-soaked style.
Considering this is the sixth instalment in the franchise, Ghost Of Sparta was always going to have a tough time feeling fresh. Yet it’s to Ready At Dawn’s credit that Kratos shows subtle signs of evolution here; a slightly rejigged fighting model boasts new ground attacks and magic-specific, augmented death animations.
Ghost Of Sparta was remastered for PS3, and luckily enough that release is available to play on PS Now.