The Ghost of Sparta: A Review of the God of War Series

Several adaptations of Greek Mythology in media have appeared over the years. Some were successful while the others have failed to represent the ancient Greeks. Among the most memorable I've encountered is this series. Not only was it able to illustrate the heroes, monsters and gods in myths, but also brought to the fore the often ignored question - what happens to the Greek pantheon after they defeated the Titans?

It is unique because the hero in this game is not a hercules-achilles-jason clone. The protagonist is a minor figure in Greek mythology. Kratos (Cratos) is a servant of the gods and one of Zeus' children, which is close enough to the real version (Cratos is not a child of Zeus, but one of his servants along with Nike). And unlike most heroes, he does not carry weapons to save humanity. He seeks revenge to cleanse his past. The series began when he sought to kill Ares, the God of War. 

He was finally able to kill Ares with the help of the other gods. The portrayal of the original god of war is quite accurate. His fellow Olympians despise him, even his mother Hera. Kratos served Ares for a while not knowing that the god was molding him to become a killing machine to do his bidding. Ares tricked Kratos into killing his wife and his child. Kratos finally realized that he was being used and thereafter sought to make Ares pay for his deceit. He did not want the power but no one else is fit to assume the title of god of war.

When he finally acquired the throne however, the other gods realized he was a less merciful lord than Ares. He demanded more blood and even went to participate in the war himself. The gods put into motion the plans that they had all along. They took Kratos' power so Zeus can kill him. He was able to escape Hades' grasp and this time he turned his eyes to Zeus. It was then revealed in God of War 2 that he was the son of the lord of Olympus. Zeus sought to prevent the cycle of patricide by taking Kratos' life. In the last stages of the game,  the Ghost of Sparta has slain another god and Zeus escaped. The Titans sought Kratos' help. Gaia promised to Kratos that he was going to get his revenge. Kratos was able to kill the sisters of Fate and went back in time when Zeus waged war against the Titans.

God of War 3 begins with the Titans' assault on Mount Olympus. Several gods gathered to oppose them: Zeus, Poseidon, Hades, Hermes and Helios. Kratos has slain Hera, Hephaestus and Hercules on his way to Zeus. It was in this part of the series when Kratos discovered the Titans were using him as well. This led him to decide to annihilate the Titans as well. Kratos also discovered that when he opened the box of Pandora to slay Ares, he released all the evil things trapped inside it. This corrupted Zeus and the other gods. What Zeus has been fearing all along was stirred awake and blossomed into an obsession. He knew in hindsight that what he did to his father Kronos, his son will do to him as well.

When he finally killed Zeus, the antihero of this series realized that revenge alone cannot cleanse the deeds of his past. His nightmares still haunt him. As Kratos lay dying, he was drawn into a vision that involved his family, Athena and Pandora. It was then he realized that he also released Hope when he opened Pandora's box, and that Hope was the key to forgiveness. He cannot undo his sins, but he has to forgive himself and ask for forgiveness from his victims. Athena tried to take this power, revealing that she wanted the throne for herself. But Kratos refused, taking with him Hope.

God of War

I thought at first that the inclusion of the legend of Pandora was odd. It will take a journey through all three games to understand this however, and God of War 3 was able to account for the holes in the plot. 

The first boss fight was a classic. I enjoyed the battle with the Hydra which comprised of a few stages. Monsters in classic mythology were present and represented fairly well. The graphics are stunning. The producers of the game did their research well. I enjoyed most of the fight scenes and the puzzles are more challenging than the next two games.

One of the highlights is the trip out of Hades. The rolling logs were frustrating. In my opinion, this installment in the series had more challenges than the next two.

God of War 2

When I realized where the story was going, I thought that it will ruin the whole series. It was not clear at first but when Zeus killed Kratos, I realized that it was going to be interesting from that point. The first boss fight was huge as usual, figuratively and relatively. The last few battles in this game were interesting. As far as I know, I don't recall any adaptation of Greek mythology that involved the annihilation of Clotho, Lakhesis and Atropos - the sisters of Fate. It is common belief that they are more powerful than even the gods. Gaia also got into the fray. She helped Kratos escape Hades and told him that to kill Zeus, he has to change what the Fates have decreed.

He was about to kill Zeus using the Blade of Olympus, but Athena got in the way and she was killed instead. The game ends with a scene of Titans climbing up Mount Olympus.

Like the first game, the musical score, voice acting and graphics are well done. More mythological characters are involved. The puzzles are easier though.

God of War 3

The first boss fight involved Poseidon. It seems much easier than the first two games however and I'm quite disappointed when I realized that there would be no battles near any body of water after that. Slaying every god was a bit shocking to me. The fight with Hermes was easy too, and the puzzles are less challenging. The main focus it seems was on the story and the art. To their credit, this game has the best art I've seen so far. The moving environments were superb. 

Towards the end of the game, the revelations were shocking. Kratos is more emotional than the first two games and I cannot help but feel pity for him. He shows his deep loneliness and despair, which can only be cleansed by blood. This game was able to account for the legend of Pandora's box and the tradition of patricide among gods if the player has some exposure to Greek mythology. I can't help but say that everything makes sense. These and the story of Kratos' life however led to a heartbreaking conclusion to the game. 

***

Most people think that Kratos' character is too one-sided, and that the game isn't different from all the other hack-and-slash types. Most would also say that using mythology makes it an interesting game. I once read a comment from a player that Greek mythology lovers would not appreciate it because it destroys the Olympians. From my perspective however, it makes sense. From what I know of classic mythology, it's likely to happen. But Zeus has no heir and there are no challenges to his power other than the Titans imprisoned in Tartarus. Gaia might still harbor hard feelings though. 

I admit I was a bit sad when I had to kill several heroes along the way. Theseus, Hercules, Perseus and characters like Icarus, the Gorgons, Prometheus and others were also present. Artemis disappeared in the next two games as well. And instead of Apollo, they chose to have Helios as the god of sun. Mythology-wise it is accurate, but Helios was a Titan and not an Olympian. The series involved almost all the important figures in mythology although most of them end up dead.

I recommend it for people who appreciate a good story. It also helps to brush up on mythology. The gameplay isn't the best but that alone is not the only criteria to judge a good game. The music, voice acting, graphics and animation are the best I've seen so far. Overall I'll give it a 9 out of 10 rating.

God of War = 10 out of 10

God of War 2 = 9 out of 10

God of War 3 = 8 out of 10