God of War - Retro-Review of the past trilogy

As we know the first trilogy of God of War is a saga that now belongs to an old generation of consoles. In fact, the series was initially born on PlayStation 2 with the first two chapters, until the apparent conclusion on PlayStation 3. In this special we will talk about the three main works, thus excluding the various spin-offs published over time. We will analyze the plot and gameplay again, but do not be scared, we are not going to bore you with an infinite soliloquy, we will only limit ourselves to expose the elements that made God of War a unique product in the eyes of enthusiasts.

God of War

Strong of its gameplay, the first God of War brings gamers to ancient Greece. The main character of this odyssey, even if no introduction is needed, is the Spartan statuary general Kratos, obsessed with fame and glory in battle. The Greek warrior, in fact, is willing to do anything to obtain ever greater power, so much so that he is willing to sell his soul to Ares, god of war. However, such great power is not free, for this reason The opening scene of the game sees Kratos throwing himself from one of the highest mountains in Greece. Dark. Flashback. Suddenly the production brings the events back to 3 weeks before that desperate gesture. You'll find yourself aboard your ship in the Aegean Sea, attacked by the undead or a less-than-friendly hydra. Here you will begin to become familiar with the controls and with the brutality that can only unleash God of War.

Kratos is violent and merciless, he has no qualms about sacrificing his fellow soldiers to destroy the demonic creatures that have attacked the fleet. Armed with the Blades of Chaos, you will immediately be thrown into the most adrenaline-pumping action, detaching heads and cutting off limbs as if there was no tomorrow. During the early stages of the game everything will be reduced to shreds your opponents, but the story of Kratos gradually branches out, creating an empathic bond with the user. You will soon understand that this facade made of hatred and violence is just an armor, the invincible warrior, in fact, hides a fragile and broken soul, aggravated by the pain of having lost his family. Despite this Kratos is the only mortal able to carry out the mission that the gods of Olympus, Zeus in the first place, have in mind, to kill Ares himself and stop his thirst for destruction with which he is reducing Athens to dust. The Phantom of Sparta, despite its strength, cannot compete with a god, for this reason recovering the Pandora's box will be fundamental for the final success.

The combat system, in addition to heavy and light attacks, exploits a perfect fusion with the use of magic. The latter will not only be supportive, but are an integral part of the combat system. Some enemies will be more vulnerable to one element than another, and for this reason it will be the monsters themselves that give a great variety of approach to battles. Monsters give vent to the whole of Greek mythology, from minotaurs to harpies and so on, each creature has its own unique attack pattern, complete with a custom grate. When there are larger enemies, the game will give you the possibility, after having scored a series of hits, to unleash a powerful special attack: this turns out to be a real minigame that will force you not to let your guard down even one second.

God of War II

After the defeat of Ares, Kratos became the new god of war. Despite the revenge obtained against the now former God of War, the protagonist began a series of conflicts that brought victories and glory to his reign. This belligerent behavior, however, was not accepted by the other gods, so much so that, once he falls to earth to finish the conquest of Rhodes, Athena deprives Kratos of his powers. The latter, however, continues to fight until it collides with the Colossus of Rhodes. At the end of a bloody and tiring battle that still sees our protagonist victorious, Zeus makes his appearance, ready to throw himself on Kratos' weak and tired body. The father of all gods deals the final blow to the Phantom of Sparta, throwing him into Hades for eternity. Zeus, however, had not come to terms with his great enemy, namely the titan Gaia. This will resurrect Kratos, join him and lead him to revenge against the entire Olympic pantheon.

The gameplay of the video game has remained virtually unchanged. The parallelism with Devil may Cry remains current and the main weapons are again the Blades of Chaos. Despite this, the development house has included important innovations such as flying sessions on the saddle of Pegasus. More than real battles, these sequences turn out to be mostly minigames, but always bloody. The environmental puzzles or puzzles do not differ from what we saw in the previous chapter, so they will be based on the classic traps and pitfalls to be solved by activating mechanisms such as cranks or levers, alternatively the correct positioning of statues or other heavy objects.

God of War III

The third chapter of the saga begins exactly at the end of the second, when Kratos on the shoulders of Gaia and together with the other titans is heading towards Olympus. Zeus, however, has the other gods in his ranks and, as in every God of War, the departure is without a doubt with a bang. You will be immediately catapulted into the center of the action, taking full advantage of the hardware of the now outdated PS3. The videogame is a crescendo of adrenaline, with really spectacular twists and moves. The boss fights, in fact, are no longer simple fights, but are scenic sequences that combine all the elements of the gameplay.

Also in this case the combat system remains faithful to its roots, you will begin to become familiar with the Blades of Chaos again, destroying hordes of enemies without putting any kind of restraint on you. As you progress in the game you will get more and more weapons, from the gloves of Nemea of ​​Hercules to the bow of Apollo. At the end of the game you will have a really powerful and varied arsenal, which obviously gives variety to the gameplay and breaks a hypothetical monotony of the clashes. The turbo bar, which will grant you a power boost when you activate it, will gradually charge up taking damage: once you release the true power of Kratos, you will be fast and unstoppable. In addition to the addition of moves such as charge, the spells have also been greatly improved: you can now activate devastating tsunamis or summon mythological creatures of any form in your support.

As brief as these presentations are, that's all there is to know about the past trilogy of God of War, at least from a technical and narrative point of view. If you want to know more about the history of production, we refer you to our dedicated article. We also remind you that we have opened un section dedicated entirely to the adventures of Kratos, there you will find the review with interesting insights, specials and much more. Stay connected with us to not miss any news!