God of War: Sons of Sparta Reviews
Kratos fans will still find something to interest them, as will those looking for an accessible Metroidvania without too many rough edges. Those looking for a chapter that will leave their mark will, however, feel like an opportunity only partially exploited.
Review in Italian | Read full review
God of War Sons of Sparta is a surprising return to Kratos' Greek origins, showing players his time as a child soldier in Sparta. While the Metroidvania framing is fascinating, it does limit many of the series' strongest elements.
God of War: Sons of Sparta is a very good video game, with strong visuals, excellent music, and simple yet effective gameplay driving an ultimately interesting story. However, as a God of War title, it is held back from true greatness by early pacing issues and a presentation style that feels somewhat tone-deaf to the rest of the series.
Despite its surprise release, it delivers a strong overall experience. The platforming feels tight and responsive, and the combat stands out with satisfying spear-and-shield mechanics that keep encounters engaging throughout.
God of War Sons of Sparta, set earliest in the timeline of the original trilogy, follows the exploits of a young Kratos and his brother Deimos
God of War: Sons of Sparta isn't a terrible game, but it's not a more than acceptable game either. It simply sits somewhere in the middle. It's a spin-off wedged into a series that is too big, too important, and too imposing to afford any missteps. Even back in the days of Ascension, widely considered the weakest entry in the entire saga, Santa Monica Studio made sure to follow a set of guidelines that would still guarantee an epic experience.
Review in Italian | Read full review
God of War Sons of Sparta has its merits and, within the premise of a 2D action game set in Kratos' youth, it fulfills its role in a perfunctory but satisfactory way. However, it lacks depth in all its aspects, including the rather rudimentary level design by current Metroidvania standards, and even with some interesting qualities in the visual and narrative aspects, it still seems to be just a scrawny teenager trying to prove himself a true Spartan warrior.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
God of War: Sons of Sparta is a competent 2D metroidvania that expands Kratos' past with solid combat, familiar voices, and a decent amount of content. However, generic level design, forgettable bosses, heavy backtracking, and a lack of standout moments prevent it from feeling worthy of the franchise's legacy. Functional, but surprisingly uninspired.
Review in Slovak | Read full review
God of War: Sons of Sparta is a unique take on the God of War universe that introduces us to a different Kratos. The game is generally fun to play, but issues like the lackluster art design, low enemy variety, and a boring introduction keep it from reaching its full potential. However, for fans of the series, it's still worth a try.
Review in Persian | Read full review
Letting players take control of a young Kratos, God of War Sons of Sparta is a retro-styled 2D Metroidvania that offers a large, interconnected world to explore. It's both engaging and rewarding to do so, too, though repetitive combat that can feel a little scrappy brings the experience down somewhat.
This Metroidvania approach is an interesting addition to the God of War series, but it falls short in many ways. Sons of Sparta does not aim to revolutionize the series, but if you approach it with an open mind and look beyond its imperfections, you will find a charming indie game in its core.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
God of War: Sons of Sparta is an incomprehensible project, whose purpose is unclear and whose overall presentation, both gameplay and narrative, fails to keep pace with both other exponents of the Metroidvania genre and the high quality that has more or less always distinguished the saga.
Review in Italian | Read full review
Considering it takes a long time to start getting really good, God of War Sons of Sparta can test your patience but if you stick to it, you'll find one rewarding Metroidvania with oodles of content, gorgeous areas, and a solid variety of enemies and puzzles. 🏛️
God of War: Sons of Sparta does not deliver the same experience we have come to expect from the series, but that doesn’t mean it offers a shallow one. Instead, it’s a different attempt that takes us on a new journey with Kratos, this time in a 2D format with a Metroidvania structure set within a relatively expansive world, and a story that focuses on an early chapter of Kratos’ life and character. It may not be among the best entries in the franchise, but it remains a title worth experiencing, especially for fans of God of War.
Review in Arabic | Read full review
God of War Sons of Sparta unfortunately failed to make me feel anything at all. The combat is sterile and not particularly deep, the Metroidvania elements are paint-by-numbers boring, and the story, while sometimes impactful, doesn't add much to the series lore in any interesting ways. I really don't know who this game was made for.
Sons of Sparta is an interesting departure from the classic God of War games, but in terms of genre it doesn’t stand at the very top of its own pantheon.
Review in Unknown | Read full review
It's not one I'd say is for hardcore fans, but it's always interesting to see big IP taken in new directions, and God of War Sons of Sparta is a good little Metroidvania that'll help fill the hole of a new entry in the series for a little longer.
God of War: Sons of Sparta turns Kratos and Deimos into the leads of a side-scrolling Metroidvania set during their Spartan training days. You move through camps, villages, and ruins with a spear-and-shield kit that rewards clean blocks, rolls, and stun finishers, then branch into different spear heads and shields to tweak how fights play out. The pixel art, camera pullbacks, chiptune score, and T.C. Carson’s narration give this prequel a strong Greek-era identity without trying to copy the main games outright. If you’re already into God of War and like 2D Metroidvania games, Sons of Sparta is worth making room for in your backlog.
God of War: Sons of Sparta proves to be a challenging, but worthy entry into the God of War franchise. While it doesn’t retain some of the previous games’ highlights with its big flashy boss fights, and gorgeous cinematics, it does stand out from the crowd by bringing a new art style, co-op, and deeper explanation of the story between Kratos and Deimos, and their unrelenting journey through Sparta. With the return of Terrence C. Carson, fans of the God of War series, old and new will have a fantastic time listening to the narration of what drove Kratos to becoming the God of War.
God of War: Sons of Sparta is still a great addition to the series, both as a case study and as a genre experiment. It doesn’t change God of War, but it does make it deeper by reminding players that there was once a brother behind the god and the monster, trying to do the right thing.