God of War: Sons of Sparta Reviews
God of War: Sons of Sparta is a thoughtful and ambitious chapter in the series, one that reframes Kratos not as the unstoppable force he will one day become, but as a boy shaped by discipline, brotherhood, and the early challenges that would define his destiny. The shift to a 2D exploration format may surprise some fans, but it proves to be a natural fit for a story focused on growth and identity. The gameplay is engaging. The emotional core, whilst somewhat shallow, does remain aligned with the themes that have carried the series through its many transformations.
As someone who misses the old Sony and the way they’d try weird things (and not just go for big and cinematic with every one of their games), it feels weird to criticize them for a game where they try something different. But the problem is that God of War: Sons of Sparta isn’t particularly fun. It’s a perfectly adequate metroidvania at a time when there are plenty of very good metroidvanias that are more worth your time, so unless you desperately want a Kratos: The Very Early Years game you can safely skip this one.
As a God of War game, it lacks the scale, brutality and larger-than-life spectacle that define the series. And as a Metroidvania, it struggles to stand out in a genre that already boasts heavy hitters
God of War: Sons of Sparta is a game with clear strengths, but it fails to fully realize its potential.
Review in Greek | Read full review
God of War: Sons of Sparta is a new excursion in which you, as a player, get to explore the Greek region of Laconia as a young Kratos in a 2D Metroidvania. This colorful world and the 2D environment lend themselves perfectly to this excursion. The combat is very intense at times, and there is much to explore. The countless customizations available for your spear and shield also ensure plenty of gameplay hours. A nice little diversion while waiting for the recently announced remake of the original trilogy.
Review in Dutch | Read full review
Kratos is back in God of War Sons of Sparta, this time on a journey into the past, in a spin-off that takes the series into the world of metroidvanias with results that aren't always positive.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
The excellent animation, amazing boss fights, and the solid combat can’t save the game from being a mediocre metroidvania with the skin of God of War.
God of War: Sons of Sparta is a fun and straightforward traditional 2D Metroidvania platformer experience, covered in a God of War paint that delivers a canon but largely uneventful prequel to Kratos’ story. God of War: Sons of Sparta receives the Thumb Culture Gold Award!
Sons of Sparta is an interesting attempt to adapt God of War into a 2D metroidvania-inspired format. The interconnected exploration of Laconia works well, and the relationship between Kratos and Deimos adds value to the narrative, revisiting the protagonist’s youth. However, inconsistent combat, predictable progression, and some polish issues prevent the game from reaching its full potential. Still, as a complementary chapter in Kratos’ story, it offers a curious perspective on his past.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
God of War Sons of Sparta is polished smaller project that delivers on all fronts. The canon prequel deepens Kratos’ history, while the comat feels freat and gets better the further you get into the adventure. The pixel art presentation has tremendous style and polish, and the voice acting is top-notch headed up by TC Carson.
God of War Sons of Sparta is a game that presents some good ideas, but rarely manages to execute them with the quality expected from a title associated with such a strong franchise. The attempt to turn the series into a metroidvania does have potential, but the unsatisfying progression, the largely forgettable bosses – including repeated encounters with the same enemy – and the constant technical issues end up weighing heavily against the experience. In the end, it’s a mediocre game that can be entertaining at times, but falls far short of what one would expect from a title connected to the God of War universe.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
If given a chance, God of War: Sons of Sparta proves itself to be a capable metroidvania, offering a layered combat system, an engaging quest line, and a rewarding narrative. That said, it demands patience from players, as the experience takes several hours to fully hit its stride. Once it does, the depth becomes clear, but those seeking instant gratification may find the slower build-up discouraging.
Sons of Sparta doesn’t reinvent the metroidvania genre, nor does it redefine God of War, but it stands as a solid choice for fans of both. The content is robust, orchestrated by high-quality art and sound direction. Following this project, it would be interesting to see Mega Cat Studios get another shot at this universe, potentially refining the structural edges presented here.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
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.