Review #054 – God of War: Sons of Sparta

A God of War-themed Metroidvania game sounds like an incredible idea on paper but Sons of Sparta doesn’t completely live up to its full potential. It has all the trappings of the genre like a big, interconnected map, unlockable traversal abilities, and punchy combat, but it suffers from pacing issues, an unappealing aesthetic, and a surprising amount of bugs.

It’s hard to shake the feeling that it could have (or maybe should have) been so much more considering the series’ pedigree. I don’t think Mega Cat Studios did a bad job necessarily, but giving the reigns to a relatively unproven indie studio to helm its development was definitely an odd choice.

Criticisms with its direction aside I still enjoyed the game’s exploration, discovery, and combat. I like being able to tweak your moves by swapping and upgrading parts of your spear and shield. The game’s music (minus the weird chiptune tracks) is also pretty good. It ultimately works holistically—I put over 20 hours into the game because I wanted to see it through. I just don’t think it comes together in the most optimal way.