The recent release of Sons of Sparta, a side-scrolling entry in the *God of War* franchise, has not been well received by the series’ original creator. In a video critique, he called the title “uninspired” and an affront to the franchise’s loyal fanbase.
Sons of Sparta was stealthily released during a PlayStation 5 showcase, catching many gamers off guard. The indie title by Mega Cat Studios aims to serve as a prequel to the original series, featuring a youthful Kratos alongside his brother in a quest to hone their skills.
The critic expressed discontent after spending an hour with the game, feeling that it strayed too far from the original trilogy’s essence.
“I wanted to see a 2.5D *God of War* experience, but this doesn’t capture what I envisioned at all. I paid $30 for it and I don’t think it’s worth it,” he remarked, questioning the decision-makers at Sony who approved the project.
Continuing his critique, he pondered the game’s existence, stating, “It’s an all-around fine game in terms of controls but raises more questions than answers—why this direction?”
After playing, he found the repetitive dialogue and character interactions tedious. “This doesn’t feel like *God of War* to me at all,” he added.
He further lamented, “It feels like we’ve turned Kratos into a mundane character fit for a children’s show. Fans were hoping for something with the intensity and depth akin to earlier iterations.”
He emphasized that if you remove the *God of War* branding, the premise would seem less appealing to potential players, describing the character as lacking any real intrigue.
On the subject of the game’s shortcomings, he described its generic nature, stating, “The most troubling aspect is that it fails to embody the spirit of what made the original franchise a hit. It’s akin to taking a beloved action film and making a mundane drama out of it.”
While he initially intended to abandon the game, he later invested an additional three hours, sharing revised insights where he took a deeper dive into its flaws, including “confusing visuals during fights” and a “clunky user interface.” Ultimately, he summed it up as being “not ready for the market.”
In addition to these criticisms, Sons of Sparta faced its own hiccup when clarification was needed over the game’s multiplayer features, initially misinterpreted by fans as a full co-op mode, which turned out to be limited to a challenge mode available post-completion.