There’s a giant monster on the rampage, demolishing buildings and wreaking havoc on the ancient city of Attica. Large warring parties of Persians are laid to slaughter in a matter of minutes. An Old World orchestra and chamber choir thunders in the background. The camera pans back to reveal a lone warrior standing on a cliff, taking in the bloodshed.
No doubt about it–this is a God of War game.
For many, the opening to God of War: Chains of Olympus for the PlayStation Portable will feel familiar. With the introduction of anti-hero protagonist Kratos in 2005’s God of War, Sony’s Santa Monica development house set a new standard for action-oriented adventure games, complete with titanic opening cinematics showcasing both graphical prowess and intense, visceral game play.
Set against the colorful backdrop of Greek mythology, Kratos, a Spartan mortal forced to do the gods’ bidding in exchange for saving his life, in the past has squared off against screen-filling monsters such as a hydra and a stone colossus. The opening of Chains of Olympus showcases a battle against a huge Basilisk (thanks to those damn Persians… 300 influence, anyone?), and even on the PSP’s tiny screen, the event is extremely climactic.
In fact, there really aren’t a lot of bad things you can say about Chains of Olympus–it doesn’t really do anything to change the series formula, but if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.
Accompanying the apocalyptic boss battles, God of War is all about brutal violence. Much like its PS2 brethren, Chains of Olympus doesn’t disappoint. Expect lots of decapitations and skull crushing. Oh, and a waterfall of blood. Literally. The mature feel of the game also incorporates sex and nudity. Y’know, since chicks never wore shirts in Ancient Greece. True to the series form, bare-breasted maidens and goddesses abound, and the ridiculous sex mini-game makes a welcomed comeback.
Other than being a huge badass, Kratos is one pissed-off dude. After being forced to swear servitude to Ares, the Grecian god of war, in exchange for his life, Kratos has essentially become stuck in a seemingly never-ending cycle of pleas for assistance at various gods’ behest. But the so-named ghost of Sparta doesn’t have much luck in not getting screwed over by his employers, and needless to say, where he goes, death and destruction follow.
In previous titles, Kratos has been out for the blood of the gods (Ares in the first game, Zeus in the second), but Chains of Olympus is prequel to the events of the first game. That doesn’t keep Kratos from being really pissed off, though. Even in handheld form, he’s in tip-top, murderous form.
After killing the Basilisk, the ancient world is engulfed in darkness, courtesy of Morpheus, the mysterious god of dreams.
From the shrouds of dense fog spring hordes of Morpheus’ minions (who look suspiciously like enemies from previous games)–cyclopes, medusas, harpies, goat-things–all the beasties you’ve come to expect from the series make an appearance in Chains of Olympus.
Once again, the gods entreaty Kratos’ help to stop Morpheus, after explaining that the only god who can combat the encroaching darkness is Helios, the sun god. Unfortunately, Helios has been kidnapped by Atlus. So the ever-enraged Kratos has no choice but to help.
With hardware slightly below the level of the PS2, this PSP installment in the series could have been somewhat inferior. Surprisingly, there aren’t really any control problems to speak of in Chains of Olympus, which have been slightly tweaked because of the absence of a second analog stick on the PSP (as opposed to the consol games’ dual-shock controller).
Like its game play, Chains of Olympus‘ graphics and sound are pretty top-notch, as well. Though there’s nothing as breathtaking as the epic set design of God of War II, the game still manages to look damn good on a graphically inferior system. Some of the environments in Hades are particularly pretty. Also, Chains of Olympus probably has the best soundtrack in the series, with an eclectic mix of Old World orchestral pieces that really give the game its epic feel.
The only problems Chains of Olympus has are that it plays exactly the same as any of the other games in the series. A little innovation thrown into the game’s mix of action and exploration might have been cool–but I’d imagine Sony is just saving such things for God of War III, due out on the PS3 some time in the future.
At the end of the day, if you’re a fan of the series you’ll be picking this one up, regardless of what I say. God of War has a primal magnetism and engaging game play that’s hard to deny–and even if not much has changed, it’s still a hell of a lot of fun.