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Should you’re a God of War fan, you have possible seen Sony‘s iconic, deity-destroying motion sequence has been dominating the highlight as of late. Following an announcement that the franchise’s authentic trilogy is being remade, we acquired a first-look at Kratos and Atreus in Prime Video’s upcoming live-action TV series adaptation.
Evaluate information
Platform reviewed: PS5 (on PS5 Professional and PlayStation Portal)
Out there on: PS5
Launch date: February 12, 2026
A retro-flavored 2D action-platformer starring a teenage Kratos, Sons of Sparta is a far cry from what the franchise has beforehand delivered. Borrowing closely from the Metroidvania style, the smaller-scale sport has additionally earned the ire of some gamers – including series’ creator David Jaffe – who’ve been lower than impressed by this contemporary path for the franchise.
However whereas the sport by no means reaches the epic highs of its predecessors, I’ve largely had fun stabbing, puzzle-solving, and exploring the would-be god-slayer’s early stomping grounds, particularly when braving its land of Laconia on my PlayStation Portal.
A sluggish begin, however stellar story
Admittedly, Sons of Sparta would not make a implausible first impression. Its motion is sluggish to begin, and its early environments sport a muted tone that may come off a bit drab on a big show, just like the 65″ 4K TV I began my journey on.
The sport’s fight and world did not instantly seize me, however its characters and narrative did. A collaboration between Sony Santa Monica Studio, who penned the story, and Mega Cat Studios, Sons of Sparta is cleverly framed as a story grownup Kratos – voiced by the protagonist’s first performer, TC Carson – tells his younger daughter Calliope.
Narration from the older Kratos, in addition to some enjoyable exchanges between him and his little woman, are peppered all through the prolonged marketing campaign. However the bulk of the storytelling is delivered by younger Kratos and his brother Deimos. The siblings, who’re enduring the agoge in hopes of changing into Spartan troopers, are richly realized with top-notch writing and high quality voice appearing.
In actual fact, it is the brothers’ partaking, evolving dynamic that drew me to revisit the sport on my PlayStation Portal in spite of everything however abandoning it following a brief session on my PS5 Pro. And I am so glad I returned to it, as Sons of Sparta is just not solely an ideal match for the transportable platform, however investing extra time in it allowed me to understand what it needed to provide after its subpar begin.
Fight that finally clicks
The sport’s fight, which feels a bit plodding within the opening hours, actually finds its footing a couple of hours in. Kratos cannot do an entire lot along with his outfitted sword and defend initially, but it surely’s not lengthy earlier than your stock is brimming with skills, upgrades, and expertise. The franchise’s acquainted crimson orbs, in addition to different collected sources, may be invested in quite a lot of offensive and defensive expertise, whereas plenty of weapon attachments may be acquired and upgraded.
The gods additionally get in on the motion, gifting Kratos with plenty of cool instruments – like a fire-spewing tree department – that may fight baddies, help with puzzle-solving, and open beforehand obstructed components of the map.
Talking of the sport’s sprawling navigational interface, viewing and utilizing the device on the Portal’s 8-inch, rectangular show instantly struck me with a satisfying sense of nostalgia. Having spent my youth learning maps in Metroid and Castlevania entries – in addition to different traditional side-scrollers – on Nintendo’s many handhelds and Sony’s personal PlayStation Moveable and Vita, it was a blast witnessing Sons of Sparta‘s map blossom in all instructions on the extra diminutive display.
Enjoying with PlayStation Portal Energy
However taking part in on the Portal did greater than recall my favourite map-navigating reminiscences. The prequel’s painterly, hand-drawn pixel artwork fashion actually pops on the transportable {hardware}’s 1080p HD show. The place the sport felt a bit small and swallowed up by my TV’s 65″ display, its different, vibrant environments arguably introduced a lot better on the smaller LED display.
After all, the innate intimacy of taking part in on a transportable platform additionally deserves credit score for placing the sport in its finest mild; I used to be in a position to respect way more element taking part in Sons of Sparta a couple of inches from my face relatively than squinting at it from throughout my lounge.
It additionally would not damage that the Portal’s handgrips ship the identical immersion-ratcheting options because the PS5‘s DualSense Wireless Controller. From feeling the rhythmic cadence of Kratos readying his Photo voltaic Sling – one other enjoyable reward from the gods – to the extraordinary, sustained pulse that builds when opening a treasure chest, the hand-held’s haptic suggestions and adaptive triggers are simply on par with the usual DualSense controller.
And talking once more to that extra intimate transportable expertise, seeing Sons of Sparta’s motion unfold immediately between these rumbling, vibrating handgrips provides a degree of immersion and immediacy that taking part in on a console simply cannot match.
Godlike audio
I additional complemented my time behind Kratos’ spear and defend by pairing Sony’s PlayStation Pulse Elite headset with the Portal. As anticipated, this allowed me to soak up each element of the sport’s dynamic soundscape, from ear-rattling boss encounters to the nuanced echo of water dripping within the sport’s atmospheric Grand Cistern surroundings.
Sons of Sparta is undoubtedly a smaller-scale entry in a sequence recognized for making huge, daring, blood-soaked splashes with every launch. However whereas the stakes of its story are decrease, and it lacks a few of the epic set items, cinema-rivaling results, and adrenaline-pumping motion of its predecessors, it nonetheless delivers a stable, albeit fairly totally different, God of War action-adventure.
Should you’re anticipating a 2D tackle Kratos’ earlier god-slaying exploits, Sons of Sparta will possible disappoint. However should you’re craving a contemporary, canon story supported by a serviceable metroidvania construction, deep fight, and loads of fan-pleasing call-outs to the bigger franchise, this unconventional prequel’s acquired you coated…particularly when loved on the PlayStation Portal.
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Accessibility options
God of Struggle Sons of Sparta consists of a powerful suite of accessibility options, from varied audio changes and visuals assists – together with choices for customizing colour filters, textual content sizes, and blood and gore results – to movement discount aids and gameplay settings for reducing problem.
Along with together with plenty of presets for accessibility options, the sport additionally gives loads of particular person picks for a extra tailor-made expertise.
How I reviewed God of Struggle Sons of Sparta
I performed a couple of hours of God of Struggle Sons of Sparta on my PlayStation 5 Professional, on my 65″ 4K show, earlier than totally committing to it – and having fun with it far more – on my PlayStation Portal, streamed from the Professional.
I examined Sons of Sparta‘s audio with each the PlayStation Pulse Explore earbuds and PlayStation Pulse Elite headset, with the majority of my 25-hour playtime utilizing the latter. I paid explicit consideration to how the sport appeared and performed on the transportable machine versus the console, and famous the assorted methods it integrated the hand-held’s DualSense options.
First reviewed February-March 2026
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