The original God Of War is hard to go back to after 20 years – Reader’s Feature

Despite constant frustration and badly dated gameplay, a reader can’t bring himself to completely hate the PlayStation 2 version of God Of War.

God Of War came out in 2005. I love the film Jason and the Argonauts and since gaming’s introduction to Kratos focused on similar themes and reviewed well, 20 years ago, the landmark title developed by Santa Monica Studio was a compulsory purchase for me.

Kicking off with a spot of giant Hydra trouble in the Aegean sea, the high level of polish and artistry in this game is immediately apparent. Ancient Greek exteriors and interiors are consistently atmospheric and handsomely realised. God Of War’s core mechanic is hacking and slashing, so it’s a relief that the combat here is beyond satisfying.

This is one of those games in which you look forward to a scrap, to unleash your many moves. As well as the iconic Blades of Chaos, and the lesser known Blade of Artemis, Kratos collects various magic attacks on his journey through the game’s levels. For me the highlight in this enchanted arsenal is the Army of Hades, obtained fairly late in the day, after defeating one of the game’s bosses. Activate the Army of Hades and a fiery demonic swarm materialises around Kratos and homes in, like a salvo of guided projectiles, on any local enemies.

Everything’s upgradable by gathering red orbs, which fly out of opened chests, vanquished enemies, and smashed objects. While you run around solving simple puzzles and slaying monsters you collect green orbs to replenish your health meter and blue orbs to fill up your magic meter. These meters can be extended by finding Gorgon’s eyes and phoenix feathers.

So there’s plenty to do while Kratos embarks on an epic quest which takes him and you to Athens, to the Temple of the Oracle, through the desert of Lost Souls, and on to Pandora’s Temple. The end goal here is to quell the bad dreams that haunt Kratos. In some sort of thematic duality, Pandora’s Temple is where the game starts to turn into a waking nightmare.

I’m fairly certain that 20 years ago I did finish this game. Tackling God Of War again now, I wonder how I managed. Reading other players’ comments on the internet the following hurdles are repeatedly mentioned:

That notorious jump over a certain second lava pit. The stingy amount of time allocated in the spike room. The desperate dash past spinning saw blades to access the Architect’s Tomb, before his door shuts in your face. And what about that bit in The Challenge of Hades, when you try not to fall to your death on narrow suspended planks, while at the same time double jumping over rotating blades that you can only see when they’re seconds away from hitting you?

Climbing those rotating spike towers in the Path of Hades often gets remarked upon as a place where one’s patience is tested to breaking point, but on this playthrough I found that fighting the Pandora Guardian was worse.

How could I complete those quick time events if the developers gave me insufficient time to do so? By doing a bit of research online it turned out that controlling the thumb stick with just my thumb was probably where I was going wrong. If I pinched the left stick around its edge with my thumb and finger I could match the lightning fast QTE prompts.

The final battle with Ares also uses QTE prompts, that appear and then cruelly disappear in a blink. I could only react fast enough to these prompts by holding down every face button on the DualShock 2. A messy and botched solution. Was it deliberate?

I have more issues with God Of War other than it started to make me hate gaming. Medusa was entirely wasted. Here the snake-haired Gorgon is sold short as a mid-level boss and a way of obtaining an, albeit interesting, magic attack.

Perhaps the best scene in the rather hit and miss 1981 movie Clash of the Titans is Perseus’s fight with Medusa. The sequence almost invites a direct video game conversation. Fight a terrifying foe by relying on your wits and the reflections in your shield. Try not to be put off by those lifelike statues that stand, crouch, and cower nearby.

And the advent of Pandora’s Temple is disappointing. Instead of leaping onto the summoned titan, that carries the temple on its back Shadow of the Colossus style, a potentially epic part of your quest is handled by a cut scene.

But it seems picky to complain. There’s much to enjoy here. An ancient city under siege. A fearsome bestial roll call, straight out of Greek mythology. You’ll swim through underwater domains that are eerie and peaceful. A dramatic sense of scale is used to great effect in one sequence.

Due to a representation of perspective, Kratos shrinks down to the size of an ant and yet you’re still able to control him. And the game’s epic score suits the onscreen mayhem perfectly. Although the sound that you might learn to love is the angelic call of the save points.

I cannot wholeheartedly recommend God Of War 2005. Parts of it are the gaming equivalent of deliberately slamming a door on your hand. However, if you have a penchant for classic monsters, swordplay and high adventure then you should definitely check out a certain Spartan’s debut because it is, for the most part, a brilliantly realised classic.

By reader Michael Veal (@msv858)

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