There’s something about the character-action God of War games that gives me a fuzzy feeling inside. While I don’t like Kratos’ character in these games, as his need for revenge literally kills the whole world, using him to kill Gods and monsters is fun.
As a fan of the current Dad of War games, I still prefer these older titles and their overall gameplay loop. Even if the stories are much weaker when compared to the modern entries, playing them just felt better.
Most people will tell you their favorite entries in the franchise are God of War 2 on PS2 or God of War 3 on PS3/PS4. However, I’m one of those weirdos who like Chains of Olympus and Ghost of Sparta on PSP. It could just be me getting older, but having these bite-sized action games in my pocket is just a nice feeling.
Well, replace the pocket with a bag, because I emulate these games on my Steam Deck now, but hear me out.
Short Beats (to the Head)
For all the criticisms fans have of Sony’s PSP, I never thought bite-sized PS2 games were one of them. Granted, Sony's releasing prequels and side stories did make these titles feel less important, but they got me through high school, so shut up. Plus, the gameplay for these titles was still good, even if the PSP desperately needed a right analog stick.
Luckily, the God of War PSP games were able to navigate the system’s flaws and made them feel normal. Dodging by holding the L and R buttons while moving the analog stick wasn’t half bad. Fixed camera angles also meant not having to move the camera, which made navigating through these hallways and caverns pretty breezy.
More importantly, beating up opponents as Kratos was more fun than ever. Switch and Steam Deck owners might take this for granted, but facing off against these gigantic enemies in such a small device was shocking for the time. Keep in mind that the PSP was competing with 2D games from the DS and GBA, so it really felt ahead of the curve when Kratos was taking on the Kraken while sprites of Bulbasaur and Pikachu stood still, waiting for battle effects to happen.
On the Steam Deck, these God of War PSP titles look marvelous with an X3 resolution. They almost look like their PS3 HD ports, showing just how insane these games already looked at the time. The fact that they’re still bite-sized and a ton of fun shows just how good these portable experiences still are.
Pocket-sized Emotions
Despite being side stories that didn’t move the main narrative a lot, both God of War: Chains of Olympus and Ghost of Sparta have some pretty emotional scenes. While the 2018 soft-reboot and Ragnarok have since surpassed these scenes, they still stand on their own as effective character-building moments for Kratos.
In Chains of Olympus, there’s an absolutely heartbreaking sequence where Kratos has to abandon his daughter in the afterlife and save the world. Rather than just let this play out in a cutscene, this game makes you separate Kratos and his daughter via this franchise’s quick-time events. Yes, you have to press Circle repeatedly to tear a family apart; it’s depressing.
Ghost of Sparta is surprisingly emotional throughout. The main story of Kratos’ brother, Deimos, is surprisingly good, as he was captured because a warrior with a red mark was prophesied to mark the end of Olympus. Maybe it’s irony or karma, but this led to Kratos marking his face to pay tribute to his brother and eventually destroying Olympus himself, showing that the Gods made this prophecy come true by their own doing.
Considering how the PSP got flak for not releasing the main installments of Sony’s franchises, the fact these side stories had so much emotion shows this wasn’t method wasn’t the worst method. It was nice getting some meaningful backstory for Kratos before he became just another killing machine.
Fans who have a PS Vita or PS3 should be able to play these God of War games legally. PS3 owners will be able to play these games with enhanced graphics and full use of the right analog stick for dodging. Everyone else should emulate these games on a Steam Deck, because you can make these titles look phenomenal while still enjoying their ageless gameplay.
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