God of War Sons of Sparta's take on Kratos might not be the muscled master we know and love, but the major beats of this prequel adventure show that developer Mega Cat Studios at least knows which boxes to mark off to ensure the mythical flavor remains intact. The problem is, these ticks are messy at best. Within seconds, young boy Kratos is going spear-to-eye with a massive cyclops, with his brother Deimos coming in clutch to assist, but the combat is floaty and slow, and player and enemy animations are clunky and ugly. When the cyclops keels over, I'm left shrugging instead of filled with the bombast and adrenaline God of War usually leaves me with.
In some ways, this makes sense. Barely in double-digit age, Kratos and Deimos have only just earned the Spartan right to travel outside of the city to prove themselves. Each map pleasingly flags interconnected pathways as they spiral out from Sparta at the center. This God of War's stakes are far lower than the grandiose ones in the main series. It's more Hardy Boys in tone, with Kratos the bratty Spartan rules nerd who nevertheless knows how to leverage its warrior teachings to justify whatever action he wants to take, while Deimos is headstrong, passionate, and ready to run off to follow what his heart tells him is right (often literally, giving a reason for Kratos to explore solo before they reunite at cutscenes). Though Kratos irritates, it's not a bad narrative premise, but can all too often feel like an extensive anti-bullying PSA.
