Second Look - God of War (2005)

 

Note: This review contains spoilers for God of War (2005).

While my opinions of the God of War series have been mostly positive, as time has passed, I have not been completely satisfied with my original reviews of the entries centered on Greek mythology, which were originally written around the release of God of War: Ascension. Around the release of God of War: Ragnarök, the idea of revisiting Kratos’ roots resurfaced, and I felt more motivated to do so upon finishing that game, starting with the original God of War from 2005. While the game was originally released on the PS2, and I have played it multiple times on that platform, I decided to replay it through the God of War HD Collection on PS3 due to the graphical improvements made for that port, and in the process realizing I had not touched the game in a little over a decade. After diving back into it following such a lengthy absence, while it hasn’t exactly aged well visually, it has aged very well from a storytelling perspective and remains one of the best examples of a Mature-rated game.

In ancient Greece, a mortal known as Kratos has done numerous favors for the gods to clear the sins of his past, culminating in him traveling to Athens to kill Ares, the god of war, to stop his rampage in the city. As he arrives, Kratos is informed by Athena that completing this one final task will give him the forgiveness that he seeks. Kratos then learns that the only way he can kill Ares is by seeking out Pandora’s Box, which is located in a temple on the back of the Titan, Cronos. As Kratos gets increasingly closer to his goal, it becomes clearer that Ares is more involved in his past than initially let on.

Kratos (T.C. Carson) seeks to kill Ares, the god of war.

On its own merits, the storytelling does an effective job in handling its subject matter and themes of loss and revenge in a very tactful way, with an interesting take on Greek mythology to boot. While Kratos is largely remembered as being a “one-dimensional rage machine,” this game alone shows that he is far from that and is a very three-dimensional character, as he has very personal reasons for hunting down Ares that tie into the deaths of his wife and daughter that he has deep regrets over. This even extends to a segment in the final boss fight where Kratos is given a second chance to protect his family and does so at all costs, only to have it ripped away from him once again. Not only is the narrative presented in a very engaging way as well, it does so without an overreliance on blood/gore and without any swearing, even with the first in the Greek Era’s tradition of its (in)famous sex minigames in the early game.

Revisiting this game after so many years, it feels very self-contained in comparison to later installments, which focus more on telling an overarching narrative, though this isn’t really a bad thing since it allows the plot to stand on its own in case future installments could not get made. That said, some seeds were clearly planted in hindsight for potential sequel bait, though much of it would eventually end up getting contradicted in some way anyway. The first of these is the ending narration, which suggests that Kratos would be looked up to as the new god of war even in the modern day, only for its direct sequel to pivot towards the “revenge on Zeus” plotline, though this can be chalked up to the exact direction of the series not being ironed out at the time. This is also evident in the “The Fate of the Titan” cutscene unlocked for completing God Mode, in which Cronos is discovered by a modern-day army, becomes contradicted by later games, including the idea that Cronos is the only Titan remaining.

Similarly, the “Birth of a Beast” bonus video, which reveals that Kratos has a then-unnamed brother, would eventually become contradicted by later games, though this does plant the seeds for the Ghost of Sparta PSP game, in which another version of its concept is realized. On that note, one interactable object in-game talks about an impending conflict between god and mortal. While this was obviously meant to refer to the battle between Kratos and Ares, the imagery that was chosen, in which the god in question more resembles Zeus, can come across as rather epic foreshadowing in hindsight for the events of God of War III.

Since this game provides the basis for the gameplay style of the Greek games, I will cover the basics here.

The core gameplay heavily involves hack-and-slash with some platforming elements, along with some puzzle-solving that has a similar vibe to an old point-and-click game. There is a double jump that is useful for traversing gaps, though you may also have to swing across with a rope or walk a tightrope across narrow planks to traverse some long distances, the latter of which can be frustrating at times. You can also climb about on ropes or walls, but in these cases, you often also have to fend off enemies on the first pass through them. One mechanic is the ability to grab and move objects, which can be sped up by holding down Cross and kicking the object, which is often required for some platforming and puzzle segments. Designated save points allow you to save your game and are well-placed, with other well-placed checkpoints to aid in resuming your progress in a level in case you die at any point.

One ability that comes in very handy is the ability to dodge roll using the right stick. Though meant for combat use, outside of that context it suddenly becomes very easy to traverse through a given area much faster, making it very useful for speedruns and skipping entire enemy encounters that are not required to progress. While the game is designed in such a way that you don’t normally see any loading screens outside of reloading saves or checkpoints, it is possible to actually see one just by dodge rolling fast enough, which is the only way to see such screens during normal gameplay.

On the subject of combat, one mechanic that the series is famous for is its use of QTEs. When dealing enough damage to bigger or more powerful enemies, a Circle prompt appears above their head, and grabbing the enemy within a certain time frame initiates a minigame where you have to match the actions on-screen. On regular enemies, performing this minigame is optional and can often yield bonuses, while with bosses it becomes the only way to progress between phases.

 

You may also be required to mash a button at certain points.

Aside from the Blades of Chaos, Kratos gains a number of other weapons and magical abilities from the gods to help in the fight against Ares and his forces. While weapons, of which there are two, are tied to the shoulder buttons to swap between them, swapping magic is tied to the d-pad and pressing L2 to activate them. On that note, the design of the DualShock 3’s triggers would cause magic to go off prematurely or at random times for me, not helped by the one I was using having a far more sensitive left side, a problem which I was able to resolve by switching to a DualSense at the cost of disabled rumble features. Though different magic can be useful for certain crowd control situations, limited only in their use by a Magic Meter, you can get away with simply using the Blades a majority of the time, especially in close quarters. Some abilities, such as Medusa’s Gaze, are also required to complete specific puzzles, though I will also mention an interesting attention to detail that Gorgons are immune to the aforementioned ability.

An additional aspect of the game is its collectibles, taking the form of Orbs, Gorgon Eyes and Phoenix Feathers, the last two of which are found in oft-hidden chests. Collecting enough Gorgon Eyes increases the length of your Health Meter, while Phoenix Feathers increase the length of your Magic Meter, and going out of your way to find them all can be beneficial for the late game unless in the case of a speedrun. As for Orbs, Green and Blue Orbs fill up your Health and Magic Meters, respectively, and can be found in chests marked by an appropriately-colored light, with some swapping between green and blue before you open it, as well as rewards for completing QTEs; in the HD version, there’s even a Trophy for opening a green chest while you have full health. While the other two colors are important, Red Orbs are the most important, as they can be found just about anywhere in chests, breakable objects and defeating enemies, and are used for upgrading your weapons and magic in the pause menu. Upgrading the Blades of Chaos to Level 2 even unlocks Rage of the Gods, activated by clicking both sticks, which grants a temporary attack boost and can be refilled through combat.

 

Upgrading the Blades of Chaos unlocks Rage of the Gods.

 

While the main gameplay loop is satisfying thanks to a surprising enemy variety, there are some imperfections that became more noticeable to me due to my time away from it. Some puzzles can be difficult even on a lower difficulty due to the dexterity required, including one where you have to move a stone block to get past a timed spike trap and another where you need to use Medusa’s Gaze to freeze a Minotaur long enough to get past a gate that requires putting weight on a button. The developers have also admitted to not playtesting the Hades section and it shows even on a lower difficulty, especially with platforming segments involving rotating blades, for which the only advice I can give is to keep running through as quickly as possible and not think too hard about your next move.

One notable extra unlockable is a pair of secret messages, which, at least in the US version, are presented as a pair of phone numbers, one of which is unlocked by destroying a pair of statues at the very end of the game and the other unlocked by beating the game on the unlockable God Mode difficulty. Miraculously, these numbers still work as of 2023, though your mileage may vary for accessibility outside the US.

While the visuals were certainly good for their time, they definitely show their age now, even with the improvements made in the HD port. That said, the cutscenes still hold up pretty well and the levels show a lot of inspiration from ancient Greek statuary and architecture, plus the reflection effects in some tiled areas are still impressive. Though the game uses a fixed camera, it uses very strategic angles for a full view of the immediate area, though some camera shifts can have an effect on your forward movement if you’re not careful. The in-game and pause screen UIs are also very clear and would become a staple of the Greek games, providing a basis for the former as seen in the Norse games. Some characters, mainly the gods, also notably appear a little differently than they do in later installments, with Hades being the biggest standout when compared with his appearance in God of War III.

Much like the UI, the game also has good audio design, with the sound bank being retained and improved in future entries of the Greek era. After having played the Norse games, it’s interesting going back and hearing T.C. Carson as Kratos, who gives the character a lot of personality and depth even in the early stage of his tenure in the role. In another first, Paul Eiding of Transformers and Metal Gear fame provides the voice of Zeus, presenting a calmer and more helpful take on the character in contrast to the more vengeful portrayal by Corey Burton beginning in the following game. Ares is perhaps one of Steve Blum’s better-known video game roles and with good reason, with a voice that gives him a commanding presence and perfectly fits the more villainous portrayal of the Greek deity.

While it is weird to go back to it after playing the Norse entries, the original God of War still holds up as an overall solid game with a well-handled exploration of mature themes without relying on cheap tactics to increase the age rating. While a newcomer could conceivably start with the Norse games, this game is the most optimal starting point for those that want to see the full progression of Kratos’ character arc, though it’s still worth playing anyway on its own merits.