

Additionally, there’s blocking, grappling and throwing.

The two can be combined together in multiple ways to form combos and unleash more powerful attacks on your foes. As in all of the games, square deals a quick attack and triangle a heavy one. In additIon to the larger than life theatrics, there’s well designed sewers, towns, temples and more to be traverse through featuring some tricky puzzles throughout.Īs unique as some of the environments are, it’s a shame that gameplay remains so conventional. While it’s an incredible level design that announces the game’s arrival with a bang, it’s just the first of many beautiful large scale stages to come, with another highlight being enormous mechanical pythons that must be ridden and slid through to turn a giant crank (humorously dubbed “Snakes on a Train” by the trophy). Eventually, you face off with the environment/creature one on one. The entire level is alive, with multiple platforms attached to the body of the titan, while its appendages do things like break hallways and elevate them in the air. One need not look past the first level to see evidence of this, which takes place inside and around an enormous Hecatonchires. Luckily, the story the environments tell is fall more enthralling. Those extremely well-versed in the God of War mythology will likely comprehend the gist of what’s going on, but the pacing problems stifle motivation when you’re unsure why you’re battling or where exactly you are. Here, there’s hardly ever a cutscene and the little scrolls scattered throughout add nothing.
GOD OF WAR ASCENSION HOURGLASS SERIES
The series isn’t known for rich storytelling, but it’s at least almost always interesting and coherent. While the plot does shed light on various aspects of Kratos’ past, it does so through a disjointed narrative.
GOD OF WAR ASCENSION HOURGLASS FREE
The Furies torture Kratos and drive him mad until he eventually breaks free and sets off on a quest to find the truth. He quickly becomes imprisoned by the Furies, three queens who are the enforcement of punishment and bane of traitors.

Kratos becomes the hand of Ares and ravages through battlefields until he one day commits an act that forces him to break their bond. Taking place years before the original God of War, Ascension sees a Kratos on the edge of defeat pledge an oath with Ares in an attempt to secure victory. Based purely on gameplay, however, it soon becomes apparent why a great entry in one of the greatest series could be overshadowed by the aforementioned titles. That doesn’t mean it’s not a fine game, and as part of the last wave of Sony exclusive titles for the console, it visually exemplifies some of the best the console has to offer. Of course, it doesn’t help that popularity beings to diminish when a series passes its third entry, so even with a great marketing push and some of the most epic set pieces yet, it likely didn’t stand a chance feeling like a must-play event regardless of the current market. It takes a big month of releases to make the latest God of War feel like just another game, but with Tomb Raider and Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance debuting just weeks ago, that’s exactly what Ascension feels like.
