God of War (franchise)

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

God of War
The Norse-based logo of the franchise introduced in 2016; 2022's Ragnarök and its related merchandise uses blue for the Omega symbol instead of red
Genre(s)
Developer(s)Primary
Ports
Publisher(s)
Creator(s)
Writer(s)
(Greek games)
  • Matt Sophos (Norse games)
  • Richard Gaubert (Norse games)
    • Platform(s)
    First release
    God of War Ragnarök: Valhalla

    December 12, 2023

    God of War is a

    Atreus
    as a secondary protagonist.

    Santa Monica Studio has developed all main entries, while

    Facebook Messenger. A sequel, Ragnarök, was released in November 2022 for the PS4 and PlayStation 5 (PS5) and concluded the Norse era, which received an epilogue in the form of an expansion pack
    titled Valhalla in December 2023.

    Games in the series have been praised as some of the best action games of all time. The series has received numerous awards, including several Game of the Year recognitions for the 2005 and 2018 installments. Some games have also been remastered for newer PlayStation platforms. As of November 2023, the franchise has sold an estimated 66+ million games worldwide, and is PlayStation's most profitable first-party brand. Strong sales and support of the series led to the franchise's expansion into other media, such as three comic book series and three novels. A film adaptation of the original installment had been in development but was ultimately canceled; however, a television series adaptation of the Norse era is in development for Amazon Prime Video. Merchandise includes artwork, clothing, toys, and prop replicas, as well as the games' soundtracks, including a heavy metal album, Blood & Metal (2010), featuring original music by various bands who were inspired by the series.

    Games

    Release timeline
               Greek mythology            Norse mythology
    Main installments in bold text
    *Asterisks are re-releases
    2005
    God of War Ragnarök: Valhalla

    First era (Greek mythology)

    God of War was first released in North America on March 22, 2005, for the PlayStation 2. After ten years in the service of the Olympian gods, Spartan soldier Kratos is tasked by Athena to find Pandora's box, the key to defeating Ares, the God of War, who is running amok through Athens. A series of flashbacks reveals that Kratos was once the servant of Ares, who saved Kratos and his army from annihilation in battle, but tricked him into killing his family, which forced his metamorphosis into the "Ghost of Sparta". Kratos eventually finds Pandora's Box, and after finally killing Ares, he ascends to Mount Olympus to become the new God of War.[1]

    God of War II was first released in North America on March 13, 2007, for the PlayStation 2. Angry at his fellow gods, Kratos runs amok across the city of Rhodes. Zeus intervenes and betrays Kratos, who is saved by the Titan Gaia. She tells him he must now find the Sisters of Fate, who can change his fate and prevent his death at the hands of Zeus. Kratos is ultimately successful and as he is about to kill the god, Athena sacrifices herself to save Zeus and preserve Olympus, and tells Kratos that he is Zeus' son and that he betrayed Kratos out of fear. Kratos then joins forces with Gaia and the Titans to attack Olympus.[2]

    God of War: Betrayal was released on June 20, 2007, for mobile phones supporting the Java Platform, Micro Edition. It is the only game in the series to be released as a two-dimensional (2D) side-scroller and the first that was released on a non-PlayStation platform. The narrative of the game takes place between the events of Ghost of Sparta and God of War II. Kratos is framed for murder, and rampages across Greece seeking the true assassin. Kratos succumbs to bloodlust and kills Ceryx, the son of the god Hermes—an act that alienates him from his fellow gods.[3][4]

    God of War: Chains of Olympus was first released in North America on March 4, 2008, for the PlayStation Portable. Its narrative takes place sometime between Ascension and God of War during Kratos' ten years of service to the gods. Kratos halts a Persian invasion of the Greek city of Attica, and learns that the world has been plunged into darkness by the god Morpheus. Kratos investigates the abduction of the sun god Helios, and prevents the Machiavellian plan of the goddess Persephone to use the Titan Atlas to destroy the world.[5]

    God of War III was first released in North America on March 16, 2010, for the PlayStation 3. Reigniting the Great War, Kratos is soon abandoned by the Titans, who were only using him to exact their own revenge. Now seeking revenge against both the Titans and Olympian gods, he is helped by the spirit of Athena, who was elevated to a new level of understanding and instructs him to seek the Flame of Olympus in order to defeat Zeus. Kratos engages the gods and the Titans in a series of battles across the Underworld and Olympus and learns that Pandora's Box is within the Flame. He discovers that Pandora herself is the key to pacifying the Flame and allowing him to open the Box, at the expense of her life. After finally killing Zeus and with Olympus destroyed, Kratos refuses to help Athena assume the role of new patron of mankind and disappears.[6]

    God of War: Ghost of Sparta was first released in North America on November 2, 2010, for the PlayStation Portable. Set between the events of God of War and Betrayal, the God of War Kratos is still haunted by visions of his mortal past and embarks on a quest to discover his origins by finding his mother, Callisto. He learns that his brother Deimos was taken by the gods and imprisoned by the God of Death, Thanatos, and decides to find and save his sibling. Although successful, Thanatos engages the brothers in combat, and kills Deimos. Kratos then kills Thanatos and returns to Olympus, further enraged at the gods.[7]

    Furies for breaking his blood oath to Ares. With the help of the oath keeper and Ares' estranged son Orkos, Kratos learns that the God of War and the Furies plan to overthrow Mount Olympus and that Ares chose Kratos as his servant to help him for that very purpose. The Spartan escapes his imprisonment and eventually kills the Furies, as well as Orkos, who begs for release. Although free of Ares' bond, Kratos begins to suffer the nightmares that plague him for years.[12]

    Second era (Norse mythology)

    Atreus on his first adventure in the Norse wilds.[13] Additionally, a smartphone companion app called Mimir's Vision released on April 17, 2018, and provides some background for the Norse setting.[14]

    Fimbulwinter begins, with Ragnarök soon to follow. While Baldur's mother, the Vanir goddess Freya, swears revenge on Kratos, he and Atreus complete their journey and discover that Faye was a Giant who had foreseen the future and that Atreus was originally named Loki.[16]

    Valhalla was released on December 12, 2023, and serves as an epilogue to Ragnarök, following Kratos and Mímir in a series of trials in Valhalla. Through the trials, Kratos comes to terms with his past life in Greece and takes the mantle as the Norse God of War.[21]

    Collections and remasters

    Main article: God of War video game collections

    ported by Bluepoint Games and feature high-definition 1080p anti-aliased graphics at 60 frames per second and trophies.[23] Sanzaru Games later ported the collection to the PlayStation Vita and it was released in May 2014—the franchise's only appearance on this platform.[24]

    Stereoscopic 3D.[26]

    PlayStation Collections line. The collection includes the original God of War, God of War II, God of War III, Chains of Olympus, and Ghost of Sparta. It features two Blu-ray Discs—God of War I and II on the first and III on the second—and a voucher to download Chains of Olympus and Ghost of Sparta. The games retain the same features as their first PS3 releases.[27][28]

    God of War III Remastered was first released in North America on July 14, 2015, for the PlayStation 4—the franchise's first appearance on the platform. It is a remastered version of God of War III, and features full 1080p support targeted at 60 frames per second, a photo mode, and all downloadable content of the original. The game's announcement and release was in celebration of the franchise's tenth anniversary.[29] It was ported by Wholesale Algorithms.[30]

    Gameplay

    The series consists of eight

    platforming, and puzzle game elements to achieve goals and complete the story (platforming elements were removed from the second era games due to the camera change).[35][36] The 2018 installment added Kratos' son Atreus, and although the game is played entirely as Kratos, there are times when the player may choose to passively control Atreus (a button is dedicated to Atreus, and he will fire an arrow from his bow depending on where the camera is pointed).[37] While Atreus is still an accompanying character in Ragnarök (in addition to a couple of other characters), there are some story missions where the player takes full control of Atreus; his combat is similar to Kratos' but he uses a bow.[38]

    Throughout the Greek games, Kratos' main weapon is a pair of

    Magic is also used, and four abilities are typically acquired.[40] God of War III differs in that instead of separate abilities, there are four primary weapons that possess their own respective magic offensive. The game also features "Items"—additional secondary weapons with limited usage, such as the Bow of Apollo.[33] With each new game, most weapons and magic are lost via a plot device, and a new arsenal of weapons and abilities are acquired during gameplay.[41] Ascension differs from the previous games in that instead of acquiring new weapons that are kept throughout the entire game, the player collects up to five World Weapons (such as a sword or a javelin) that have limited usage. When there is not a World Weapon equipped, the player can punch or kick foes as part of a new mechanic added to the game.[42] In the Norse games, Kratos' primary weapon is a magical battle axe called the Leviathan Axe. It can be thrown and summoned back to his hand, similar to Thor's hammer Mjölnir. Later on in 2018's God of War, he recovers the Blades of Chaos, which is retained in Ragnarök. They perform similarly as they did during the Greek games, but with different abilities. Both the Leviathan Axe and Blades of Chaos, as well as the Draupnir Spear introduced in Ragnarök, can be upgraded to use special magical attacks called runic attacks. Each weapon has a light and heavy runic attack, and the player can choose which runic attacks to equip on the weapons.[43]

    The series offers combo-based combat, and includes a quick time event (QTE) feature, also called context sensitive attacks, which is initiated when the player has weakened a foe or to perform a defensive maneuver. It allows limited control of Kratos during the QTE cinematic sequence; success ends the battle, while failure usually results in damage to the player.[33][44] As well as the QTE system, Ascension features a prompt-less free-form system, allowing players the choice of when to attack or dodge based on the enemy's actions.[45] A grab maneuver can be used on minor foes.[46] The Norse games changed this up; after an enemy has been weakened enough, a prompt will appear above its head, and depending on the enemy, Kratos may rip it in half or grab them and throw them into other enemies, among other possible outcomes. He will also jump on top of and ride large enemies, such as ogres, causing them to attack other enemies, similar to the cyclopes in the Greek games.[47]

    Two video game characters fight in a brown-colored room with mystical symbols.
    A cropped gameplay screenshot from the original God of War (2005): weakening foes allows the use of controller buttons for greater damage or finishing moves. This gameplay mechanic has been utilized throughout the series.

    Relics, which the player can use in successive games (such as Poseidon's Trident obtained in the original God of War allowing Kratos to swim underwater for extended periods) are also found and necessary for game progression.[35] Kratos often has a special ability, which provides temporary invulnerability and increased attack damage. This ability has become an ongoing feature of gameplay throughout the series—Rage of the Gods in the original God of War and Ascension, Rage of the Titans in God of War II, Rage of Sparta in God of War III, and Thera's Bane in Ghost of Sparta.[33] This ability can be recharged by building hits on foes in combat, and gaining game-specific orbs. Thera's Bane, however, is recharged automatically.[33][35][46] While Kratos does not retain any relics from the Greek era in 2018's God of War, he does have a rage ability, called Spartan Rage, and with this ability, Kratos uses powerful bare-handed attacks, as opposed to weapons, to greatly damage enemies.[32][48] Ragnarök enhanced the Spartan Rage ability, giving two other variants, one providing health and another delivering a powerful weapon attack depending on the weapon equipped.[49]

    items, such as new armor or upgrading existing armor and weapons, and XP is used for learning new combat skills. Chests in the Norse games provide a variety of different items.[53][54]

    With the exception of Ascension, each installment offers a challenge mode, which yields extra red orbs (or XP), secret costumes, and behind-the-scenes videos.

    Bonus content can also be unlocked by defeating the game's difficulty levels.[56] The Norse games also include a challenge mode, located in the realm Muspelheim, which rewards various items upon completion. Battle arenas, which allow players to set difficulty levels and choose their own opponents, are included in God of War II, God of War III, and Ghost of Sparta.[57] Excluding Betrayal, the Greek games were known for including a quick-time sex minigame in each installment until Ascension, which dropped the mini-game.[58]

    Ascension is the only installment in the series to feature multiplayer, which is online-only for both competitive and cooperative play. Up to eight players on two teams of two to four players (or a four to eight player deathmatch) battle for control of a map in order to earn rewards from the gods. Players can also fight each other in one-on-one matches. Players must sell their champion's soul to either Zeus, Hades, Ares, or Poseidon, which allows players to try different weapons, armor sets, and powers inspired by the god of their choice, and extras can be unlocked.[10][59]

    Development

    Main series

    Cory Barlog, one of the main contributors to the God of War series; to date, he has worked on six games, with his most notable roles being game director of 2007's God of War II and 2018's God of War

    PlayStation 2

    After the success of their first game Kinetica (2001), Santa Monica Studio began development of the original God of War in 2002, and unveiled it two years later at SCEA Santa Monica Gamers' Day 2004.[60] Game director and creator David Jaffe said that although the idea for God of War was his own, the concept owed a debt to Capcom because he had played Onimusha and said "let's do that with Greek mythology".[61] He was inspired in part by the 1981 feature film, Clash of the Titans, saying, "the real high concept for me was ... merging it with Heavy Metal magazine".[61] He said he liked both "the kids stuff ... with Greek mythology" and the idea of adding more adult themes such as sex and violence.[61] He was also inspired by the 1981 film Raiders of the Lost Ark.[62] Although the game is based on Greek mythology, the development team gave themselves "lots of freedom" to modify the myths, and Jaffe said they took the "coolest aspects of the subject" and created art and story using those elements.[63] Director of visual development and lead concept artist, Charlie Wen, drew inspiration from these films as well as more contemporary films such as Gladiator (2000) for tonal inspiration to lead the visual design of Kratos, other characters, and the world of God of War.[63] The gameplay of the Strider arcade franchise was also a vital influence on God of War,[64] and the developers described the gameplay "as merging the action of Devil May Cry with the puzzle-solving of Ico" and noted that players would be able to "sunder enemies with a single move, such as by ripping them in half".[65] The game uses Santa Monica's Kinetica engine, which they developed for Kinetica.[66]

    A sequel to God of War was first teased at the end of its credits, which stated, "Kratos Will Return".

    Roman numeral number two (II) in the title for this reason, but they did not want the title to convey the impression it was an expansion pack.[72] Both Jaffe and Barlog said that the reason God of War II appeared on the PlayStation 2 instead of the PlayStation 3—which was released four months prior to God of War II—was because "there's a 100 million people out there that will be able to play God of War II as soon as it launches."[73][74] Barlog assured that the game would be playable on the newer platform, which originally had PlayStation 2 backwards compatibility.[73][74]

    PlayStation 3

    God of War III was first mentioned by Cory Barlog at a God of War II launch event,

    E3 2009 and the time the game shipped, morphological anti-aliasing (MLAA) was added, which graphics engineer Ben Diamand said "improved edges dramatically and saved substantial amounts of frame-rate."[81] Diamand also said that "depth-of-field, motion blur, crepuscular 'God' rays and refraction were either added or improved in quality and speed" during that same time period.[81]

    On April 12, 2012, Sony released a teaser image for Ascension on its official PlayStation

    Dynamic lighting was added, which allowed for development of the Life Cycle gameplay mechanic. Particle effects were also greatly improved upon from God of War III.[81]

    PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5

    Santa Monica began work on the fifth main installment in 2014, which was confirmed by the returning Cory Barlog at the first annual

    Windows, Santa Monica Studio announced in October 2021 that God of War would be released for Windows on January 14, 2022, with support for graphics options. This in turn marked the first main entry in the series to release on a non-PlayStation platform.[98]

    Following the announcement of the 2018 installment in June 2016, Cory Barlog confirmed that the 2018 game would not be Kratos' last.

    3D audio, haptic feedback, higher frame rate, and overall better graphics.[110]

    On December 7, 2023 during The Game Awards 2023 event, Santa Monica Studio revealed a free roguelite DLC expansion to Ragnarök titled Valhalla. This expansion was released five days later on December 12. The expansion acts as an epilogue to Ragnarök and sees Kratos and companion Mimir complete various trials in Valhalla in order for the former to come to terms with his past in Greece. [111]

    Future

    Prior to the release of the 2018 installment, Cory Barlog confirmed that after the Norse era, future games could see the series tackling either Egyptian, Hindu, or Maya mythology.[112] He also said that although the 2018 installment (and subsequently Ragnarök) focused on Norse, it alluded to the fact that there are other mythologies co-existing in the world.[113] Barlog also said that he liked the idea of having different directors for each game and although he may not direct another God of War, he would still be at Santa Monica to work on future games.[114]

    Side games

    PlayStation Portable

    Game developer

    clock speed of the PSP to 333-MHz, which they did in a firmware upgrade. The faster processor allowed for more realistic blood effects, lighting effects, and shadows as well as improved enemy intelligence, but noticeably decreased battery life.[118][119] After the game's completion, game director Ru Weerasuriya stated multiplayer options and other puzzles, characters, and dialogue had to be removed due to time constraints.[117]

    Ghost of Sparta was announced on May 4, 2010, on PlayStation.Blog.

    Comic-Con 2010, Jan noted that when development began in 2008, the goal was to make the game bigger than Chains of Olympus, which had apparently pushed the PSP to its functional limits. Jan stated that Ghost of Sparta took the PSP to its "absolute capacity", with another feature being more on-screen foes.[122] The game concept was originally used as a teaser for players who obtained the platinum trophy from God of War III. The trophy revealed a site called spartansstandtall.com, which became the official site for Ghost of Sparta on May 4.[123] Jan stated the reason they chose to have the game take place between God of War and God of War II was because "It seemed to make a lot of sense to fill in that void."[121]

    Mobile

    Betrayal was announced by

    kilobytes, and that met Santa Monica Studio's high standards.[126] Cohen wrote the initial design document between September and October 2005, and revisited it in August 2006, the month development started. The versions for high-end handsets were completed in April 2007, with final versions for low-end handsets completed by June 2007. The porting team adapted the game to over 200 handsets in a matter of weeks. Both David Jaffe and Cory Barlog ensured that the Betrayal development team captured the feel of the combat and visual style, and were "helpful with feedback and positive support".[126]

    Adaptations

    Live action

    Unproduced feature film

    A film adaptation of the first game was announced in 2005.

    Pacific Rim: Uprising's (2018) director Steven S. DeKnight stated he would like to direct an adaptation of that game and talked with Sony about making it R-rated.[135] In May 2021, however, a Sony spokesperson confirmed that there was no God of War film adaptation in development.[136]

    Amazon Prime Video series

    On March 7, 2022,

    Amazon Studios in association with PlayStation Productions, and it will premiere on Prime Video in more than 240 countries and territories worldwide. It is being written by Fergus and Ostby, with Judkins serving as showrunner, who will all also be executive producers. Other executive producers include Santa Monica Studio's Creative Director Cory Barlog, PlayStation Productions' Asad Qizilbash and Carter Swan, Santa Monica Studio's Yumi Yang, and Vertigo Entertainment's Roy Lee. Santa Monica Studio's Jeff Ketcham will serve as a co-executive producer. It was also confirmed that the Prime Video series would adapt the Norse era, beginning with the events of the 2018 installment.[139] By January 2024, writing was underway on the series.[140]

    Documentaries

    God of War: Unearthing the Legend (75 minutes, 2010)[141] is a documentary about the God of War franchise and is hosted by Peter Weller. The production discusses the relationship between the God of War games and Greek mythology, and features members of the God of War III development team and professional historians. It was included as part of the God of War III Ultimate Edition (North America) and Ultimate Trilogy Edition (Europe, Australia, and New Zealand) packages. On March 25, 2010, it was released on the PlayStation Store in North America to purchase.[142]

    God of War – Game Directors Live (80 minutes, 2010)

    G4's Alison Haislip, with the five game directors, 150 members of PlayStation.Blog, and members of GodofWar.com and SpartansStandTall.com. It was filmed at the El Portal theater in Los Angeles on September 1, 2010, and was released as a pre-order bonus for Ghost of Sparta in North America on November 2, 2010, and was included with the Origins Collection and later released on the PlayStation Store.[144]

    Raising Kratos is a YouTube documentary of Santa Monica Studio's five-year process in making 2018's God of War, showing the "herculean effort" that went into reviving the franchise. The documentary was announced on April 20, 2019, the one year anniversary of the game's launch, and was released the following month on May 10.[145][146]

    Comic series and novels

    Main articles:
    God of War (Dark Horse Comics)

    A six-issue comic book series titled God of War, written by Marv Wolfman with art by Andrea Sorrentino, was published by WildStorm and DC Comics on a bi-monthly schedule from March 2010 to January 2011.[147] Taking place during the Greek era, the narrative switches between Kratos' past and present; it occurs while he is a soldier of Sparta and involves his search for the Ambrosia of Asclepius, which has legendary healing properties and eventually saved his plague-ridden daughter, Calliope. Kratos also embarks upon a quest to destroy the same elixir to deny it to the worshippers of the slain god Ares, who wish to resurrect him.[148] The series was collected into a trade paperback in March 2011.[149]

    In the lead up to Ascension's release, Santa Monica released a graphic novel titled

    social experience from October 2012 until March 2013. The graphic novel was a prequel story that tied into the single-player of Ascension, and was the backstory of the player's multiplayer character.[150]

    A two-volume comic series was published by

    God of War, was published monthly from November 2018 to February 2019; Issue #0 was included digitally with the three different special editions of the 2018 game and the four-issue volume serves as a direct prequel story to the game.[151][152] The second volume, also four issues and subtitled Fallen God, was published monthly from March to June 2021; it was originally to begin publication in June 2020, but was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Taking place before the first volume, Fallen God covers the timespan from God of War III to that first volume.[153][154] Both series were collected as trade paperbacks in May 2019 (Volume 1) and December 2021 (Volume 2), respectively.[155]

    The God of War novels recount the events of the games and offer deeper insights into their stories. God of War, the official novelization of the first game, was written by Matthew Stover and Robert E. Vardeman. It was published on May 25, 2010, by Del Rey Books.[156] God of War II, the second novelization of the series, was written by Vardeman alone and was published by Del Rey Books on February 12, 2013.[157] The third novelization in the series, titled God of War – The Official Novelization, is of 2018's God of War, skipping a novelization of God of War III. It was released on August 28, 2018, by Titan Books and was written by Cory Barlog's father, James Barlog.[158]

    Tabletop card game

    An official tabletop card game titled God of War: The Card Game was released by CMON Limited on October 25, 2019. Created by Alexandru Olteanu and Fel Barros, the card game adapts the events of the 2018 installment. Players take on the role of the Norns, the Fates of Norse mythology, as they try to prevent Ragnarök with a different combination of characters and events from the game, providing many variations to completing the card game.[159][160][161]

    Music

    Seven God of War soundtracks have been commercially released and have featured several composers, including

    Sumthing Else on March 30, 2010.[164] It was also included as downloadable content in the God of War III Ultimate Edition and Ultimate Trilogy Edition collections.[165] The soundtrack was praised as an orchestral success and the best score in the series at the time.[166]

    The original scores for God of War, God of War II, and God of War III were nominated for Best Original Score at the 2005,[167] 2007,[168] and 2010[169] Spike Video Game Awards, respectively. The God of War Trilogy Soundtrack was included with the God of War III Ultimate Edition and Ultimate Trilogy Edition collections as downloadable content. The Trilogy Soundtrack consists of the original scores for God of War, God of War II, and God of War III. It was praised by critics as the best way to experience the series' musical development, and allows the listener to note the development of the composers during the series.[170]

    On October 18, 2010, God of War: Ghost of Sparta – Original Soundtrack from the Video Game was released on the iTunes Store by SIE. It was also included as downloadable content as part of the Ghost of Sparta pre-order package and includes three previously unreleased tracks from Chains of Olympus.[171][172] Several tracks were cited as being intended for purely contextual purposes, and the remaining tracks rated well in comparison to the soundtracks of the main installments in the series.[173] God of War: Ascension (Original Soundtrack) differed from the previously released soundtracks as it was composed by Tyler Bates alone, and is the only God of War score that he has worked on. It was released on March 5, 2013, on iTunes by SIE and La-La Land Records.[174] It was included as downloadable content in the God of War: Ascension–Collector's Edition and Special Edition.[175] Reviewers praised it for being powerful, rich, and pulsing, though felt it was repetitive at times.[176]

    For both God of War (2018) and God of War Ragnarök, famed TV series composer Bear McCreary was employed to compose the music.

    Hozier was also featured on the song, "Blood Upon the Snow".[181]

    God of War: Blood & Metal

    God of War: Blood & Metal
    Heavy metal
    Length29:24 (6-track version)
    36:56 (7-track version)
    LabelRoadrunner Records

    God of War: Blood & Metal is a

    1UP.com (2.5/5) said, "it's not offensive to [the] ears" and "mainstream listeners may enjoy [the album]".[186] Square Enix Music Online (8/10) stated the album is a "good selection of metal music" and listeners will be "surprised with the variety of music".[187]

    Track listing

    No.TitleLength
    1."My Obsession" (Killswitch Engage)3:45
    2."Shattering the Skies Above" (Trivium)4:42
    3."Raw Dog" (Dream Theater)7:34
    4."This is Madness" (Taking Dawn)4:16
    5."The Throat of Winter" (Opeth)5:46
    6."The End" (Mutiny Within)3:19
    Total length:29:24
    Bonus track
    No.TitleLength
    7."Even Gods Cry" (The Turtlenecks)7.32
    Total length:36:56

    Critical reception

    Aggregate review scores
    As of November 4, 2022.
    Game Metacritic
    God of War 94/100[188]
    God of War II 93/100[189]
    God of War: Betrayal 90/100[190]
    God of War: Chains of Olympus 91/100[191]
    God of War Collection
         		91/100 (PS3)[192]
    73/100 (Vita)[193]
    God of War III 92/100[194]
    God of War: Ghost of Sparta 86/100[195]
    God of War: Origins Collection
         		84/100[196]
    God of War Saga
         		N/A[197]
    God of War: Ascension 80/100[198]
    God of War III Remastered
         		81/100[199]
    God of War 94/100 (PS4)[200]
    93/100 (PC)[201]
    God of War Ragnarök 94/100 (PS5)[202]

    With physical and digital copies combined, the God of War franchise has sold an estimated 66+ million games worldwide (as of November 2023).[203][211] According to former Santa Monica employee Aaron Kaufman, the God of War franchise is Sony's most profitable brand.[209] God of War (2005), God of War II, Chains of Olympus, God of War Collection, God of War III, God of War (2018), and Ragnarök each received critical acclaim from several reviewers as compiled by review aggregator Metacritic,[212] with the 2005, 2018, and Ragnarök titles being tied for the highest score in the franchise at 94/100.[188][200][202] Betrayal and Ghost of Sparta only received generally favorable reception.[4][195] Ascension also only had a generally favorable reception and, not including the PlayStation Vita port of God of War Collection, it has the lowest score in the series from Metacritic (80/100).[198]

    At the time of its release, Raymond Padilla of

    Complex.com named God of War II the best PlayStation 2 game of all time—where God of War was named the 11th best—and consider it better than its successor, God of War III.[219] Betrayal was acclaimed for its fidelity to the series in terms of gameplay, art style, and graphics.[4]

    Chains of Olympus was praised for "fantastic" graphics and "tight and responsive" controls for the PSP at the time.

    BAFTA awards.[226] Ghost of Sparta was praised for its graphics and story, with Chris Pereira of 1UP saying that it was "a more personal story than the [previous] GOW games."[227] It received several awards at E3 2010, including "Best Handheld Game", "Best PSP Game", and "PSP Game of Show",[228] and won "Best Handheld Game" at the 2010 Spike Video Game Awards,[225] as well as "Portable Game of the Year" at the 14th Annual Interactive Achievement Awards.[229] 2018's God of War received particular praise for its art direction, graphics, combat system, music, story, use of Norse mythology, characters, and cinematic feeling. Many also felt that it had successfully revitalized the series without losing the core identity of its predecessors.[230] It won several awards, among which were "Game of the Year" and "Best Game Direction" at The Game Awards 2018, "Best Storytelling" and "PlayStation Game of the Year" at the 2018 Golden Joystick Awards, and "Game of the Year" and "Outstanding Achievement in Game Direction" at the 22nd Annual D.I.C.E. Awards.[231][232][233]

    The series has also received criticism because of problems with puzzles, weapons, and technical issues. Chains of Olympus was criticized by G4, who stated that the game "occasionally suffers from screen tearing and framerate drops", and that some of the puzzles "are so maddeningly difficult to solve".[234] The game was also criticized for its lack of variety in enemies, its continued use of puzzles that require players to move boxes,[220] and its relatively short story.[235] God of War III also received some criticism. GameFront's Phil Hornshaw said it had an overly cruel protagonist, and the game assumed that the players reveled in the misery and violence as much as Kratos did.[236] IGN complained about the game's weapons, and said "that two of the three additional weapons that you'll earn are extremely similar to your blades. They have unique powers and slightly different moves, but by and large, they're more of the same."[224] Ghost of Sparta received criticism from Eurogamer, which said that the "game's primary problem ... is in its in-built focus" and that "there is a sense that Ghost of Sparta is a step back for the series if you've played [God of War III]."[237] Some reviewers stated that Ascension's story was not as compelling as previous installments, with IGN stating that in comparison to Zeus and Ares, "the Furies don't quite cut it".[238] The multiplayer received a mixed response. Although reviewers claimed gameplay translated well into the multiplayer, they were critical of the balance and depth of combat. Edge magazine approved of the multiplayer, stating it was an "evolutionary step" with "some fine ideas ... that [would] form part of this genre's future template."[239] 2018's God of War received some criticism, for example, a couple of reviewers disliked that the fast travel option unlocked very late into the game.[240][241]

    The collections have also received praise. IGN (9.4/10) awarded God of War Collection (PS3) the "Editor's Choice" Award and praised the enhanced resolutions, lower price point and smoother frame rates, and stated it was the "definitive way to play the game[s]".[242] Due to the success of God of War Collection, Sony announced that further titles would receive similar treatment for release under its new "Classics HD" brand.[22] The Origins Collection was similarly well received. IGN (9/10) stated "Sony succeeded at making good games better",[243] although GamePro criticized it for its lack of new bonus content.[244] God of War Saga also received praise. Ryan Fleming of Digital Trends wrote that the collection "is perhaps the best value buy for any console available," although the collection is not likely for fans of the series, but rather inexperienced players or newcomers.[245] God of War III Remastered was met with generally favorable reception. Praise was given to the smoother textures and improved frame rate, though because the original already had remarkable graphics, the changes were not major, and reviewers said these changes were not a strong enough argument to rebuy the game for US$40.[246]

    See also

    Notes

    1. ^ Main installments: God of War (2005), God of War II, God of War III, Ascension, God of War (2018), and Ragnarök
    2. ^ PSP installments: Chains of Olympus and Ghost of Sparta
    3. ^ Mobile installment: Betrayal
    4. God of War Collection
       for PS3
    5. God of War: Origins Collection
      for PS3
    6. God of War Collection
      for PS Vita
    7. God of War III Remastered
      for PS4
    8. ^ God of War (2018) for Windows
    9. Sony Computer Entertainment. Published all installments except Betrayal
      .
    10. ^ Published Betrayal for mobile phones

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    Works cited

    External links
    Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=God_of_War_(franchise)&oldid=1218646770"