God of War fans were thrilled after PlayStation’s most recent State of Play. Santa Monica Studio, the developer behind the God of War series, had two major announcements about the franchise during the State of Play. The biggest and most exciting announcement was that Santa Monica Studio would be remaking the entire Greek God of War trilogy. Santa Monica Studio also announced they would immediately be shadow-dropping God of War: Sons of Sparta, a 2D Metroidvania, as a prequel to all other God of War games.
At the very end of the State of Play, the original voice actor for Kratos, TC Carson, announced that Santa Monica Studio would be remaking the entire Greek God of War trilogy! The original Greek trilogy is often considered one of PlayStation’s best series. Upon hearing the news of the remake, many fans of the franchise were ecstatic about this. Not only God of War fans, but many PlayStation fans as a whole. You see, PlayStation has had a rough history when it comes to remakes and remasters. Though they do have many remasters and remakes that are widely loved, such as Demon’s Souls and Shadow of the Colossus, PlayStation has a history of remastering games that are either not that old or have been remastered already. An example that is brought up a lot is “The Last of Us” franchise. The game studio Naughty Dog released The Last of Us on PS3 in 2013, and it was immediately a beloved game. But then in 2014, it was remastered for the PS4, even though it looks nearly identical and could’ve just been made a port instead, and then got remastered for the PS5 in 2022, making this its third remaster! Its sequel, The Last of Us Part 2, was released in 2020 for PS4, but was then remastered in 2024 for the PS5, only four years after its release, once again with nearly identical graphics to its first version.
As you can see, many people disagree with what games PlayStation chooses to remaster. But lots of people were thrilled to hear that the Greek God of War trilogy is being remade. God of War one and two came out for the PS2, and God of War 3 for the PS3, all three games being remembered as one of PlayStation’s best series, and Kratos one of the most iconic PlayStation characters. And with the trilogy being over 15 years old now, many people agreed it could definitely use a visual upgrade. But now a new concern in the fandom has arisen with the word “remake”. Many people were concerned about the trilogy getting a remake instead of a remaster, because we don’t know for sure what it means for the trilogy. Many people worry that PlayStation will replace the old hack-and-slash game format with the new over-the-shoulder gameplay from the Norse games. Many people only want the graphics and visuals to be updated, and nothing else changed about the old game. On the other hand, some people in the community say they wouldn’t mind the gameplay being updated, as they prefer the newer Norse gameplay over the Greek gameplay. The fanbase is pretty split between three main groups: people who only want visual updates and the gameplay left untouched, people who want the gameplay to also be updated along with the graphics, and people who’re indifferent and are fine with either decision. As of now, TC Carson said the project is still in the early stages of development, and it’ll be a while before we get any updates on the remakes.
During the State of Play, Santa Monica Studio also announced the release of their new 2D Metroidvania God of War game, God of War: Sons of Sparta. In God of War: Sons of Sparta, you play as a young Kratos. Kratos and his brother Deimos are Spartans and have dealt with years of harsh training, molding their minds, bodies, and spirits to be true Spartan soldiers. After one of their close friends goes missing, the duo set off on an epic journey through ancient Greece, having their training and spirit put to the ultimate test. On their travels, the boys are armed with a spear and shield, as they run into many iconic monsters and beasts. Adult Kratos is telling the tale to his daughter Calliope, and narrates over some of the game. Fans were excited to hear that Kratos’s original voice actor, TC Carson, had returned after 13 years to voice adult Kratos in Sons of Sparta. Upon release, the game received mixed reviews, with the general consensus from critics being that the game has its moments, but is overall mediocre. The main complaints are that the game feels slow and the controls often feel clunky, and it doesn’t live up to the high standard of its predecessors.
