God of War: Ascension turns eight

Il March 12 2013, Santa Monica Studio published God of War: Ascension.
The game definitively closed the narrative arc set in the Greek pantheon and constituted the latest release of the lucky and acclaimed franchise, exclusively by Sony, on Playstation 3. Unlike what happened with the main chapters of the series, or even with the other two spin-offs (Chains of Olympus and Ghost of Sparta), many look to Ascension as al least successful title of the saga.

Today, March 12, 2021, on the occasion of the eighth anniversary of the game, we will again ask ourselves the same questions we asked ourselves at the time: Is Ascension really the least inspired God of War? Is there something that went wrong? Or, with eight more years of "maturity", we can give one different evaluation? In the following lines, we will not only retrace the plot of the last chapter of the series on PS3, but we will also analyze the causes that led to a not excellent evaluation and, finally, to try to look at Ascension in a broader context, especially at light of the change of course that took place in 2018.

God of War: Ascension - where it all began

Let's start with a very important premise: God of War: Ascension is the real opening of the story of Kratos. Despite being released in 2013, following God of War III, Ascension is set in the moments following the breaking of the blood pact between Ares and Kratos. The Spartan warrior has realized that the god of war has made him shed the blood of his own family and, for this reason, he no longer intends to serve him. Following this decision, the Phantom of Sparta is joined by Fury, who will take him prisoner and prepare to torment and torture him for all eternity.

Crone, one of the three Furies, accidentally frees Kratos who, it goes without saying, will begin to unleash his anger against all those who dare to block his way. From this moment on, a whole series of flashback, with the aim of showing the moments immediately following the discovery of Kratos that he had massacred his family and the birth of his intentions of revenge.

It is probably in the narrative that the first resides weakness by God of War: Ascension. Let's explain well: the plot is similar to what we have already seen in previous iterations (both main and secondary), but it stands out for its non-linearity, alternating past and present and making it more difficult to follow the story of the protagonist. A second weak point resides in Megera, Tisifone and Aletto; the three Furies, although fearful and perfectly realized, are comparable neither to Ares nor to Zeus, whose divine aura already presented them to us as very powerful enemies and bordering on invincibility.

Gameplay, fighting and… multiplayer!

As in any self-respecting God of War, Ascension also showed up with a gameplay lives up to the name it bears, with several new features relating above all to fights. For the first time, Kratos could use both the weapons found in the various game stages (javelins, swords, shields, etc.) and take possession of those of the enemies. THE four magical powers they implemented "elemental attacks" on the famous Blades of Chaos, which became even more lethal.
Finally, the Amulet of Ouroboros, the Stone of Oath and the Eyes of Truth managed to support all the puzzles and mini-games present in God of War: Ascension.

What made Ascension stand out among all the incarnations of the franchise was, however, the presence of a multiplayer, both cooperative and competitive.

Five online modes, capable of hosting up to eight players at the same time, with maps that came directly from the most glorious stages of the saga; in this respect, the spin-off has managed to innovate the franchise where none of its predecessors had ever dared (and where Kratos' adventure in Scandinavia will not even dare).

Once again, however, despite the points in favor and the innovations listed, there were also defects. Compared to previous iterations of the saga, God of War: Ascension featured i easier fights absolutely, alternating with puzzles in which, however, dying was very easy. The same online multiplayer, while being an absolute novelty for the franchise, wanted to reconnect to the main plot of the game, but only partially succeeding. The feeling of many, also shared by the writer, is that that feature was a real experiment, inserted in a genre of videogames that have always been "allergic to online" and that in this way, perhaps, meant mask gaps on a narrative level.

What was the fault of God of War: Ascension?

As a fan of the saga, I have asked myself this question several times and today, eight years later, I have identified three answers.

Ascension's first "fault" was that of being released after God of War III.

The third main entry of the franchise represents perhaps the highest point ever reached by Santa Monica Studio, and even groped to equal the success would have been a difficult undertaking for anyone. As amply pointed out above, the spin-off isn't a bad game at all, but it doesn't quite hold a candle to Kratos' final ride.

Ascension's second "fault", however, lies in its fanbase.

This, now three years after the conclusion of the revenge of the Ghost of Sparta, was already preparing for a God of War IV. Based on what has just been said, there was a lot of disappointment when the fans realized that all they could get their hands on was a "simple" spin-off, which covered events already well known and which perhaps did not arouse who knows what. interest.

The third and final "fault" is all of technical nature.

Santa Monica has always accustomed us to continuous technical leaps with each of its games; while Ascension can boast perhaps the best graphics a God of War has ever had on PS3, there is no "technological leap" clearly perceptible in the previous incarnations of the franchise. But that's not all: the gameplay was starting to show the signs of aging. If the final chapter of the Greek saga had represented the technical zenith of the series, it is with the title in question that this approach begins to look "old", giving rise to the need for a breath of fresh air.

Is it possible to save God of War: Ascension?

I have to make a confession: I bought the game on day one (strictly in the Collector's Edition version) and I remember very well the disappointment I felt once I reached the credits. However, on the occasion of his eighth birthday, I can't help but retrace my steps at least partially: God of War: Ascension was by no means a bad game, it just couldn't meet the high expectations of me and the fans.

And I'll say more: God of War: Ascension has tremendous merits.

Sony's half misstep made us understand that the Greek saga was now over and that, while continuing to squeeze it, nothing relevant would come out. Second, Ascension made it clear how great the need was for "close with the past“, They are not from a narrative point of view, but also and above all from a technical point of view. It no longer made sense to re-propose hack 'n slash mechanics further, but we had to look for a different path, exploring new solutions and "new territories".

Long story short, God of War: Ascension's greatest merit was having it unintentionally laid the groundwork for 2018's God of War, preparing the audience for something truly "new" and "fresh".

For this very reason I thank you, God of War: Ascension, and I'm sorry if I was too harsh in judging you in the past, but time is still a gentleman, and now you have been placed in the rightful place: halfway between Olympus and Valhalla.