There is more focus on combat with regular enemies and sub-bosses like the Juggernaut or Cerberus, and there is much more climbing and platforming than ever before. That’s not to say the campaign isn’t exceptional-it is-it’s just presented in an entirely different fashion. Especially, when the majority of significant figures from Greek mythology have already been explored, there was little left in the way of bosses, leaving what’s here unable to live up to the lofty expectations set forth from the previous PS3 entry in the series. I can’t blame the developers for going this route, as it’s hard to replicate the same sensation felt when slaying nearly all of the major Titans and Gods of Olympus in just one game’s span. It’s less of an epic tale than God of War III, and more of an adventure or journey akin to God of War or God of War 2. Oddly, it shines brighter than the single-player campaign. If it weren’t for future multiplayer map packs being free, I could have even see it going the free-to-play route ( like Uncharted 3 recently did) eventually due to the potential for longevity and power to draw players into the experience. Instead of being just tacked on, multiplayer is strong enough to stand alone. Failing it still earns you XP and only fuels your desire to continue to level your character, unlock more weapons and armor to go back and face the challenge yet again. Despite a worthy co-op partner, this mode proved to be too difficult to complete at first. Each kill adds more time to the clock the more brutal the kill, the more time is added. There’s also Capture the Flag and, my favorite mode of all, Trial of the Gods, which puts two players together co-operatively against wave after wave of enemies to defeat within a time limit. Team Favor of the Gods puts four on four, or two on two on larger, sprawling maps to try and capture strategic points that earn the favor of the gods. Match of the Champions is essentially a free-for-all deathmatch between four to eight players in one tight arena, Colosseum-style, with the occasional Cerberus or other enemy showing up to stir the pot. Most areas, depending on the mode, are multi-tier, so climbing, jumping across large gaps, and grapple points leading to a higher plane are all commonplace, adding to the action and hunt. Each area is riddled with traps to be set, such as spikes in the ground triggered by a lever, or controlling a Gorgon’s acid spray. The sword (or hammer or spear) isn’t the only deadly weapon you might die by. Stronger attacks have a cooldown period to avoid abuse, though, certain relics-attainable through treasure chests, leveling up, or completing certain “labors” or in-game tasks-can shorten this cooldown. Even evading can put you or an opponent at risk to be grappled, factoring into a check and balance system applied to all the fighting. A successful parry leaves an opponent stunned and open to attacks. The combat relies mostly on hacking and slashing, but to keep it fair, a blocking and parry system have been added. And even the smallest change to what sword you wield can have a dramatic effect on your warrior’s moveset and therefore performance. I adorned him with armor, weapons, magic, items, and relics offering certain boosts and perks chosen from a massive armory of unlockables, giving plenty of reason to keep playing and earn XP to level and unlock new goodies. But the Gods of Olympus have smiled upon this one.Īfter a short tutorial and aligning myself with one of the four main Gods available in multiplayer-which, depending on whom you select, different attributes are boosted-my champion was ready for battle. Adding multiplayer to such a single-player focused series doesn’t always turn out well, and only detracts from what would have been an otherwise exceptional experience.
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