"God of War" fans are going to love "God of War: Ascension." According to reviewers, the game is adept at recapturing what made the quick, brutal combat that made the original trilogy so popular. As the fourth "God of War," you'd expect a perfect experience, though, and "God of War: Ascension" seems far from perfect. "Ascension" doesn't stand up to scrutiny nearly as well when it's judged as an evolution on the series: Even with a new multiplayer component, the game is not going to convert anyone skeptical of the series.
"Ascension" is technically a prequel to the first three "God of War" games, but it seems that its placement in the series, and the narrative in the general, aren't going to be keeps players invested in the series. In this game Kratos is not quite as angry as he is in the prime trilogy: While this theoretically give the character's personality a little more time to shine, the "driven but not hateful" Kratos doesn't have much more to say than angry Kratos: He just yells less. Gamespot's Mark Walton, scoring the game 8 out 10, says that the new Kratos isn't any easier to empathize with the new Kratos than with the old one: "...There are a few touching moments when Kratos reminisces about his deceased wife and child, but for the most part 'Ascension's' emotional impact is limited to cut scenes of him looking moody, or getting a bit angry with one of the three evil furies he's chasing."
GamesRadar's Hollander Cooper doesn't seem to mind the lackluster story, pointing out that it isn't what players are most interested in. "The action is unrelenting, keeping you distracted with constant movement instead of relatable motivation or, really, any motivation at all." Despite the story's issues, Cooper gave the game three and a half stars.
The thing that will keep players interested, especially those who liked previous "God of Wars", is the game's combat. "A lot of the magic behind the 'God of War' franchise is in how minimal work, like simple three-button combos, turns into brutally fantastic results on-screen. The hack-and-slash core mechanics of the series are still intact," says Destructoid Editor-in-Chief Dale North, giving the game a resounding 9 out of 10. New features like elementally-charged and secondary weapons add new wrinkles into the mix, but don't deviate too far from the game's signature formula.
While the combat seems to remain intact, some reviewers thought that there are moments when an overwhelming number of enemies can make some battles less fun. IGN's Alex Simmons notes that: "'God of War' has always stacked the odds against the player but at times 'Ascension' takes it to the next level, not necessarily by making it harder but by throwing so many bad guys on screen it's hard to actually figure out what's going on. Dying in such situations feels cheap and frustrating."
"Ascension's" single largest innovation is in its new multiplayer mode. The first in the series to include a multiplayer component, many of the "Ascension" MP modes pit players in one-on-one, two-on-two or four-on-four deathmatches with story-based objectives. The multiplayer's greatest achievement is its ability to perfectly replicate the experience of a single-player "God of War" campaign. Polygon's Arthur Gies, gives the game a 7 out of 10, but explains that multiplayer is "Ascension's" saving grace: "'God of War: Ascension's' multiplayer suite is beyond even my optimistic expectations for Sony Santa Monica's first real attempt at a multiplayer title set in the 'God of War' universe, and it's easily the best realization of a third-person action game translated to online multiplayer." The Edge review agrees with the both sentiment and the score: "While this series' singleplayer template is showing its age, there's plenty in 'Ascension's' multiplayer that deserves to survive the transition to PS4."
It seems like "God of War: Ascension" may be able to keep zealous fans of the series happy, but may not do enough to stave off franchise fatigue for others. The game's multiplayer, on the other hand, may be a breath of fresh air for those who want something action-packed online, but want to take a break from first-person shooters.
