God of War: Chains of Olympus

God of War . Two games that seem to shine with perfection even through the prism of the galactic Playstation 2 game kits. The first, starting with an epoch-making duel with Hydra, introduced us to Kratos as a Spartan warrior who gave his soul to Ares. We then learned the genesis of the hero's internal struggle and the motives that pushed him to the final confrontation with the god of war. In the second part, the scale of events increased more than proportionally. As the successor to Ares on Olympus, Kratos came into conflict with the other gods, receiving unexpected help from their hated titans at a critical juncture. It would be a lot to tell. The story unfolds before our eyes, and the plot was suspended at its climax - which was associated with the inevitable announcement of Part Three. We will have to wait for its details. Meanwhile, we get our hands on a prequel, although this term may be somewhat misleading. Chains of Olympus on the Playstation Portable does not have a lot of "canonical" plot, important from the point of view of the entire series. It's more of a side story. Great beasts, an army of undead, conflicts between gods, mighty artifacts - just everyday life in Kratos' life.

Don't believe the hype around Chains of Olympus. This must be said at the very beginning. It's a good, even great game - as will be proven in the following paragraphs - but everything that happens in the world in connection with its evaluation is some kind of absurdity. The PSP version does not have the possibility to establish any dialogue with its predecessors, be it in terms of gameplay variety, gimmicky, plot or general message. And no clause of "portability" has anything to do with it.

The first level of the game is, traditionally for the series, Bond's play of the "previous mission". This time it takes place in Attica, where Kratos is tasked with helping the Greeks to repel the attack of the Persian army, supported by a large Basilisk. The actual story begins a moment later. Well: Helios, the sun god, has been kidnapped by the titan Atlas, causing Morpheus to envelop the world in a deadly fog (or something). So the gods of Olympus summon their Michael Clayton to sweep a little. Sounds nice? Sure. Throw in a ride in Helios' chariot and a return visit to Hades, and we'll feel that it's truly God of War. But will this impression not prove futile?

Theoretically, everything is OK with the game. Mechanics - the old way. Two types of weapons, the leading of which is, of course, flaming blades on chains; several types of spells (similar to those in the previous parts in a way), dodges, combos. It was all perfect. Even the controls are clever enough to make a polite bow. Problems start to appear on the side of the environment and opponents. Well, first of all. The games in this series - especially the second - weren't just slashers. The fight played a central role in them, of course, but the authors found 1,500 ways to avoid monotonous action. Is it the weaving of small platform accents, or some puzzles, mini-games, or simply breaking the beret of duels with bosses. And here? Complexity at the (not too bad) level of Devil May Cry 4 , i.e. peace - fight - peace - fight - save point. And so on and on, for the entire (fanfare!) 4 hours of gameplay. Heh, you could think about the tastelessly short game time, but seeing its uniformity, you are ready to say that maybe it's just better. There are probably 3 puzzles throughout the game, all of which involve moving the stone statues in a fairly obvious way and suggested by the shape of the room. It wasn't supposed to be like this.

It is impossible to find fault with the surroundings in terms of design or the conceptual layer (here the fix for the portable console is important), the problem lies in the lack of diversity. Not graphic - gameplay. The characteristic sounds of a blocked door and respawning monsters start to irritate after some time and make the next stages go through only with the next duel with the boss in mind. Haha! And guess what? There are 4 (four) bosses in the game, including two from the first mission and the end fight. After the third definite integral has been calculated, this leaves one boss fight woven into the normal course of the game (or more precisely, two with the same). This uninteresting situation also carries over to ordinary opponents - they come in large numbers, but few types. Traditionally, there are cyclops, minotaurs and a few types of almost indistinguishable sword arrangements. Come on, well, there is no tragedy, but when you see the global spasm over the game, don't expect a bit more?

After spending these tens of hours completing the main game mode, we get the opportunity to face five challenges, included in the so-called Challenge of Hades. Basically - 5 very difficult mini-games for advanced players. In addition, we have the ability to unlock additional costumes for Kratos and several videos under the sign of "Making of". Nice, interesting and good that they are.

The graphics and sound of Chains of Olympus , as you might expect, make the PSP sweat a sweat. Everything looks almost like on Czarnula - the details are a bit less, but just right for a small screen and sitting in the tram. Kratos' voice actor, as usual, did an amazing job of making the most flimsy sounds ever. Honey on the ears to hear the Spartan scream in the heavens, addressing some god or other being to whom it would be fitting to show some trace of respect. Of course, Gaia still plays the role of the narrator, trying to make some allusions to the future of the main character. However, no one will be confused by the titan's eyes and no one will believe her that the plot presented here is significant when you look at it after seeing the end of God of War 2 . That's right, sorry.

Pocket Kratos is a fun game for two days. Intensive - OK. Effective - OK. But let's not compare it with the previous parts, let's not equate it with them, because both sides lose. Olympus , because there is no chance in this comparison; God of War 1 and 2 , because the prestige of the series drops a bit after adding the third title to the pool. Paradoxically, Chains of Olympus should appeal to those who have not had any previous experience with Kratos. The declared followers of the cycle - who dream of tearing Icarus 'wings at night or climbing Kronos' body - will find nothing about the scale to which they have become accustomed. Will you say that since the game is for a portable console, it has to get 10% of the forums for evaluation? OK, she got it.

Krzysztof "Lordareon" Gonciarz

PROS:

MINUSES: