Sony just pulled one of the slickest moves in recent memory by shadow-dropping the brand-new God of War: Sons of Sparta right in the middle of their latest State of Play. It’s not every day we get a canon entry in one of gaming’s biggest franchises without a three-year marketing cycle, but here we are, and honestly? It’s a total blast.
A Trip Back to the Agoge
This game takes us all the way back to Ancient Greece, but earlier than we’ve ever seen before. We’re following a young Kratos during his brutal training years in the Spartan Agoge. The coolest part? His brother Deimos is right there by his side. It’s a canonical prequel that finally lets us play through the legendary bond (and trauma) of the two brothers before the gods started messing everything up.
Old School Style, New School Chaos
Instead of the usual over-the-shoulder camera, Santa Monica Studio teamed up with the retro wizards at Mega Cat Studios to give us a gorgeous 2D action-platformer. The pixel art is incredibly detailed, making the mythological beasts look vibrant and intimidating in a way that feels like a love letter to the 16-bit era. You won’t find the Blades of Chaos here; instead, you’re mastering the spear and shield, which changes the rhythm of combat entirely. You also get to mess around with Gifts of Olympus, which are divine artifacts that give you some seriously flashy powers to clear out waves of enemies.
The Return of a Legend
For the long-time fans who grew up with the Greek era, there’s a familiar voice guiding the journey. The legendary TC Carson is back, acting as the narrator and the adult version of Kratos. Hearing that iconic, gravelly voice again adds a layer of weight to the story that makes it feel like a true homecoming. Plus, the game features two-player co-op, so you can grab a friend and tear through the Greek countryside together as the sons of Sparta. It’s available right now on PlayStation 5, so you don’t even have to wait for a download to finish before you start smashing some pots.
The Future is Looking Greek
As if a new game wasn’t enough, Sony dropped one final bombshell for the fans. While we’re busy hacking and slashing through this 2D adventure, the team confirmed that a full remake of the original God of War trilogy (God of War 1-3) is officially in early development. Santa Monica Studio is handling the project, and they’ve promised to bring the epic scale of the Greek saga into the modern era with updated graphics and gameplay. It’s still a ways off, but knowing the original trilogy is getting the ground-up treatment is enough to keep any Spartan hyped for years to come.
