This Week In Retro: God of War (2005)

March 22, 2005: You have selected "Deicide"

by Diamond Feit

I was never a big reader as a kid but the books I read, I read them cover to cover over and over until I seared an image of every page into my memory. I wish I could say I retained some crucial piece of information from that experience that has helped me in my adult life, but aside from a few choice comic book panels that I'll never forget, I'd say most of the stuff I read evaporated from my mind long ago.

One book had a particularly strong influence over my development, opening my eyes to characters and stories that predate Western civilization as we know it yet will likely outlast any pop culture icon of the modern era. D'Aulaires Book of Greek Myths introduced me to Prometheus, Sisyphus, and the entire pantheon of Greek gods. With their vivid illustrations and text that simplified those ancient exploits for young readers but pulled no punches, the D'Aulaires taught me about Cronus eating babies before I knew where babies come from.

The valuable lessons I learned from that book about divinity paired well with my reform Jewish upbringing. Instead of non-stop praise for one omnipotent being, I grew up considering the machinations of many gods, all with their own agendas. Yes, they had wisdom and longevity the likes of which humanity could not comprehend, but they also loved to party and seduce mortals, making them fallible and thus far more relatable in my eyes.

Once I became familiar with the legends of Mount Olympus, I started to recognize their influence in contemporary media. Captain Kirk and the Enterprise encounter a being who claims to be Apollo in an episode of Star Trek. Ray Harryhausen exerted his magic in Clash of the Titans to bring fantastic beasts to life. Even Nintendo looked to Greece for inspiration in creating Kid Icarus.

20 years ago this week, Sony's Santa Monica Studio channeled a fascination with mythology into a modern action game for the PlayStation 2, throwing the player headfirst into a divine conflict where they must kill the God of War.

From the title screen, God of War makes a strong first impression. We see a close-up of our protagonist Kratos with flames billowing in the background. Selecting New Game pulls the camera back to show Kratos standing atop a cliff lamenting his struggles to no one in particular. "The gods of Olympus have abandoned me," he says, staring at the player before he steps over the edge and plummets to his apparent demise.

The game immediately walks back from that denouement as it cuts to three weeks earlier with Kratos trapped on a storm-wrecked ship in the Aegean Sea. Monstrous mariners roam the deck but Kratos shows no fear as he draws two weapons; his Blades of Chaos are a pair of swords chained to his wrists, offering him exceptional reach as he swings and slams them into his foes.

God of War eases players into the basics of combat in this chapter, serving up scores of slow-moving targets that Kratos can easily manhandle despite being outnumbered. With two dedicated attack buttons—one light, one heavy—and one button for grappling, players get to experiment with finding combos and strategies that fit their style. Holding down the heavy attack button launches enemies upwards, leaving them prone to juggling and leading to longer, showier combos.

As Kratos thrashes about, he collects orbs from the deceased: Green orbs refill his health, blue orbs refill magic, and red orbs can power up his weapons when gathered in sufficient amounts. God of War incentivizes skilled play by rewarding players with bonus orbs for completing longer combos. Grappling tougher enemies like minotaurs or gorgons triggers a quick-time event which will generate specific orbs tied to those creatures' nature, allowing players to adapt their tactics based on Kratos' needs.

Defensively, players can block most attacks by holding down L1 and dodge roll with the right analog stick. Taking damage resets Kratos' combo counter, so spatial awareness and reading enemy tells is crucial for high scores. Pressing L1 moments before getting hit will turn the block into a parry, creating a chance to counter-attack, but parrying doesn't aid crowd control or offer Kratos any invincibility. Generally speaking, the best defense in God of War is a good offense.

God of War begins with Kratos as a blank slate; his deep voice and muscular physique convey strength, but we don't know why he can tear the undead in half with his bare hands. The other humans on board the ship in the first level find Kratos as frightening as the monsters laying siege to their vessel. One panicked survivor even locks himself behind bars, telling Kratos "I'd rather die than be saved by you."

Kratos in turn seems uninterested in helping people; he runs into the gullet of a massive Hydra after it ate the ship's captain, but rather than rescue the elated man, Kratos steals his key and drops the guy to his death. Players are likewise free to kill any scrambling sailors on board—as easily as they might smash boxes or barrels—to receive bonus orbs for their trouble.

Sony Santa Monica created Kratos as an original character, slotting him into a larger world of Olympian legend that they arranged themselves. Game director and designer David Jaffe called it "the greatest hits of Greek Mythology" in a 2004 interview with IGN, adding "Fun and coolness are our barometer; not historical accuracy." Of his leading man, Jaffe calls him "a bad ass warrior" and hopes that we in turn "feel like a bad ass" when playing God of War.

Given this insight, I find it telling how the game depicts the rest of humanity in contrast to Kratos' single-minded brutality. Most of the people who Kratos meets don't live very long, spending their brief time on screen sniveling or otherwise pleading for help. Even the soldiers defending Athens from invaders seem eager to desert their duty right before some slobbering behemoth splits them in two.

Alas, nothing screams "product of its time" more than how God of War portrays women. When Kratos isn't busy gouging giant eyeballs or ripping heads from necks, he's getting busy in the sheets. Narrator Linda Hunt frames his sexual escapades as an attempt to "rid him of the horrors that plagued his mind," but the art team at Sony Santa Monica made sure players hear this line as the camera pans over two buxom topless babes.

Outside of cinematics, players get to experience the power of Kratos' love-making abilities in the form of a minigame. Right after dispatching the aforementioned Hydra, Kratos wakes up with two women who beg for him to linger just a bit longer. Talking to them has Kratos deliver a gruff dismissal, but players can opt to jump onto the bed and press the grapple button to initiate a QTE. The camera pans away so no explicit animations are seen, but as players follow button and joystick prompts the women passionately moan with pleasure. Successfully finishing the sequence grants Kratos a virtual fountain of red orbs.

Much like Kratos scattering zombies in all directions, God of War made quite an impact upon its initial release in 2005. Critics heaped praise upon every aspect from the combat to the graphics to the orchestral score. In an A+ review for 1up.com, Matt Leone wrote "the in-game visuals are some of the nicest -- if not the nicest -- on the PlayStation 2." Consumers agreed, purchasing over four million copies worldwide; a 2007 sequel sold nearly as well despite arriving after the launch of the PlayStation 3. An HD remaster collection of the first two games for the PS3—timed to promote God of War III—moved another two million on its own.

I fell into the latter camp, first introducing myself to Kratos in 2010, only to find much of the game's design decisions disappointing. I had long grown used to twin-stick 3D action games that gave me full camera control, whereas God of War insists on presenting its spacious levels at specific angles. This does its many platforming sections no favors as I struggled to leap across even the smallest gaps when I couldn't safely see my destination.

Kratos' reliance on QTEs to finish off even minor foes also drove me crazy. I believe the success of Resident Evil 4 and God of War in 2005 helped revitalize the "press X or else" school of game design but by 2010 I was sick to death of such absurdity. It doesn't help that Sony has made inputs on each subsequent DualShock controller more sensitive such that mashing the R2 button is now a repetitive stress nightmare.

Looking at God of War today a full two decades post-launch, I'm more inclined to give it the benefit of the doubt. It's unfair to compare its combat to more advanced titles like Bayonetta, but when I manage to pummel a bunch of mooks and the orbs fly around the screen, I feel accomplished. I find that the graphics have aged as poorly as the misogyny, but I do think the game expertly conveys a sense of scope and scale. In facing off against the Hydra—which towers over Kratos even when he stands atop a ship's mast—I got the impression that the journey ahead would feature far greater challenges. By the time I reached Athens and laid eyes upon the eponymous God of War, I felt suitably impressed.

In a way, Kratos has built up a mythology all his own in the last 20 years. His debut and early appearances created a dark reputation that preceded him; I dismissed his antics as vacuous, sexist trash despite never giving Sony Santa Monica's games the time of day. Yet playing God of War now knowing full well of the series' more recent renaissance, it actually has me curious to learn more about the character.

How did he transition from rampaging rageaholic to thoughtful father? Why does he keep getting into spats with literal gods? The D'Aulaires can't help me answer these questions, only Kratos can.

Writer/podcaster/performer Diamond Feit lives in Osaka, Japan but xer work and opinions exist across the internet.