When God Of War: Chains of Olympus was first released for the PSP in 2008 it received many accolades for being the most epic and visually impressive games ever seen on a handheld device. At the time, Chains Of Olympus proved that console-like experiences were possible on the PSP, a feat which the Nintendo DS struggled to achieve. 3 years later Chains of Olympus has been given a HD makeover and ported to the Playstation 3, both as part of God Of War: Origins Collection and a standalone PSN release. But in this post God Of War III world does Chains Of Olympus still hold weight?
Set as a prequel to the first God Of War game, Chains of Olympus kicks off with Kratos serving the gods of Olympus. After fending off an invading Persian army, Kratos witnesses the sun fall from the sky which covers the world in darkness. Upon investigation Kratos is haunted by the all too familiar sounds of his murdered daughter’s flute and a quest for answers ensues.
If you’ve played a God Of War game before you’ll feel right at home with Chains Of Olympus. The combat feels as rewarding as ever and swinging around Kratos’ trademark Blades Of Chaos never gets old. Eventually you’ll discover new items and weapons such as a Sun Shield which can be used to deflect projectiles or parry attacks and a magic ability known as Efreet which unleashes fire attacks in a small radius surrounding Kratos. Each of the games’ six weapons can be upgraded which increases their strength and unlocks new abilities for them.
Graphically, Chains Of Olympus doesn’t look too hot, especially when compared to Ghost Of Sparta (which also appears on this Origins Collection) or God Of War III. Although the game is being displayed in HD, textures look low-res and the environments tend to be limited in scope. Obviously the game was designed to stay inside of the boundaries set by the PSP so I can’t fault Ready At Dawn for the games technical shortcomings. Those with 3D TV’s will be pleased to know that Chains Of Olympus features Steroscophic 3D support which can be toggled on or off from the pause menu. I played a majority of the game in 3D and while it did very little to improve the overall experience, the extra sense of depth worked well with the fixed camera angles.
Admittedly Chains Of Olympus doesn’t retain the same spark it had back in 2008 but it is still a fun and exciting adventure which all PS3 owners should consider purchasing. The game is incredibly short and the story isn’t as impactful as it should have been (thanks to Kratos’ unlikeable nature) but if you just want to slice the throats of Satyrs or stomp blades through the eye of a Cyclops, Chains Of Olympus has you covered!
This review was based on a retail download copy of the game for the PlayStation 3 provided by Sony.
