God of War Ascension is the most intimate prequel showing Kratos before his madness. Enriched combat mechanics, innovative multiplayer mode. Less memorable than GoW3 but artistically sumptuous and narratively courageous.
Your verdict
Category
Action Adventure1 player18+
Description
Prequel to the God of War saga developed by Sony Santa Monica, recounting Kratos' quest to free himself from the oath binding him to Ares. Published by Sony, released in Europe in March 2013. Competitive multiplayer mode for up to eight players in divine allegiances, spectacular combat, elemental magic weapon mechanics, and cinematic solo campaign.
God of War - Ascension review
MAX
Art direction
★★★★★
"Iconic"
MAX
Music
★★★★★
"Legendary"
4/5
Story
★★★★★
"Captivating"
More outsized still, this entry unfurls titanic settings, dantesque clashes and breathtaking panoramas. The cinematic staging gains in scale and controlled violence. This visual extravagance, dark and grandiose, closes the PS2 era on a dazzling technical demonstration.
Ever more colossal, the music combines unleashed choirs and a titanic orchestra to magnify Kratos's revenge. Each titan confrontation rises into a sonic deluge of unheard-of power. This epic breadth, overwhelming and grandiose, remains one of the peaks of action music on the machine.
Gameplay
"Excellent"
Fun
"From the very first minutes"
Addictiveness
"Captivating"
Difficulty
"Balanced"
Lifespan
"Long"
Technical info
💾33,8 GB📅12/03/2013
Published by Sony
God of War - Ascension (PS3) price, value & rarity
A prequel and the only multiplayer entry of the God of War saga on PS3, generally judged the weakest episode of the main series. Widely sold, it stays common and lightly priced. Its collector interest is modest: a minor entry of a major franchise, without scarcity, whose online mode, once its originality, is now closed on the server side.
Memorable bosses
A prequel centered on Kratos's vengeance, this adventure sets the venomous Furies and the Hecatonchires — a living prison of countless limbs — against him. Ritual executions and spectacular QTEs punctuate duels of unabashed violence. Without upending the formula, the mythological scale and the roughness of the grapples keep these fights at a high pitch of intensity.
Is God of War - Ascension still worth playing in 2026?
God of War Ascension is the saga's most intimate prequel, showing Kratos before his descent into madness, tormented by the Furies. The combat, as brutal and spectacular as ever, gains a few new mechanics, and the art direction reaches heights of mythological excess. The title even attempts a competitive multiplayer mode, a bold idea for the series. Less striking than God of War III and a touch repetitive in its theme, it remains an excellent action game. For the Kratos fan or the lover of spectacular beat-em-up, the adventure stays very solid.
