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Sony needed some killer titles to win over handled fans, and what could be more “killer” than a spin-off of the PlayStation 2’s best hack-and-slash series?īefore Santa Monica developed God of War: Ascension, the studio teamed up with Ready at Dawn to create another prequel: God of War: Chains of Olympus. Several years after the PlayStation 2 launched, Sony released its first handheld console: the PlayStation Portable. God of War: Chains of Olympus (Release Date – 2008) That absolves his oath to Ares but also brings back the memories of his family’s murder, which sets Kratos on the path to absolution that fuels the rest of the timeline. In stark contrast to previous releases, Kratos initially refuses to kill Orkos but eventually relents. In a last-second plot twist, Orkos reveals he was turned into Kratos’ oath-keeper.
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At the end of the game, Kratos kills the Furies, as he was told their death would free him of his bonds.
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Furthermore, Ares tricked Kratos into killing his wife and daughter so he could serve the God of War without familial distractions. Ascension expands on that plot point by revealing that Ares did so because he thought Kratos would make a fine pawn in his machinations.
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The child, Orkos, didn’t live up to their expectations, so the Furies and Ares turned to Kratos.īy this time in the franchise, fans should be well aware Kratos sold his soul to Ares in exchange for power. They also have a hypocritical streak, since they teamed up with Ares to overthrow Olympus by siring a child. This time, Kratos’ vengeance is aimed towards the Furies: vicious arbitrators who punish anyone who breaks their oaths and promises. As was God of War tradition up to that point, Ascension primarily consists of Kratos killing Greek monsters and mythological figures.
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Much of Ascension’s narrative relies on story beats and backstories that gamers had learned from previous entries, but it adds details that provide extra context and character motivations. God of War: Ascension takes place six months after Kratos was tricked into killing his wife and daughter.
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So if you’re waiting to dive into God of War: Ragnarök and need a refresher (or explainer) on how the series got to this point, here’s a chronological breakdown of the God of War timeline so far. Even the latest God of War games, which softly rebooted the series, share countless connections with the previous games that might elude some gamers’ eyes. To make matters more confusing, the main entries in the series feature references that call back to earlier events gamers might have missed if they didn’t try some of the slightly more obscure titles in the franchise. Granted, the series avoids the worst curse of narrative bloat that plagues franchises like Kingdom Hearts, but every God of War entry provides intriguing extra bits of lore and context. In the grand tradition of many long-running video game franchises, those follow-ups soon formed an elaborate timeline that is as confusing as it is impressive. Even though God of War was seemingly designed as a one-and-done story, its success all but guaranteed a sequel When that second game proved to be just as lucrative and acclaimed, even more projects were greenlit. Gamers were so blown away by its action and cinematic presentation that even the game’s murderous anti-hero, Kratos, soon became an unlikely PlayStation mascot. In 2005, Santa Monica Studio introduced gamers to a bloody new experience simply known as God of War.
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