[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"similar-games-god-of-war-ascension":3,"game-god-of-war-ascension":5},{"similarGames":4},[],{"game":6,"hasUserReviewed":22},{"id":7,"name":8,"summary":9,"cover_image":10,"header_image":11,"trailer_url":12,"release_date":13,"avg_score":14,"igdb_id":15,"slug":16,"steam_app_id":17,"companies":18,"genres":27,"platforms":30,"reviews":32,"coverImage":10,"headerImage":11,"trailerUrl":12,"releaseDate":13,"criticReviewCount":162,"userReviewCount":106,"previewCount":106,"publishers":163,"developers":164,"userReviews":165,"hasUserReviewed":22,"steamAppId":17},187607,"God of War: Ascension","God of War: Ascension, the seventh instalment in the God of War series, acts as a prequel to the preceding games. The narrative revolves around Kratos, the protagonist from earlier instalments, who was once a loyal servant of the God of War, Ares. Tricked by Ares into unknowingly murdering his own family, Kratos breaks the blood oath binding him to Ares and abandons his former master. Subsequently, Kratos finds himself imprisoned and must navigate a path to freedom, severing the bond between him and Ares.\n\nThe game retains the familiar hack-and-slash combat system of its predecessors, featuring Kratos wielding the Blades of Chaos. However, a new addition, the World Weapon system, allows Kratos to wield various weapons. Additionally, Kratos can now acquire up to four magical disciplines—Fires of Ares, Ice of Poseidon, Lightning of Zeus, and Soul of Hades—each bestowing unique abilities and imbuing his weapon with magic. For instance, the Ice of Poseidon enables underwater breathing. Rage, a recurring feature, undergoes modifications; it accumulates through attacks, and when the bar is full, it automatically unleashes until the player ceases attacking or sustains damage. Three new relics provide Kratos with the ability to manipulate time, create a \"shadow\" self, and dispel illusions crafted by his guardians.\n\nNotably, God of War: Ascension introduces online multiplayer to the series. Players, before engaging in multiplayer battles, align with one of four gods—Ares, Hades, Zeus, or Poseidon—each offering a distinct set of abilities. As players accumulate experience and level up their warriors, they unlock magical abilities, armour, weapons, relics, and other treasures. The game features four distinct multiplayer modes: Team Favor of the Gods, Match of Champions, Trial of the Gods, and Capture the Flag","187607\u002Fco3die_webp","187607\u002Fbtmok1amsll5a3zuyoqm_webp","https:\u002F\u002Fyoutu.be\u002F1TWl0FhCi34","2013-03-12",74.71,1291,"god-of-war-ascension",null,[19,24],{"company":20,"developed":22,"published":23},{"name":21},"Sony Computer Entertainment",false,true,{"company":25,"developed":23,"published":22},{"name":26},"SCE Santa Monica Studio",[28,29],"Hack and slash\u002FBeat 'em up","Adventure",[31],"PlayStation 3",[33,48,63,78,93,107,122,136,149],{"id":34,"author":35,"outlet":38,"summary":44,"review_url":45,"review_date":13,"original_score":46,"normalized_score":47},38651,{"id":36,"name":37},3757,"AOTF Staff",{"id":39,"logo":40,"name":41,"website_url":42,"score_format":43},50,"https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.criticdb.com\u002Fstorage\u002Fv1\u002Fobject\u002Fpublic\u002Favatars\u002FOutlets\u002FAttack-Of-The-Fanboy-Logo.jpg","Attack of the Fanboy","https:\u002F\u002Fattackofthefanboy.com\u002F","5","God of War: Ascension is a marvel to look at, but less exciting to play. While we would have certainly liked to see the gameplay evolve more on the single player side of things, we'll take the hefty compensation from multiplayer in its place.","https:\u002F\u002Fattackofthefanboy.com\u002Freviews\u002Fgod-war-ascension-review\u002F","3.5",70,{"id":49,"author":50,"outlet":53,"summary":58,"review_url":59,"review_date":60,"original_score":61,"normalized_score":62},40232,{"id":51,"name":52},1947,"Ryan Fleming",{"id":54,"logo":55,"name":56,"website_url":57,"score_format":43},12,"https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.criticdb.com\u002Fstorage\u002Fv1\u002Fobject\u002Fpublic\u002Favatars\u002FOutlets\u002FDigital-Trends-Logo.jpg","Digital Trends","https:\u002F\u002Fwww.digitaltrends.com","“A decent, but forgettable step back for the God of War franchise”","https:\u002F\u002Fwww.digitaltrends.com\u002Fgaming\u002Fgod-of-war-ascension-review\u002F","2023-04-24","4.0",80,{"id":64,"author":65,"outlet":68,"summary":74,"review_url":75,"review_date":76,"original_score":77,"normalized_score":47},52762,{"id":66,"name":67},4452,"Andrew Kirkcaldy",{"id":69,"logo":70,"name":71,"website_url":72,"score_format":73},74,"https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.criticdb.com\u002Fstorage\u002Fv1\u002Fobject\u002Fpublic\u002Favatars\u002FOutlets\u002FVideogamer-logo.jpg","Videogamer","https:\u002F\u002Fwww.videogamer.com\u002F","10","A lacking campaign is made up for by a fresh multiplayer take on the franchise.","https:\u002F\u002Fwww.videogamer.com\u002Freviews\u002Fgod-of-war-ascension-review\u002F","2021-06-05","7.0\u002F10",{"id":79,"author":80,"outlet":83,"summary":88,"review_url":89,"review_date":90,"original_score":91,"normalized_score":92},134363,{"id":81,"name":82},11098,"Zac Elawar",{"id":84,"logo":85,"name":86,"website_url":87,"score_format":73},143,"https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.criticdb.com\u002Fstorage\u002Fv1\u002Fobject\u002Fpublic\u002Favatars\u002FOutlets\u002Fcapsule-computers-logo.jpg","Capsule Computers","https:\u002F\u002Fwww.capsulecomputers.com.au\u002F","","https:\u002F\u002Fwww.capsulecomputers.com.au\u002F2013\u002F03\u002Fgod-of-war-ascension-review\u002F","2013-03-15","8.5",85,{"id":94,"author":95,"outlet":98,"summary":103,"review_url":104,"review_date":105,"original_score":88,"normalized_score":106},69434,{"id":96,"name":97},178,"Elijah Beahm",{"id":99,"logo":100,"name":101,"website_url":102,"score_format":73},26,"https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.criticdb.com\u002Fstorage\u002Fv1\u002Fobject\u002Fpublic\u002Favatars\u002FOutlets\u002FGameSkinny-logo.png","Game Skinny","https:\u002F\u002Fwww.gameskinny.com","Sometimes it's better to end early, rather than try and force an encore.","https:\u002F\u002Fwww.gameskinny.com\u002Freviews\u002Fgod-of-war-ascension-review\u002F","2015-04-29",0,{"id":108,"author":109,"outlet":112,"summary":117,"review_url":118,"review_date":119,"original_score":120,"normalized_score":121},74321,{"id":110,"name":111},4876,"Alex Simmons",{"id":113,"logo":114,"name":115,"website_url":116,"score_format":73},69,"https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.criticdb.com\u002Fstorage\u002Fv1\u002Fobject\u002Fpublic\u002Favatars\u002FOutlets\u002FIGN-logo.jpg","IGN","https:\u002F\u002Fwww.ign.com\u002F","Unfortunately it’s a criticism that can be aimed at Ascension as a whole – it’s an enjoyable game, but one that doesn’t quite live up to the pedigree of its predecessors. The story, which promised so much by revealing a more emotional side to Kratos, stumbles along and is so flimsy it’s almost incidental. The combat has been refined and is therefore as satisfying as ever, but the lack of any really memorable set-pieces – combined with its tiresome reliance on carbon copy battles against waves of exactly the same enemy – result in a game that is at times spectacular but all too often forgettable. Kratos fanatics will no doubt revel in the challenge it presents, especially the gruelling Trials of Archimedes, but there’s no escaping the fact Ascension is the weakest in the series.","https:\u002F\u002Fwww.ign.com\u002Farticles\u002F2013\u002F03\u002F14\u002Fgod-of-war-ascension-review","2013-03-14","7.8",78,{"id":123,"author":124,"outlet":127,"summary":131,"review_url":132,"review_date":133,"original_score":134,"normalized_score":135},60227,{"id":125,"name":126},4798,"Anthony Taormina",{"id":62,"logo":128,"name":129,"website_url":130,"score_format":73},"https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.criticdb.com\u002Fstorage\u002Fv1\u002Fobject\u002Fpublic\u002Favatars\u002FOutlets\u002FGame-Rant-Logo.png","Game Rant","https:\u002F\u002Fgamerant.com\u002F","[NOTE: There are massive audio problems with the game for players using a home theater set-up. Sound effects fail to register, audio syncing is off, and occasionally the audio will drop out altogether. Sony is working on a patch that should be out some time next week, but it's worth mentioning the audio issues as they were wholly distracting and actually detracted from the experience]","https:\u002F\u002Fgamerant.com\u002F\u002Fgod-of-war-ascension-reviews\u002F","2013-04-08","6",60,{"id":137,"author":138,"outlet":141,"summary":145,"review_url":146,"review_date":147,"original_score":148,"normalized_score":62},86224,{"id":139,"name":140},6844,"StuffTV",{"id":121,"logo":142,"name":143,"website_url":144,"score_format":43},"https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.criticdb.com\u002Fstorage\u002Fv1\u002Fobject\u002Fpublic\u002Favatars\u002FOutlets\u002FStuff-Logo.jpg","Stuff","https:\u002F\u002Fwww.stuff.tv\u002F","God of War goes back to its roots for the latest outing in the series. The roots of its Spartan antihero Kratos, to be precise. Set years before the first God of War game, Ascension opens with the ever-hostile Kratos a tortured prisoner of the Greek gods and follows his escape and subsequent quest for angry vengeance. Long-term fans will lap up the details of the warrior’s backstory – but let’s face it, God of War isn’t Jackanory and this game’s real appeal lies in its ultra-violent take on Greek mythology.","https:\u002F\u002Fwww.stuff.tv\u002Freview\u002Fgod-of-war-ascension-review\u002F","2013-03-07","4\u002F5",{"id":150,"author":151,"outlet":154,"summary":159,"review_url":160,"review_date":161,"original_score":88,"normalized_score":106},145606,{"id":152,"name":153},12404,"Shannon Grixti",{"id":155,"logo":156,"name":157,"website_url":158,"score_format":73},150,"https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.criticdb.com\u002Fstorage\u002Fv1\u002Fobject\u002Fpublic\u002Favatars\u002FOutlets\u002Fpress-start-logo.jpg","Press Start","https:\u002F\u002Fpress-start.com.au\u002F","There is also a mode called Trials of the Gods. In this mode players pair up in a team of two. Players face five waves of mythological monsters, followed by a boss fight. Every map in the multiplayer modes features special powers awarded by the gods which keeps the gameplay fresh and different from other multiplayer games.","https:\u002F\u002Fpress-start.com.au\u002Freviews\u002F2013\u002F03\u002F18\u002Fgod-of-war-ascension-review\u002F","2025-05-07",9,[21],[26],[]]