God of War: Chains of Olympus is an action-adventure game on PSP in which Kratos, five years into his service to the gods, confronts the Persian army besieging Attica and the aftermath of the sun god Helios being torn from the sky. The campaign was completed through its credits and post-credits scene in about four and a half hours.
The story is the strongest asset, with the dilemma between serving the gods and a personal loss proving compelling. The post-credits scene explains the transition into the original God of War.
The sun shield adds a parry that reflects projectiles, and the Helios flash and light-of-dawn attacks make it genuinely useful. The gauntlet of Zeus breaks enemy armour with charge attacks, though it arrives late.
The elemental variety on the Blades of Chaos spans fire, ice, lightning and souls of Hades, with the Wrath of the Furies a standout move. The set pieces include the sun chariot’s fire steeds, underwater diving with Triton’s lens and the long spiral staircase.
The texture pack looks great with no issues, and the cutscenes no longer look bit-crushed. The catch-up chests guarantee full health and magic upgrades, and the game checkpoints nicely.
The enemy variety is sparse and the bosses are few and forgettable, with only the Basilisk standing out. The red chests are worthless, and the medusa room’s petrification-plus-hit combo punishes harshly.
Overall, the story, the parry-and-gauntlet combat and the presentation make God of War: Chains of Olympus a very competent PSP game. The sparse enemy variety, the forgettable bosses and the worthless red chests are the caveats.