God of War: Ascension

 PlayStation 3
  • Publisher: SCEA
  • Release Date: Mar 12, 2013
User Score
7.8

Generally favorable reviews- based on 1461 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 980 out of 1461
  2. Mixed: 327 out of 1461
  3. Negative: 154 out of 1461
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  1. Gups
    Sep 8, 2023
    7
    O jogo é bom, mas não supera a trilogia. É uma formula única que somente a Santa Monica consegue fazer.
  2. Lelo_Oficial
    Aug 25, 2023
    7
    Ele tem a melhor gameplay e os melhores gráficos da saga clássica, mas peca na campanha por ser MT sem sal e pouca história, fora o multiplayer que é desbalanceado, pay to win e uma merda no geral.
  3. elrichstev
    Aug 17, 2023
    7
    Como inicio para jugarlo cronológicamente hablando está chévere, pero para ser del 2013 después de juegasos como el GoW 1 y 2 si está medio chimbo pero no es tan malo la plena.
  4. Visitbr
    Aug 4, 2023
    6
    o combate é muito bom e apresenta mecânicas ótimas, o gráfico é muito bonito pra época, a dublagem é horrorosa, o jogo tem o level design de uma porta de ruim que é, a trilha sonora é perfeita, o jogo ta repleto de puzzles chatos e forçados, no jogo você passa maior parte do tempo resolvendo puzzle do que jogando, a história é uma porcaria
  5. majesty_x
    Jul 31, 2023
    7
    Graphics: 7/10; Storyline: 6/10; Gameplay: 8/10; Atmosphere: 7/10; Music: 6/10; Summary rating: 7/10
  6. Soulslayer2323
    Jun 22, 2023
    7
    Here is my honest opinion about this game:

    It has good story, adds much more depth to Kratos' character. But the game itself tries to be something different. Combat was good, but needed more tweaking and more balance, especially some enemies. The visual and lore design of itself looks like shifted from Greek Pantheon to other pantheons with this title. God of War 3 was a better game,    Here is my honest opinion about this game:

    It has good story, adds much more depth to Kratos' character. But the game itself tries to be something different. Combat was good, but needed more tweaking and more balance, especially some enemies. The visual and lore design of itself looks like shifted from Greek Pantheon to other pantheons with this title.

    God of War 3 was a better game, mechanically. For the story part, each has its own takes.    … Expand
  7. matheusfox
    Apr 21, 2023
    7
    Good game, good fights, good puzzles, good graphics. This game is fun, the story is ok. Some places to grab are really hidden, but it's ok. It is not horrible, neither master piece. But it's good.
  8. Avey123Avey
    Mar 19, 2023
    6
    Truly epic set pieces with a variation of the typical GOW combat that rewards good execution. It's quite fun and has some really satisfying combat trials and set pieces.
  9. HeitorCampos
    Mar 13, 2023
    6
    Weirdest entry into the series, it´s just decent in just about everything. The multiplayer was awesome though, but it was a bit grindy.
  10. Alex_Pilgrim008
    Mar 3, 2023
    7
    This prequel, like "Gears of War: Judgment", is the weakest entry in the series. While the game is solid, it also feels somewhat uninspired. Kratos' barely speaks in this installment, there are no standout moments and the story is fairly straightforward. I also didn't like when the camera pans so far out, you can barely tell what's going on. "Ascension" is the first "God of War" to includeThis prequel, like "Gears of War: Judgment", is the weakest entry in the series. While the game is solid, it also feels somewhat uninspired. Kratos' barely speaks in this installment, there are no standout moments and the story is fairly straightforward. I also didn't like when the camera pans so far out, you can barely tell what's going on. "Ascension" is the first "God of War" to include online multiplayer. Unfortunately, it feels rather tacked on. Fans will be disappointed with the lack of epic scale of the campaign. On the plus side, the graphics are terrific and the combat is sturdy. I'd rate this with a 7.8 out of 10.… Expand
  11. delfierro006
    Feb 7, 2023
    7
    Big fan of the god of war series and just got done w the new Ragnarok entry and the only one that have not played is Ascension so just got done with that as well. To begin, Ascension had great graphics, bosses, okay story, and ideas but too many push buttons command on this entry. Overall, the game is a good additional to the GOW series but this one in my opinion is the weakest even inBig fan of the god of war series and just got done w the new Ragnarok entry and the only one that have not played is Ascension so just got done with that as well. To begin, Ascension had great graphics, bosses, okay story, and ideas but too many push buttons command on this entry. Overall, the game is a good additional to the GOW series but this one in my opinion is the weakest even in comparable to the vita games.… Expand
  12. Giero
    Jan 3, 2023
    7
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  13. JayQuiroz
    Nov 27, 2022
    6
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. This game is barely above average and does slightly more good things than bad, so let me explain why its not only the worst game in the series (Betrayal don't count lol) but the answer to making it amazing was so glaring and frustrating to witness!

    *The graphics

    For a PS3 game the graphics are impressive and even have some jaw dropping reflections BUT the texture issues and undecided art style makes this sometimes jarring to look at and quite forgettable and there really is no visual identity here other than Kratos himself.

    *The combat

    While the fluidity and cool moves are still here and the inclusion of a fun grapple mechanic HOWEVER the rage meter reliance destroys any fun you can have in this game because there is a hit/dont get hit reward system here and that sounds great in theory BUT there is input lag here that is not present in the other games AND Kratos can be hit in the middle of his combos against even the most basic enemies and that takes his rage meter away.. if its a larger enemy I guess thats ok but even the weakling types? Unacceptable and does not feel like GOW at all or make Kratos seem strong at all outside of cutscenes and QTE events

    *The Environments

    The set pieces here are beautiful and well crafted and have been blended nicely with some cool traversal scenes and even an interesting mechanic that can bring back decayed structures or break them BUT the camera here is atrocious in every way and multiple times will pull away from you to show off the various scenery. I can see why this can seem cool HOWEVER its made frustrating and ridiculous when you realize that you are being attacked as it pulls away and you cannot see anything. Why was this done? I will never know the answer.

    *The story

    Oddly enough its the best thing here and yet totally unmemorable and boring. The Furies are more hindrances to Kratos than an actual threat and neither of them are interesting or even have a clear thought of their own other than to serve Ares. I suppose the best thing I can say here is that some of the bosses in the story are done well and ESPECIALLY the final one that makes me wonder how a PS3 game even pulled it off so kudos there, I guess

    So what do we have here? Well we have a game that has all the bones of a masterpiece but was hampered by some baffling and unnecessary decisions by a developer that really seemed to never miss (and man did they remove all doubt with GOW4 and GOWR). I appreciated and understand SSM's approach here and they did for the most part succeed but WOW this game had every right to be better than it was and the need to be original and fresh seems to have been more important than making a game fans would remember and come back to. My final thought? Don't fix what isn't broken, the formula was perfect and would always have had fans coming home.    … Expand
  14. Jackthegamer
    Sep 15, 2022
    6
    It's ok. This game doesn't in ovate nor ruin the mechanics. It's the same thing again
  15. PaulaTLD
    Aug 23, 2022
    6
    No es mal juego, pero la historia no es realmente relevante en la saga, los graficos y la jugabilidad son buenas, aunque no esta cerca de los demas, vale la pena jugarlo y darle una oportunidad al mismo
  16. tsschindler
    Feb 11, 2022
    7
    Not a bad game, having all of the GoW stuff, yet not something with a lot of replay value or especially well designed. 7/10
  17. Alvokun
    Feb 5, 2022
    7
    Apparently it is a great game, as most of God of War games are. However, you soon realize gameplay is not as varied and/or addictive as it is in the other games. The story ends up being a mere pretext for the action, even though cutscenes are still awesome. Some parts are a bit frustrating, mainly because gameplay is not as good as in the rest of God of War games. All the same, I must sayApparently it is a great game, as most of God of War games are. However, you soon realize gameplay is not as varied and/or addictive as it is in the other games. The story ends up being a mere pretext for the action, even though cutscenes are still awesome. Some parts are a bit frustrating, mainly because gameplay is not as good as in the rest of God of War games. All the same, I must say I have played this on PS Now, which may have made the experience a bit worse.… Expand
  18. Runatikku
    Feb 1, 2022
    5
    This game is really unnecessary. We wouldn't have lost anything without this game. In fact, with this game, the producers decided to make a serious change in God of War and changed the mythology and gameplay of the series. This is the only good thing about the game. But if we look at it as a game, it is a game that is below the average. Boring gameplay, average-level design, andThis game is really unnecessary. We wouldn't have lost anything without this game. In fact, with this game, the producers decided to make a serious change in God of War and changed the mythology and gameplay of the series. This is the only good thing about the game. But if we look at it as a game, it is a game that is below the average. Boring gameplay, average-level design, and unnecessary and unexciting story. Boss battles are still not bad at least, but the game is a bit overwhelming since there are no other weapons except Blades of Chaos. This is the only non-gun variety game in the God of War series. We really didn't lose anything without this game. ​If you play God of War Ascension you will have played it, if you don't you won't lose much.… Expand
  19. BeeSting1
    Jan 24, 2022
    5
    Good

    - graphics look great. The structures were very impressive. - autosave makes taking breaks easier. - i like the addition of climbing parts. And the sliding parts were done quite well. Bad - badly placed QTEs made enjoying any cutscene unenjoyable since I had to always focus on the corner of my screen to see if a prompt will pop up - the QTE button color was the form    Good

    - graphics look great. The structures were very impressive.

    - autosave makes taking breaks easier.

    - i like the addition of climbing parts. And the sliding parts were done quite well.

    Bad

    - badly placed QTEs made enjoying any cutscene unenjoyable since I had to always focus on the corner of my screen to see if a prompt will pop up

    - the QTE button color was the form of a light colored orange amber, meaning if it overlapped a bright colored area in the fight, it's really hard to see. Quite a few times I was punished because I simply couldn't see the QTE prompt. Example being the bright bird from the Fury.

    - The puzzles had only one solution, and despite finding a very logical solution to the puzzle on your own which should work, didn't. Only the developer's logic was correct. There were many false queues in puzzles which made solving them a frustrating experience.

    - Not enough cutscenes where Kratos speaks. He's also much more passive than other God of War games which is really out of character. I personally really don't like it. I liked Kratos for the rage filled vengence. Not this ****

    - The parry system is terrible. Not only do I now have to press two buttons L1 and X, but also have to press them one after the other. Parrying is supposed to be a fast execution testing the player's reflexes, but making it this hard to input, makes the experience very frustrating. Especially because some of the enemies have very ambiguous attack animations, the hitbox sometimes come out later. Also sometimes parry would just straight up whiff when it clearly should have countered. Sometimes the enemy is too far and the counter after the parry misses, and I end up getting punished instead, which feels very unfair. The inability to reflect projectiles with parry was also crappy.

    - having to press two buttons to grab was also annoying. In all GoWs it was just circle. Now it's R1 and circle, which adds and extra layer of annoyance when I'm already juggling trying to hit two buttons to parry.

    - for a first time play through it's really hard to use much of the rage meter, since without getting accustomed to the fights, rarely could I go on without damage to fully build the meter and use rage, which made it useless.

    - Magic wasn't clearly defined. Until you've leveled your weapon to like level 3, you can't see that the last level up would give it magic. This caused a lot of confusion, as I see I have a magic meter, but seemingly no magic attack. Not until I looked up that I had to upgrade my weapon fully to unlock it, did I know.

    - I also ran into quite a few glitches. One where the giant hammer enemy fell through the elevator, and I couldn't proceed the blocked exit because it required me to kill all enemies.

    - not seeing any of the gods, like Athena, Zeus, or any of the titans really made the game not feel like a God of War game. As those are staple characters. Aside from Kratos himself, you pretty much ONLY see Furies.

    - the camera angle is terrible sometimes. It could be zoomed too far out and I just can't see whats going on. Sometimes it's fixed in a place where if there are big enemies, I can't see Kratos and the smaller enemies attack me. Meaning if I'm trying to parry, I end up whiffing and getting attacked just because the game blocked my view. I simple fix would have been to make the large enemy momentarily transparent when walking in front of the camera.

    - overall, they tried to change what wasn't broken. God of War was supposed to be a straight forward hack and slash game, Adding the extra control schemes made the experience more complex than it needed to be. This isn't Sekiro, it's God of War. Don't fix what wasn't broken.    … Expand
  20. JJ2FAS4U
    Dec 28, 2021
    7
    Atmosphere: 7
    Enjoyment: 7
    Gameplay: 7
    Graphics: 9
    Music: 8
    Story: 6
    Total: 7.33
  21. Kvantaliani03
    Nov 20, 2021
    7
    RRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEe
  22. F3T1W
    Aug 20, 2021
    6
    The worst part of God of War, but nevertheless the bar for the quality of the series does not drop too low
  23. Mosqueta
    Aug 13, 2021
    7
    Although the story is a bit sloppy, the game surprised me, it included some mechanics that we had not seen in the saga and in my opinion is a very good hack and slash but a normal God Of War.
  24. Dperks
    Jul 29, 2021
    7
    As with the other God of War games this title has engaging set pieces fun gameplay and pretty good visuals. Really it's just another solid entry in the God of War series although it does come with it's own issues the biggest for me being the story. Which isn't bad but suffers from the Prequel story problem of we all know how this ends because we've already seen where Kratos goes from here.As with the other God of War games this title has engaging set pieces fun gameplay and pretty good visuals. Really it's just another solid entry in the God of War series although it does come with it's own issues the biggest for me being the story. Which isn't bad but suffers from the Prequel story problem of we all know how this ends because we've already seen where Kratos goes from here. And over all the plot didn't really change anything or reveal any significant info. One other issue I found with this game was that I died a lot more in this one then the other games. But not because the game was much harder. But because I found myself falling into pits a lot more either from bad camera angels or my button inputs not being registered during "platforming" sequences. This isn't a deal breaker by any means but a noticeable annoyance I had though out. The game is also a little shorter then the other titles my guess the inclusion of a multiplayer mode was to compensate for this but obviously there's not much of a player base 8 years later. Overall if you enjoy the other God of War games it's defiantly one you try if you get the chance but not one you necessarily need to check out.… Expand
  25. Dom007
    Mar 28, 2021
    7
    Ascension lacks the fun the other GOW titles have and that's why it's inferior. There are some good things about this game but it's just not fun to play for some reason.
  26. Elite_Soldier
    Mar 7, 2021
    5
    I'm just writing at least 150 characters because I wanted to save this review in a more convenient way to look back at scores that I had given stuff as a user
  27. DPlayer4GMS
    Jan 8, 2021
    7
    Como um enorme fã da saga God of War, eu diria que esse jogo é o "menos melhor" de todos eles, o sistema de fúria foi uma adição desnecessária e irritante em certos pontos, se fosse pelo jogo todo em si, eu daria 8, mas a parte do elevador não é difícil, ela é ridícula, e por isso ganha menos um ponto.
  28. dfranke521
    Sep 27, 2020
    7
    I really don't understand the hat for this one. I do think it is the weakest of the series from memory but not a bad game. I think it struggles to be it's own in a series full of amazing games. I really don't think it needed to be made. I think Santa Monica Studios wanted another check and decided to throw this game out there to get some big bucks. The gameplay is very basic but fun. ItI really don't understand the hat for this one. I do think it is the weakest of the series from memory but not a bad game. I think it struggles to be it's own in a series full of amazing games. I really don't think it needed to be made. I think Santa Monica Studios wanted another check and decided to throw this game out there to get some big bucks. The gameplay is very basic but fun. It never tries to do anything that hasn't been done yet. The puzzles were all pretty much super easy with one or two exceptions. I really think they could have tried to make them a little harder at least. Some of the fights were ridiculously hard. Especially the Gauntlet of Archimedes. I almost quit playing the game because of this part. It never gets easier and if I ever went back to play this game for whatever reason, I would struggle just as much. It really made me start to hate this game.

    There isn't really a variety in enemies. You pretty much fight the same three monsters throughout the whole game with a different one here or there. It got kind of boring just fight lamb boy guy things. When there was a big enemy, I think the finishers were fun and cool but overall there wasn't much variety.

    I can get over all of that stuff. Where this game lacks the most for me is the story. You really never understand what's going on. It never comes out and says this this and this. It just expects you to remember everything and know the new stuff they threw in. I wasn't interested in this story at all. The game was marketed to make it seem you played as a spartan soldier and I was excited for that. I t was something that we haven't done before. Instead it just throws you in, makes you play for eight hours and ends.    … Expand
  29. Oldman1917
    Sep 25, 2020
    7
    The game is ... normal. A good way to kill time. Convenient controls, relaxed gameplay (will delight casual gamers, but disappoint hardcore players), the graphics are still pleasant. Large monsters are pleasing to the eye. The plot is simple, but very crookedly implemented. It is pleasant to play thoughtlessly, but trying to delve into history can be very disappointed.
  30. BernardoUPoud
    Aug 26, 2020
    7
    Excellent game
    Studio have done an incredible job.
    Great Gameplay in god of war.
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Awards & Rankings

34
#34 Best PS3 Game of 2013
7
#7 Most Discussed PS3 Game of 2013
6
#6 Most Shared PS3 Game of 2013

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
80

Generally favorable reviews - based on 89 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 72 out of 89
  2. Mixed: 17 out of 89
  3. Negative: 0 out of 89
  1. XGN
    Jun 16, 2013
    85
    God of War: Ascension does exactly what you would expect from a God of War title.The sheer amount of violence and tension is simply breathtaking, especially when taking place right on top of a giant creature. The entire experience is accompanied by stunning graphics and an impressive soundtrack. While the multiplayer is somewhat disappointing, it is apparent that Kratos is still this generation's most fearsome warrior.
    Read full review
  2. CD-Action
    May 7, 2013
    85
    You can point out that Ascension failed to make a real step forward. You can argue that the multiplayer mode is a foreign body, a strained attempt to find innovation in the wrong place. That’s true, but in my eyes the foundation built by the previous God of War games proved to be strong enough to sustain what I hope is just the calm before the storm that Kratos will unleash on PS4. And damn, Ascension looks unbelievable! [CD-Action 05/2013, p.64]
  3. Official PlayStation Magazine Benelux
    Apr 22, 2013
    87
    Ascension shows a warrior who is miles away from being the ultimate and flawless killing machine we all know and love. He is more like an unguided projectile here, trying to cope with all the injustice delivered unto him. [April 2013, p.62]
See all critic reviews »