David Jaffe Critiques God of War's New Spin-Off, Sons of Sparta

David Jaffe, the mind behind the God of War franchise, has expressed his disdain for the newly released side-scrolling spinoff, Sons of Sparta. He criticized the game as "boring" and labeled it an "insult" to the series' dedicated fanbase and the original creators. Sons of Sparta, which was unveiled and unexpectedly released on PlayStation 5 during Sony's recent State of Play event, is a Metroidvania-style action platformer developed by indie studio Mega Cat Studios. The game serves as a prequel, showcasing a younger Kratos alongside his brother as they undergo training. In a YouTube video posted shortly after spending an hour with the game, Jaffe articulated his disappointment with its direction. He noted that, despite his initial enthusiasm for a side-scrolling adaptation of the series, the game's tone diverged too significantly from that of the original trilogy. "This is the kind of game I've always wanted in terms of 2.5D God of War, and I was really into it — but this, to me, is not what I was hoping for. I purchased this game for $30, and I can't recommend it," Jaffe stated, before questioning the decision-making process at Sony that led to the game's creation. "I wanted to create a video to explore what the thinking was behind this decision. What on earth were they thinking? While it's not inherently a bad game — it functions adequately — I find the real mystery lies in why this game was made at all. I just don't get it." After an hour of gameplay, Jaffe mentioned he found it difficult to continue due to excessive character dialogue interruptions. He remarked, "This is not God of War." Jaffe continued to criticize the character portrayal, suggesting it felt more like a generic children's show rather than a compelling narrative. He expressed that fans were looking for something akin to the intensity of titles like Blasphemous, which captures the violent and serious tone akin to the early God of War installments. "If you stripped away the God of War identity and presented it simply as a game about a kid, most people would not find that appealing as a video game premise," he asserted. While Jaffe acknowledged that the game might improve, he maintained that its biggest offense was its lack of originality. He drew a comparison to a hypothetical John Wick film that focuses solely on mundane activities. Jaffe had anticipated a 2.5D God of War experience reminiscent of games like Ninja Gaiden Ragebound, Neon Inferno, or Shinobi. In his conclusion, he stated, "Why would you even release this? It leaves a sour impression on God of War enthusiasts, in my opinion." He continued, "With every new game, there's no need to divert from the beloved characters that established this franchise. Presenting Kratos as a generic child is just disrespectful to the fans and the original creators. It's mindless and unoriginal. I would advise against buying this game." Though he initially vowed not to revisit Sons of Sparta, Jaffe later played for an additional three hours, producing a detailed critique video spanning over 30 minutes. In this follow-up, he highlighted issues such as "visual clutter during combat," "discrepancies in gameplay visuals," a "confusing user interface," and poor quality in dialogue and voice acting. He ultimately deemed the game as "not ready for release." In response to fan confusion, Sony Santa Monica, the studio behind the God of War series, clarified the game's multiplayer features late last Friday. Many players misinterpreted the "1-2 player" label on the PlayStation Store as indicating full cooperative gameplay, but the company explained that multiplayer is limited to a challenge mode accessible after completing the main game.