God of War Sons of Sparta takes Kratos back to the beginning, and back to two dimensions. The 2026 Metroidvania from Mega Cat Studios and Santa Monica Studio launched February 12 for PlayStation 5. It is the 10th game in the series and the first chronologically — set before God of War: Ascension (2013) and the Ghost of Sparta flashbacks.
Trailer, via PlayStation.
A 13-Year-Old Kratos at the Agoge
Players control Kratos at 13 (voiced by Antony Del Rio), training at the Agoge alongside his 11-year-old brother Deimos (Scott Menville). When their comrade Vasilis goes missing, the brothers set out across Laconia to find him. The story is framed by an adult Kratos (TC Carson), a Spartan Army captain telling the tale to his 8-year-old daughter Calliope (Debi Derryberry).
The setup matters. This is a coming-of-age story about duty, honor and brotherhood, not the rage that defines the later games. The brothers train under Konstantinos (James Mathis III), the Agoge’s headmaster and a sculptor. His daughter Amara (Shelby Young), an Amazon and the only girl at the Agoge, is the one who pushes them to search for Vasilis.
A Spear, a Shield, and No Blades of Chaos
Because this is set long before Kratos received the Blades of Chaos, he fights with a Spartan spear and shield — the Dory and Aspis. Special attacks and magic come from Gifts of Olympus, including the Victory Sandals, which boost speed and jumping. Those gifts gate progress, as a Metroidvania demands.
Mega Cat Studios knows this register. The pixel work carries God of War’s spectacle without pretending to be a large-budget production. Familiar foes return — undead soldiers, harpies, minotaurs, gorgons, cyclopes, wraiths, sirens and satyrs — joined by new ones like lampades, lamias and fauns.
Sparta as a Hub, Laconia as a Map
The game returns the series to Greek mythology after God of War (2018) and God of War Ragnarök (2022) went Norse. Sparta serves as the central hub. From there the brothers cross the Laconian Woods, where they meet a pair of thieving Kerkopes; the Oenus Vineyard, an abandoned winery where they fight a daemon called Alastor; Mount Taygetos; the Barren Steppe, home to an unauthorized cult; the Veiled Bog; and the Isle of Aeaea, home of the witch Circe.
The crafting system from the prior two games survives. Players collect resources to build or upgrade attachments for the Dory and Aspis, plus gouri charms on one armor piece, the Belt of Tyche. Orbs work as before: green for health, blue for magic, gold for spirit, red for experience.
What the Return to Greece Actually Buys
Sons of Sparta is the second game in the series presented as a 2D action-platformer, after God of War: Betrayal (2007). It is the first to go Metroidvania. That distinction is the whole pitch, and it mostly holds.
The restraint is the smartest choice here. A young Kratos with a spear and shield, before the Blades, before the rage, is a character the series has never let us play at length. The Agoge setting and the Deimos bond give the combat stakes that a prequel usually lacks.
The cost is scale. Metroidvania structure means backtracking through Laconia, and the genre’s rhythms can flatten the series’ signature set pieces into corridors. The crafting systems carried over from the Norse games sit awkwardly in a story about teenage trainees.
Still, this is a genuine untold chapter, not a retread. Mega Cat Studios delivered retro gameplay with God of War’s spectacle intact. It will not replace Ragnarök. It does not need to.
Score: 7.5 of 10.
The Numbers
- Release date: February 12, 2026
- Platform: PlayStation 5
- Developer: Mega Cat Studios, Santa Monica Studio
- Publisher: Sony Interactive Entertainment
- Series position: 10th installment, first chronologically
- Score: 7.5 of 10
Release Schedule
| Date | Milestone |
|---|---|
| February 12, 2026 | Worldwide release, PlayStation 5 |
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