Sony has revealed that God of War Sons of Sparta is coming to PS4 next week, and it's bringing two new modes with it.
The unexpected update for this year's action platformer prequel was announced in a PlayStation.Blog post today. In it, Sony confirmed plans to bring Kratos' earliest adventure to the last-gen console starting midnight local time November 16.
It's more than a surprise bonus platform, too, as developer Mega Cat Studios has promised two new modes that will be available on both PS4 and PS5: Hermes Mode and Erebus Mode. The former is described as a "race against the clock" that features speedrunning tools like a split-based timer and a persistent scoreboard. The latter is a one-hit-kill mode that affects both Kratos and his enemies.
Sony and Mega Cat tell God of War Sons of Sparta players that they'll be able to select their mode when starting a new game and selecting a save slot. Game modes can't be changed once selected. Hermes Mode, specifically, is activated only after beating the game once through and after players input the following code: Up, Up, Down, Down, Left, Right, Left, Right, L1, R1, Touchpad. It's unclear if unlocking Erebus Mode has a similar old-school cheat code-esque requirement.
God of War Sons of Sparta takes one of PlayStation's most popular exclusive franchises and scales it down to let players control Kratos at a much, much earlier point in his life in ancient Greece. Shadow-dropped back in February of this year as an experimental chapter of the story for PS5, its story returns to an era fans have longed for with original Kratos actor Terrence 'T.C. Carson back in the booth.
"Every legend has a beginning – before he was a God, before he was a father, Kratos was a young Spartan!" an official story description said. "Experience an untold chapter in Kratos’ journey set during the harsh years of Spartan training alongside his brother Deimos. Through endless trials, their minds, bodies, and hearts have been molded to become Spartan soldiers for whom duty and honor mean everything. After a fellow cadet goes missing, Kratos and Deimos vow to find him and embark on an adventure that will put their training and Spartan spirit to the test."
God of War Sons of Sparta was unable to generate the same level of hype the series' more recent entries have been known for. Despite the surprise of getting a new God of War game without any of the build-up, the prequel side-scroller generally received middling reviews from critics and fans. IGN gave it a 6/10, calling it "a pretty mediocre Metroidvania" that failed "to meet the high bar set by the titans of the genre."
Franchise creator David Jaffe was less than impressed with God of War Sons of Sparta when it launched. In a video posted at the time, he said a 2.5D God of War game is "the kind of game I've always wanted" but ultimately said it was an experience he did not like and did not recommend. He even went as far as to say, "This is not God of War."
"I wanted to make a video more about what are they thinking, like what the f*** were they thinking?" Jaffe explained. "It's not a bad game by any means, it's fine, it controls decently... but to me the more fascinating part of this is, why is this in existence? I don't understand."
Like it or not, God of War Sons of Sparta offered a stopgap for Sony as it chipped away at the series' next major new entry: God of War Laufey. The PS5-exclusive title is currently set to launch May 20, 2027, following a recent delay. At least the prequel is now available for PS4 users to enjoy while they wait an extra few months.