God of War: Ascension vs God of War: Chains of Olympus
God of War: Ascension is a game from Santa Monica Studio (2013) while God of War: Chains of Olympus is a game from Ready at Dawn (2008).
Quick answer: God of War: Chains of Olympus has the higher Metacritic, 91 to 80.
God of War: Ascension
God of War: Chains of Olympus
What each one is
God of War: Ascension is filed under . In contrast, God of War: Chains of Olympus under .
God of War: Ascension is a 2013 action-adventure game developed by Santa Monica Studio and published by Sony Computer Entertainment for the PlayStation 3. Released in March 2013, it is the seventh installment in the God of War series and the second chronologically. Loosely based on Greek mythology, it is set in ancient Greece with vengeance as its central motif. The player controls the protagonist, Kratos, the former servant of the God of War Ares, who tricked Kratos into killing his own wife and daughter. In response to this tragedy, Kratos renounced Ares, breaking his blood oath to the god. Kratos was, therefore, imprisoned and tortured by the three Furies, guardians of honor and enforcers of punishment. Helped by the oath keeper, Orkos, Kratos escapes his imprisonment and confronts the Furies, aiming to free himself of his bond to Ares.
God of War: Chains of Olympus is a 2008 action-adventure game developed by Ready at Dawn, and published by Sony Computer Entertainment (SCE). It was first released for the PlayStation Portable (PSP) handheld console on March 4, 2008. The game is the fourth installment in the God of War series, the third chronologically, and a prequel to the original God of War. It is loosely based on Greek mythology and set in ancient Greece, with vengeance as its central motif. The player controls Kratos, a Spartan warrior who serves the Olympian gods. Kratos is guided by the goddess Athena, who instructs him to find the Sun God Helios, as the Dream God Morpheus has caused many of the gods to slumber in Helios' absence. With the power of the Sun and the aid of the Titan Atlas, Morpheus and the Queen of the Underworld Persephone intend to destroy the Pillar of the World and in turn Olympus.
Story, characters and reception
Plot
Setting As with previous games, God of War: Ascension is set in an alternate version of ancient Greece populated by the Olympian gods , Titans , and other beings from Greek mythology. Game events are set sometime between Sons of Sparta (2026) and Chains of Olympus (2008), taking place six months after Kratos killed his family—10 years before the original God of War (2005). The game's narrative takes place over four weeks; it shifts between the present… (Wikipedia)
Characters
Main article: Characters of God of War The game's protagonist is Kratos (voiced by Terrence C. Carson ), a Spartan warrior who broke his blood oath to the god Ares after being tricked into killing his family by his former master. The main antagonists are the three Furies : Megaera ( Nika Futterman ), Tisiphone ( Debi Mae West ), and the Fury Queen, Alecto ( Jennifer Hale ). (Wikipedia)
Reception
Reception Critical reception God of War: Ascension received "generally favorable" reviews from critics, according to review aggregator website Metacritic . Critics praised the fundamental gameplay and spectacle, but were critical of the lack of new ideas and gave a mixed response to the additional multiplayer mode. Alex Simmons of IGN said the redesigned combat system adds a source of depth: "Learning how to use each power effectively ... (Wikipedia)
Plot
Setting As with the previous games in the God of War franchise, God of War: Chains of Olympus is set in an alternate version of ancient Greece , populated by the Olympian gods , Titans , and other beings of Greek mythology . With the exception of flashbacks , the events are set between those of the games Ascension (2013) and God of War (2005). Several locations are explored, including the real-world locations of the ancient cities of Attica and Marathon… (Wikipedia)
Characters
Main article: Characters of God of War The protagonist of the game is Kratos (voiced by Terrence C. Carson ), a former Captain of Sparta 's Army, and once servant to the God of War, Ares . He now serves the other Olympian gods in hopes that they will free him of his nightmares. (Wikipedia)
Reception
Reception God of War: Chains of Olympus received "universal acclaim", according to review aggregator Metacritic , achieving the highest composite score for a PlayStation Portable title. The game's graphics were particularly praised, with Matt Leone of 1UP claiming Chains of Olympus is "a technical showpiece for Sony, and arguably the best-looking game on the system. " Robert Falcon of Modojo. (Wikipedia)
At a glance
| God of War: Ascension | God of War: Chains of Olympus | |
|---|---|---|
| GamingPickz Score | — | — |
| Steam rating | — | — |
| Critic aggregate | 80/100 | 91/100 |
| Price | Unknown | Unknown |
| Install size | — | — |
| Steam Deck | Untested | Untested |
| Released | 2013 | 2008 |
| Developer | Santa Monica Studio | Ready at Dawn |
Prices and Steam ratings are read live and move over time.
God of War: Ascension vs God of War: Chains of Olympus, point by point
Each facet side by side. A round is marked won only where a figure settles it; feel and "which is better" carry no mark, because no number we hold decides them.
Genre and premise
God of War: AscensionGameGod of War: Chains of OlympusGameWhat each is filed as. Each game describes itself in full above; we do not judge a premise.
How it plays
God of War: AscensionNo descriptive tagsGod of War: Chains of OlympusNo descriptive tagsThe tags players apply most, in order of votes. A read on feel, not a verdict.
Reception
God of War: AscensionMetacritic 80God of War: Chains of Olympus ✓Metacritic 91Metacritic's critic aggregate, from the game's Wikipedia reception where it was never on Steam.
Price
God of War: AscensionUnknownGod of War: Chains of OlympusUnknownRead live from Steam and subject to change.
God of War: Chains of Olympus takes 1 of the marked rounds to 0. That is only what a number can decide, not which you will enjoy more.
Which to pick, by what you want
- The better reviewed of the two: God of War: Chains of Olympus (Metacritic 91)
Difficulty and who each is for
By the tags players apply, God of War: Ascension is middle-of-the-road on difficulty. God of War: Chains of Olympus is middle-of-the-road on difficulty.
Common questions
How different are God of War: Ascension and God of War: Chains of Olympus in scope?
God of War: Ascension lists little scope data. God of War: Chains of Olympus lists little scope data.
Is God of War: Ascension or God of War: Chains of Olympus better?
Neither carries enough reviews for us to score it reliably, so we do not call a winner. The table above shows what each does have.
Which is cheaper, God of War: Ascension or God of War: Chains of Olympus?
One or both do not have a current listed price, so a straight comparison is not possible. See the table above.
Should I get God of War: Ascension or God of War: Chains of Olympus?
God of War: Chains of Olympus has the higher Metacritic, 91 to 80. It also depends on what you want: the "which to pick" section above calls out which is cheaper, lighter on storage, better on a Steam Deck and the safer bet by weight of reviews.
Do you rank one above the other for a fee?
No. Neither game, nor anyone else, pays for placement or a verdict here. The order and every figure come out of the same public data the rest of the site uses.
Related comparisons
All comparisonsHow we compare, and what we will not do
The GamingPickz Score is a composite of player sentiment (adjusted for sample size), the critic aggregate and popularity, computed by the same code every ranked list on this site uses. The Steam rating label is Valve's own, reconstructed from the positive percentage and review count. Prices are read live. We do not write an opinion of which game is "better": we report the numbers and say which wins each measurable question above.