God Of War’s testosterone-dripping protagonist Kratos slices and smashes his way to the PSP, in a rather charming manner. A straightforward action title, Chains Of Olympus is essentially big-box entertainment in pocket size, just the way the PSP always promised yet has so often failed to deliver on. (Notable exceptions including Tekken and Killzone, at least.)
Visually, it’s up there with the best the PS2 could put up. Beautiful models, lighting, animation and textures, all without slowdown and with the sense of scale entirely intact. It’s impressive stuff, especially considering that the game never stops to load.
They have tackled the controls in a natural manner. When I stopped to consider them, there’s just nothing wrong. You’re never out of buttons and a second stick to control the camera is not longed for. Fighting is fast and fluid. The evade move (LB + RB + stick) is a touch cumbersome, but I don’t much use it save for boss battles.
While the action is good, I would like some more of it. As it stands, sometimes the levels feel too sparsely populated. There are good, memorable fights, but I would prefer more of them. Puzzles are very simple and clearly meant to pace the action, not stop the player for a brain-tease.
For adults only, the game features over the top fantasy violence, breasts (in a historic fashion, mind) and a weird sex scene in the guise of a minigame. They don’t show anything, but your ears might blush. I can’t figure out why it is there, right in the beginning, not really fitting with anything else. I understand it’s a series staple, but to me it’s so disconnected, it feels like the developers are saying “because we can”.
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