GoW Story

God of War

The first God of War game features a unique little storytelling twist - you start at the end of Kratos's tale. Unfortunately, the end is our hero committing suicide, unable to live with the carnage he's committed. What could drive this tattooed monster of a warrior into an all-swallowing remorse? Well, that's quite a tale - come along with us and let's knock this ode out.

Kratos was once as normal as you or I - that is, if you or I was a fierce Spartan warrior with a career of service under his belt. However, war is hell, and Kratos's fortunes turned when his regiment was brutally massacred while clashing with a barbarian horde. Desperate to survive and avenge his men, Kratos called out to Ares, the titular God of War, and offered his life in servitude to him in exchange for power. And power was granted - Kratos became a superhuman engine of destruction with two mystical weapons, the Blades of Chaos, permanently affixed to his forearms, and proceeded to serve Ares in his machinations on Earth.

In his final battle in Ares's service, Kratos and his new army raided a village and brutally slew all who lived there. However, once his blood-lust had passed, Kratos was confronted with his ultimate betrayal - in his rage, he had killed his own wife and daughter, who were praying at the town's temple. Overcome with grief, Kratos fled, renouncing his debt to Ares. But the cunning war god wasn't through with him just yet.

Three weeks prior to Kratos taking the cliff dive, we see him approaching Athens, one of the great cities of Greece, as it is under siege by Ares and his army of beasts. Kratos seeks to rid himself of his awful memories, and Athena leads him to believe that by defeating Ares, he will finally be free of his curse. After slaying an enormous hydra, Kratos enters the city and begins to search for a way to destroy Ares, who has grown to gigantic size and is ravaging the nearby countryside.

From the Oracle of Athens, Kratos learns that Pandora's Box, a legendary weapon, has the power to even fell a God, and it is locked deep within the Temple of Pandora, which is located on the back of the wandering titan Kronos. The task of retrieving the box is a long and arduous one, but Kratos is victorious. However, upon exiting the temple, Ares impales him with an enormous pillar, killing our hero.

But is that enough to stop Kratos? Hell no. Literally, as he escapes the Underworld and, Box in tow, confronts Ares once more. After stabbing the mad god through the chest, Kratos asks Athena to lift the burden of his memories from him. When she tells him she cannot, we come full circle and rejoin him on the cliffs, ready to end it all. However, Athena visits him once more, to tell him that Olympus still has need of him, for there is a throne in the hall of the gods that is now empty - the throne of the God of War.


God of War II

After defeating Ares and transcending the mortal plane to act as the new God of War, you'd think things would be all wine and orgies for our man Kratos. After all, what could possibly hassle a god? Well, other gods, for one. The pantheon of Greece, aghast at Kratos's lust for warfare, is beginning to think that they made a mistake in elevating the tortured Spartan to deity status. All he cares about is leading his legions in violent conquest of Greece, destroying the empire of culture and civilization that took centuries to build. Something must be done.

As the game starts, Kratos is about to invade the city of Rhodes when a giant eagle swoops down from the heavens and strips him of most of his power. This eagle, of course, is Zeus, big daddy of all the Greek gods. Kratos's power is funneled into the Colossus of Rhodes, and the giant statue rampages through the city, eventually getting the better of Kratos until Zeus appears again. The god offers Kratos the Blade of Olympus, but tells him to use it he needs to infuse it with the last of his power. Kratos does so and slays the Colossus, only to be tricked by Zeus, now holding all of his power. Zeus demands the humbled Spartan swear fealty to him, and when Kratos refuses, executes him, sending his spirit once again to the Underworld.

However, a eternity of torment in Hellfire isn't in the cards for our man, as he is saved by the titan Gaia. The Titans were the mythological race that was exterminated by Zeus and his crew to bring forth the modern era, and they're looking for revenge. Gaia tells Kratos of the Loom of Fate, the massive machine on which the present and future is woven by the muses Lakhesis, Atropos and Clotho. With the Loom under his command, Kratos can master the flow of time and gain his revenge on Zeus. Mounting a winged steed, Kratos flies to the Island of Creation, where he beings another bloody battle to acquire the weapon he needs.

After slaughtering the Three Sisters (who bend time and space in their efforts to defeat him), Kratos seizes the loom and bends it to his will. First using it to return to the scene of his battle at Rhodes, Kratos engages Zeus himself in battle and emerges victorious. However, when he is about to strike the killing blow, Athena intervenes and is slain instead. Kratos learns that the Greek gods have a cyclical tradition of son killing father, and as Zeus's unofficial heir, Kratos was next in line to ascend to the throne. Enraged, Kratos uses the Loom to travel back to the age of the Titans and brings them to the present to destroy Olympus once and for all.


God of War: Chains of Olympus

With the latest entry into the God of War franchise, you can take Kratos anywhere you want. Topple titans while stuck in traffic. Bash the Basilisk on the bus. Annihilate Ares ... well, you get the idea.

Serving as a prequel to the first God of War game, Chains of Olympus documents the ten years that Kratos spent in the servitude of the Gods as their chosen warrior - hence the title. While the first two games occupied themselves with a fairly short period of Kratos's life, the new game has a full decade of adventures to pick and choose from, and uses the epic scope to further develop the character and the world around him. Since the game doesn't drop until March, we only have hints and portents of what will befall Kratos in his period of servitude. We know that the game starts in Attica, where Kratos stands alone against a horde of Persian soldiers before having to fight an enormous basilisk. The setting for the game seems to be a more Middle Eastern locale, as opposed to the main series's Greece, but Kratos will also journey into the land of the Gods during those ten years. The developers have promised a horde of new mythological beasties to eviscerate, and what we've seen of the game maintains the sense of scale that the first two reveled in, with human-scale enemies and giant titans mixing it up.

And, of course, coming next year is God of War III, the final title in the trilogy. Since God of War II. ended with Kratos and the Titans laying mad siege to Mount Olympus and the assembled Greek gods within, we're willing to bet that the sequel is going to pick up right where we left off, with an enraged and indescribably powerful Kratos tackling his most awesome foes yet as he puts the final nail in the coffin of Greek mythology. But why stop there? There's plenty of life in the idea, and the gods of Olympus aren't the only forgotten pantheon - imagine Kratos rampaging scross the Rainbow Bridge to bring the pain to Thor and the norse gods of Asgard? Or heading down South and opening up a can of whoop-ass on Horus and Set in Egypt? Or hell, if he gets really ambitious, have him break the Pearly Gates down, stick St. Peter's head on a pike and go one-on-one with Jehovah himself. We can dream, can't we?


God of War 3

In the opening sequence, Kratos stands on the back of the Titan Gaia, as she and the other Titans climb Mount Olympus to assault the Gods of Olympus.

The Olympian gods launch a counter-assault, and Poseidon was killed by the combined efforts of Kratos and Gaia- his death caused the oceans to flood. Kratos and Gaia attempt to attack Zues, but are driven back and fall down Mount Olympus. Gaia clings to the side of the mountain and refuses to save Kratos, stating he was nothing more than a pawn.

Kratos falls into the underworld, losing the Blade of Olympus. Kratos lands in the River Styx, and the souls of the underworld weaken Kratos and ruin the Blades of Athena. After exiting the river, Kratos is confronted by the spirit of Athena, who provides him with the Blades of Exile in return for his trust. After several battles, Kratos locates the Three Judges of the Underworld and the Chain of Balance that maintains the equilibrium between the Underworld, Earth, and Olympus. After a conversation with the spirit of Pandora, Kratos recovers the Blade of Olympus.

Kratos encounters the Olympian Blacksmith Hephaetus, and later kills Hades. Hades' death releases the souls of the underworld and exacerbates the chaos caused by Kratos' assault on Olympus. After exiting the underworld, Kratos travels to Olympia, where he encounters a wounded Gaia. Kratos ignores Gaia's request for aid and severs her arm, causing her to fall from Mount Olympus to her apparent death.

As Kratos continues his ascent, he overcomes various foes, including the Titan Perses and the god Helios - the latter's death blotting out the sun and causing worldwide darkness and storms. Learning that Pandora Box is once again the key to the success of his quest, Kratos then kills an overconfident Hermes, his death releasing a plague on the world. Kratos also encounters his half-brother Hercules, who is encouraged by a watching Hera to murder the "bastard". Kratos, however, kills Hercules and travels to various locations to find the key to opening Pandora's Box, finally discovering that Pandora, herself, is the key and that only she can quell the "Flame of Olympus", a lethal fire that surrounds the Box. After Kratos is forced to kill Cronos and then Hephaestus, the Spartan travels through Hera's Gardens, where he kills the taunting goddess (her death causing the end of all plant life). Kratos then returns to the Labyrinth to find Pandora.

The aerial Labyrinth: the prison of Pandora and Daedulus.

After fighting his way through the Labyrinth and rescuing Pandora, Kratos is instructed by Athena to break the Chain of Balance so that the Labyrinth can be raised and Pandora can reach Pandora's Box. After neutralizing the Three Judges and breaking the Chain, Kratos raises the Labyrinth and Pandora attempts to enter the Flame of Olympus. Zeus intervenes, but, after a brief battle, Pandora successfully sacrifices herself (despite Kratos' protests) and quenches the Flame. Kratos discovers Pandora's Box is empty, and battles Zeus once again.

Gaia suddenly returns and attempts to kill the pair, but both escape via a gaping wound in her neck. Kratos eventually kills Gaia by impaling Zeus against her heart with the Blade of Olympus, an act that apparently also kills Zeus. Kratos recovers the Blade and begins to depart, but is then attacked by Zeus' spirit, destroying all of his weapons and abilities (except for the Blades of Exile and Blade of Olympus). Losing consciousness, he is saved by Pandora during a mental journey into his own pysche. Forgiving himself for his past sins, Kratos regains consciousness and viciously beats Zeus to death.

Athena reappears, demanding Kratos return what he apparently took from Pandora's Box. Kratos states the box was empty, which Athena refuses to believe. Athena explains that when Zeus sealed the evils of the world (greed, fear and hate) within the box, she foresaw that it would eventually be opened, and so she placed her own power hope within the box. Athena then realizes that when Kratos first opened the box to defeat Ares, the evils escaped and infected the Olympian Gods, while Kratos was endowed with hope. Athena demands Kratos return her power, stating she knows how to use it to rebuild the world. Kratos refuses and impales himself with the Blade of Olympus, releasing hope's power for all mankind. An angered Athena pulls the sword from Kratos and states that he has disappointed her. Kratos, nearing death, collapses as she departs.

In a post-credit scene, a trail of blood is shown, leading away from an abandoned Blade of Olympus, leaving Kratos' final fate unknown.

Credit for this goes to Russ Frushtick from Ugo.com