Gameplay God of War (2005 video game)

god of war third-person single player action-adventure video game hack , slash elements, viewed fixed camera perspective. player controls character kratos in combo-based combat, platforming, , puzzle game elements, , battles foes stem greek mythology, including undead soldiers, harpies, minotaurs, medusa , gorgons, cyclopes, wraiths, sirens, satyrs, centaurs, cerberuses, , boss opponents—the hydra , giant minotaur known pandora s guardian. platforming elements require player climb walls , ladders, jump across chasms, swing on ropes, , balance across beams proceed through sections of game. puzzles simple, such moving box player can use jumping-off point access pathway unreachable normal jumping, others more complex, such finding several items across different areas of game unlock 1 door.

throughout game world, player finds chests colored green, blue, or red, , each chest contains orbs of corresponding color. green orbs replenish player s health, blue orbs replenish magic allowing further usage, , red orbs provide experience upgrading weapons , magic—allowing new, more powerful attacks—and replenishing rage meter, which, if full, allows usage of rage of gods ability. red orbs collected killing foes , destroying inanimate objects. player can find gorgon eyes , phoenix feathers in unmarked chests. eyes , feathers increase length of health , magic meters, respectively; finding eighteen of item maximizes meter , in turn, player s power.

combat

kratos (in air) attacks hydra blades of chaos. hud in upper left corner displays health meter. number indicates number of red orbs player has collected. green meter @ bottom of screen shows opponent s health.

kratos main weapon blades of chaos: pair of blades attached chains wrapped around character s wrists , forearms. in gameplay, blades can swung offensively in various maneuvers. later in game, kratos acquires secondary weapon called blade of artemis: large sword offers alternative combat options. kratos learns use 4 magical abilities, (such zeus fury: allowing lightning bolts thrown @ distant targets) allow character kill both individual , multiple targets. other magical abilities include medusa s gaze, poseidon s rage, , army of hades. relic called poseidon s trident acquired, allowing kratos breathe underwater , navigate through environment. in game, kratos acquires special ability called rage of gods, provides temporary invulnerability , increased attack damage.

in combat, quick time event (qte) feature, called context sensitive attacks, initiated when player has weakened strong foe. player performs sequence of actions on game controller shortly after image of circle button appears on-screen prompt. allows limited control of kratos during qte cinematic sequence, which, if successful, ends battle; failure results in damage protagonist. similar in function quick time sex mini-game in form of encounter female twins, has become regular feature throughout series.

when game completed, challenge mode—ten trials called challenge of gods—is unlocked; requires players complete series of specific tasks (e.g., “kill cyclopes before time runs out”). player may unlock bonus costumes kratos, behind-the-scenes videos, , concept art of characters , environments, rewards. completion of each difficulty level unlocks additional rewards.