God of War: Ascension, the seventh instalment in the God of War series, acts as a prequel to the preceding games The narrative revolves around Kratos, the protagonist from earlier instalments, who was once a loyal servant of the God of War, Ares Tricked by Ares into unknowingly murdering his own family, Kratos breaks the blood oath binding him to Ares and abandons his former master
Subsequently, Kratos finds himself imprisoned and must navigate a path to freedom, severing the bond between him and Ares
The game retains the familiar hack-and-slash combat system of its predecessors, featuring Kratos wielding the Blades of Chaos However, a new addition, the World Weapon system, allows Kratos to wield various weapons Additionally, Kratos can now acquire up to four magical disciplines—Fires of Ares, Ice of Poseidon, Lightning of Zeus, and Soul of Hades—each bestowing unique abilities and imbuing his weapon with magic For instance, the Ice of Poseidon enables underwater breathing Rage, a recurring feature, undergoes modifications; it accumulates through attacks, and when the bar is full, it automatically unleashes until the player ceases attacking or sustains damage Three new relics provide Kratos with the ability to manipulate time, create a "shadow" self, and dispel illusions crafted by his guardians
Notably, God of War: Ascension introduces online multiplayer to the series Players, before engaging in multiplayer battles, align with one of four gods—Ares, Hades, Zeus, or Poseidon—each offering a distinct set of abilities As players accumulate experience and level up their warriors, they unlock magical abilities, armour, weapons, relics, and other treasures The game features four distinct multiplayer modes: Team Favor of the Gods, Match of Champions, Trial of the Gods, and Capture the Flag
In a war between the astronomically large deities known as the Primordials, the madness and rage of the war took form, becoming the three guardians of honor, the Furies, who were tasked with exacting retribution onto any oath-breaker or betrayer. The first victim of the Furies was the Hecatonchires, Aegaeon, who had broken a blood oath to Zeus himself. The Furies set about their task, and, believing death to be too kind for one who had broken an oath to a God, transformed Aegaeon's humongous body into a stone prison for all who would dare follow his example in the future.
