'Chains of Olympus" is "God of War" writ small. Amazingly, it loses almost nothing in the translation.
It looks like a "God of War" game. Sounds like one. And most important, it plays like one.
This means players shouldn't expect innovation -- in fact, because the game takes place before the first in the series, antihero Kratos has fewer powers than he will gain later in the game's timeline. But where the originality is lacking, the incredible graphics and brutal action fill the void.
Need we even mention that the game is rated Mature? Well, we mention it anyway. The violence and a bit of sexual content make this one inappropriate for kids.
The game's story takes place when Kratos was still an errand boy for the gods and was plagued by horrible nightmares about his bloody past. It's a suitably epic quest for our angry protagonist, who is bound to do the bidding of the gods, but not to like it -- he mouths off frequently to his divine bosses.
After helping beat back an invasion by Persians (including a fight with a monstrous basilisk), Kratos witnesses the sun fall to the Earth, and darkness cover the sky. Helios, the sun god, is missing, and Kratos must search Greece and Hades itself to find him before Morpheus, the god of dreams, can irrevocably tighten his grip on this midnight world.
Kratos is armed as usual with a pair of blades chained to his forearms, which he can use as short swords and deadly whips. Collecting red orbs from fallen enemies and broken objects allows him to upgrade his weapons, adding new attacks and abilities with each level.
The blades aren't the only implements to be improved in this manner. Kratos gains several kinds of magic and pieces of equipment, including a fiery djinn, a magical shield that can block and reflect attacks, and a giant gauntlet that lets him punch his opponents into the next age. All these items and more can be upgraded like his blades -- but it's up to the player to decide which weapons have priority.