What this game is
A 2D pixel-art Metroidvania, the tenth God of War and the earliest story in it: Kratos at thirteen, at the Agoge with his eleven-year-old brother Deimos, searching Laconia for a missing comrade, narrated by his adult self to his daughter Calliope. PS5 12 February 2026, PS4 16 November 2026, $29.99, digital only, mixed reception — Metacritic 64, OpenCritic 29%, IGN 6/10.
Why this is being written today
16 November 2026 is the day the game changes: a free patch, on both consoles, adds two modes that did not exist when every review was written.
| Mode | What it is | How you unlock it |
|---|---|---|
| Hermes Mode | Speedrun mode: split-based timer, persistent scoreboard | Beat the game once, or type the start-menu code |
| Erebus Mode | One-hit mode: you and your enemies both die in a single hit | Play through the game once |
The Hermes unlock string is Up, Up, Down, Down, Left, Right, Left, Right, L1, R1, Touchpad in the start menu — published by Santa Monica Studio, a sanctioned cheat code, not a leak.
One rule governs both: the mode is chosen when you start a new game and pick a save slot, then locked to that file. No New Game Plus softens a wrong choice.
Before you press start: four things that cannot be undone
Everything else is forgiving — 0 missable trophies, free-roam after the credits, 4/10 difficulty blocking nothing. These four are the exceptions, and all happen early.
- The mode is permanent for that file — Hermes, Erebus or standard, locked at save-slot creation.
- One save slot, manual saves at campfires only. Quit without one and you lose everything since the last save.
- No Blades of Chaos. Kratos fights with spear (Dory) and shield (Aspis), each with independent attachment paths.
- 7500 red orbs buys a detector, not a weapon. The Jewel of Ziteo Gouri, in The Gallery, pings every nearby secret — and orbs also pay for all three trees.
Where the collectibles are
594 across 21 regions, unevenly: four regions hold 213 — The Gallery (104), Eurotas River (37), Laconian Woods (37), Sparta (35) — and the rest run 31 down to 10. Nothing is missable; nothing needs a second playthrough. Full table and sweep order on the collectibles page.
How the game actually works
| System | What it does |
|---|---|
| Dory + Aspis | Spear and shield, each taking attachments with their own upgrade path |
| Belt of Tyche | A third attachment layer: gouri charms on one armour piece |
| Three skill trees | Offensive, defensive, movement — all paid in red orbs |
| Gifts of Olympus | Divine artefacts: ranged, melee-combo, and traversal tools |
| Platinum | 36 trophies, 4/10, 20+ hours, 0 missable, 0 glitched (patch 1.005.000) |
Traversal upgrades are not a luxury here: movement gifts are what open a Metroidvania map, and that is why the collectible hunt waits until after the credits.
What the reviews said
Consistently one thing: the Metroidvania layer is shallow. Game Informer called every element present at a base level or lower, IGN said it misses the genre's standard, and both credited the story. Fourteen outlets scored 6/10 to 8/10, no outlier either end.
Straight answers
Need the other games first? No — earliest story in the timeline.
PC, Xbox, Switch? No: PlayStation exclusive, digital only.
Physical edition? No. Standard and Digital Deluxe, download-only.
A redeem code? No. There is no code-redemption system; the only legitimate input is the Hermes start-menu string, which unlocks a mode.
Change difficulty? It blocks no trophies. The mode is not difficulty, and it locks when the file is created.
How long? ~15 hours of story, 20+ to platinum.
Is it good? Good at the story, thin at the Metroidvania — which one you are buying decides whether $29.99 is worth it.
Read first? Hermes and Erebus if the patch is why you are here; worth $29.99 if you are deciding; the roadmap then collectibles for the platinum.
