God of War Original Trilogy Remakes Are Coming, and a New 2D Platformer Is Out Today

Sony’s State of Play on Thursday had some surprises, including the remaster of Metal Gear Solid 4. Finishing up the show were two announcements for the God of War franchise that no one saw coming. 

The first reveal was done by TC Carson, the voice actor for Kratos in the original God of War games released on the PS2 and PS3. Carson announced that the first three God of War games will be remade. The God of War Greek trilogy remakes are still in early development by Santa Monica Studio, and more details about the games will come in the future, so it’s safe to say fans still have plenty of time to wait before they’re released. 

Following the news of the trilogy remake, the final surprise was the release of a new God of War game, albeit in a game format that’s new to the series. God of War: Sons of Sparta is a 2D action platformer that tells the story of Kratos’ youth as he trains to be a Spartan warrior with his brother Deimos. Developed by Mega Cat Studios (makers of the side-scrolling Five Nights at Freddy’s: Into The Pit) with a story written by Santa Monica Studio, young Kratos will have to learn to use his spear, shield and divine artifacts to defeat his enemies.

Since Kratos doesn’t have his traditional Blades of Chaos or Leviathan Axe in this new game, he’ll rely on a classic Spartan spear that can still do plenty of damage and be customized. Changing out the spear tip will add extra offensive stats or status effects to the weapon, such as poison or burn, while spear grips add a finishing move to his combos. The spear tails add a new special attack that Kratos can unleash. 

With his shield, Kratos can deflect or parry attacks from enemies. His shield can also be upgraded to make parrying easier to reduce the damage Kratos receives when evading. The Gifts of Olympus are divine artifacts Kratos can equip that can unleash punishing projectiles or their own melee combo. Kratos can also equip accessories called Gouri to improve his offense, defense or even help find secret treasure. 

God of War: Sons of Sparta was made available in the PlayStation Store following the reveal on Thursday. The standard edition costs $30 while the deluxe edition costs $40 and includes multiple in-game items, a PlayStation Network avatar, a digital artbook and soundtrack. 

These announcements, along with the news of a God of War TV series coming to Amazon, are all part of the celebration for the God of War 20th anniversary.