Gameplay
The gameplay of Chains of Olympus is similar to its predecessors; it is a third-person action adventure game that focuses on gruesome and violent enemy death scenes and protracted boss fights. Also familiar to the series are box-based puzzles and the quick time events (QTE) that the player can execute to display a close up kill of the enemy. There are fewer tightrope walking sequences in the game that was prominent in previous games of the series.
Kratos still collects red orbs to power up his weapons and abilities. He also collects Gorgon eyeballs to increase his health and Phoenix feathers to increase his magic. The game's controls remain mostly unchanged but because of the PSP's reduced amount of buttons the game uses both shoulder buttons and the analog stick in order to dodge.
God of War's weapons are consistent with its Greek folklore setting. Mystical weapons that were created by the Gods and given to Kratos. Kratos starts out the game with the Blades of Chaos, the weapon that was given to Kratos by Ares when Kratos agreed to serve him. Towards the end of the game Kratos also picks up the Gauntlet of Zeus, a magical gauntlet that allows Kratos to unleash devastating punches on his opponents. There is also a Sun Shield that Kratos picks that allows him to block most attacks, parry an attack that stun the opponent and also deflect projectiles back at enemies. Kratos also acquires magical spells throughout the game that helps him deal with the amount of enemies he faces. This includes the Efreet spell, which knocks out all nearby enemies, the Light of Dawn, which allows you to throw balls of light, and Charon's Wrath, which can inflict damage on several enemies.
Story
Set ten years before the original God of War game Chains of Olympus begins with the Gods sending Kratos to the city of Attica to help defend the city from the invading Persian army. Spotting a basilisk climbing over the city walls, Kratos gives chase through the city. While chasing the basilisk, Kratos confronts the Persian King inside the city and kills him. After defeating the basilisk he spots an object in the sky crashing towards Earth. Kratos fights through the city of Marathon and encounters a deadly fog that Morpheus has sent into the city.
Eventually Kratos makes his way to the crash site and discovers the Sun Chariot and Temple of Helios. He encounters a statue of Athena who tells him that Helios has disappeared and Morpheus has used his absence to cause the Gods to fall "into a deep slumber." Athena wants Kratos to retrieve Helios so he can release Morpheus' grasp on the other Gods. Kratos fights his way throught the Temple of Helios and down to the caves of Olympus, meeting up with Eos who tells Kratos that she will guarantee his release if he will help her save Helios from the Titan Atlas; Kratos does not believe her (having been lied to by the Gods before) however he reluctantly agrees to help save Helios.
After restoring the fire steeds back to life, the horses lead Kratos into the underworld. He faces Charon on his boat in the river Styx. They fight before Charon knocks Kratos unconscious and throws him into Tartarus. After confirming that Atlas is missing from the underworld, Kratos eventually climbs out of Tartarus and defeats Charon. He takes the boat and follows the sunlight of Helios down the river Styx eventually coming upon the Temple of Persephone. He sees his daughter Calliope on the shorelines of the temple and gives chase only to lose track of Calliope. Instead he meets Persephone, Queen of the Underworld.
Persephone tells Kratos that Calliope is in the fields of Elysium and that the only way to see her again is for Kratos to "release" all of his evils and become mortal, giving up his powers given to him by the Gods. After transferring his power into a tree, Persephone reveals to Kratos her true plans.
Bitter at being betrayed by Zeus and being tricked by Hades, Persephone was the one who had freed Atlas. While Kratos was disarming himself Atlas was slowly carrying out her plan to destroy the pillar that held the world and Olympus atop of the underworld. Persephone plans to kill everyone, including herself, to free her from her situation. Kratos realizes now that if he stays with his daughter it would mean the end of the world for everyone including Calliope and himself. He eventually sacrifice s seeing his daughter again in order to regain his power.
Kratos has a final battle against Persephone atop the pillar. After chaining Atlas to the pillar, Kratos is able to defeat Persephone and prevent her plans from coming to fruition. He returns Helios to the sky but weak from battle, falls from the sky and crashes on a bluff overlooking the Aegean Sea. Two gods talk over Krato's unconscious body before taking the Gauntlet of Zeus and Sun Shield from him.
