God of War

God of War is an action-adventure hack-and-slash video game developed by Santa Monica Studio and published by Sony Computer Entertainment (SCE). The game was originally released for the PlayStation 2 and is the first installment in the God of War series and the third in chronological order. It is loosely inspired by Greek mythology and is set in Ancient Greece. The player takes on the role of Kratos, the protagonist, a Spartan warrior devoted to the Olympian gods. On behalf of the goddess Athena, Kratos is tasked with eliminating Ares, the god of war and Kratos' former mentor. Ares had cunningly tricked Kratos into killing his wife and daughter. When Ares attacks Athens, driven by his hatred of Athena, Kratos sets out in search of Pandora's Box, the only object that can permanently stop the vengeful god.

Story

Kratos is a warrior who serves the Greek gods of Olympus. In flashbacks, we learn that he was once a successful captain in the Spartan army and led his men to several victories before he was defeated by a barbarian king. In the face of death, Kratos called upon Ares, the god of war, whom he promised to serve if the god would spare his men and give them the power to destroy their enemies. Ares agreed and gave his new servant the Blades of Chaos, a pair of chained blades forged in the depths of Tartarus. Kratos, equipped with the blades, beheaded the barbarian king[23]. Kratos waged war at the behest of Ares and eventually led an attack on a village inhabited by worshippers of Athena. Ares had secretly brought Kratos' wife and child to the village; in his frenzied attack on the temple, Kratos accidentally killed them. Although Ares believed that this act would free Kratos to become the perfect warrior, the Spartan instead renounced his promise to serve the god. The oracle of the destroyed village cursed Kratos by binding the ashes of his dead family to his skin, turning it ashen white and earning him the nickname 'Ghost of Sparta'. Plagued by nightmares about his terrible deed, Kratos swore to serve the other gods in the hope of ridding himself of the visions.