God of War: Betrayal | |
---|---|
Developer(s) | Javaground |
Publisher(s) | Sony Pictures Digital |
Director(s) | Philip Cohen |
Producer(s) | Philip Cohen |
Designer(s) | Philip Cohen |
Writer(s) | Marianne Krawczyk |
Series | God of War |
Platform(s) | Java ME |
Release | [1] |
Genre(s) | Hack and slash, action adventure |
Mode(s) | Single player |
God of War: Betrayal is a 2D side-scrolling action-adventure mobile game developed by Javaground and published by Sony Pictures Digital. Released for the Java Platform, Micro Edition on June 20, 2007, the game is the third installment in the God of War series. God of War: Betrayal is the only game in the series to be released on a non-Sony platform and the only game in the series to be presented as a 2D side-scrolling game.
Loosely based on Greek mythology, the game is set in Ancient Greece with the player controlling the protagonist Kratos, now the God of War. Kratos is framed for the murder of Argos, the pet of the goddess Hera. He pursues the true assassin across Greece until confronting Olympian messenger Ceryx, the son of the god Hermes. God of War: Betrayal is chronologically the fifth chapter in the series, and forms part of a saga, with vengeance as a central theme.
Although released for a mobile platform, God of War: Betrayal has been critically acclaimed for its fidelity to the series in terms of gameplay, art style and graphics: praised as "the real deal third game in the killer franchise."
Gameplay
Although presented in two-dimensional side-scrolling format, the game retains the action-oriented gameplay of previous games in the series, with the same combination of combat, platforming, and puzzle game elements. The protagonist Kratos utilizes several of the weapons and magic acquired in the original God of War, being the Blades of Athena, Medusa's Gaze, Army of Hades, and the Blade of Artemis, respectively.[2] As with other installments, the player finds chests containing orbs during the game. Chests are colored green, blue, and red respectively: green orbs replenishing health, blue magic, and red providing experience for upgrading weapons and magic (e.g. new and more powerful attacks). Gorgon Eyes and Phoenix Feathers, which increase the maximum amount of Health and Magic, respectively, also return in plain, uncolored chests.[3] The game has a play-through length of approximately two to four hours.[4] In addition to main gameplay, Betrayal includes a bonus Arena Mode where players must kill a certain number of enemies without dying before gaining access to the upper levels of the Arena.[5]
Plot
Setting and characters
God of War: Betrayal is set in an alternate version of Ancient Greece populated by the gods, monsters (e.g. Minotaurs) and other beings prevalent in Greek mythology. The principal character is Kratos, a former Captain of Sparta's Army and now the God of War after slaying Ares. Other characters appear in a minor, supporting capacity, including the giant Argos, pet of the goddess Hera and sent to stop Kratos' rampage across Greece; an Unknown Assassin, who is trying to turn the Olympian Gods against Kratos; and Ceryx, main antagonist and son of Hermes, who is sent by Zeus, the King of the Gods, with a message to advise Kratos to stop his pursuit of the assassin.
Story
Kratos leads his Spartan army in a rampage across Greece. During the campaign, Kratos is attacked by a number of beasts led by the giant, Argos, the pet of the goddess Hera, who was sent by the gods to stop Kratos' rampage. After a series of skirmishes, however, Argos is killed by an unknown assassin in an attempt to turn the gods against Kratos. The Spartan pursues his foe across Greece to discover the identity of the assassin's master, but is slowed by constant attacks from the minions of the god Hades. Ceryx, the son of Hermes, is eventually sent by Zeus, the King of the Gods, to deliver a message to Kratos: stop the relentless pursuit and take heed of the destruction already caused. Kratos, however, battles and kills Ceryx, and as a result, the assassin escapes. Kratos then realizes his actions have only further alienated the gods and Zeus will soon take action for his defiance.
Development
God of War: Betrayal was announced by Sony Online Entertainment at a press conference in Los Angeles in May 2007. The game utilizes a total of 110 different animations and features an authentic 2D rendition of the series' graphics.[4] In August 2007, Phil Cohen, Producer, Designer, and Game Director for Betrayal, spoke of the difficulties in developing a God of War game for a cell phone. Cohen claimed that although enjoyable, the greatest challenge was creating a single tileset and palette swapping scheme that was diverse enough to portray multiple environments with only several hundred kilobytes and met SCE Santa Monica Studio's high standards.[6] Cohen wrote the initial design document between September and October 2005, and was revisited in August 2006, the same month development started. The versions for high-end handsets were completed in April 2007, with final versions for low-end handset completed by June 2007. The porting team transferred the game to over 200 handsets in a matter of weeks.[6]
Cohen stated one of the challenges was capturing the feel of God of War's visual look and gameplay design as there was very limited processing power and memory on most handsets – making devising puzzles, traps, environment interaction, and enemy behavior very difficult. Cohen noted that both David Jaffe and Cory Barlog (directors of God of War and God of War II respectively) ensured the Betrayal development team captured the feel of the combat and visual style and were "helpful with feedback and positive support". The team also worked closely with Eric Williams, the console game's Lead Combat Designer. In keeping the "look and feel" true to the God of War franchise, Cohen stated the development team played God of War extensively, studying the pacing and tricks that were placed into the console game.[6] The only audio components present are an orchestral score in the main menu and background sounds (e.g. clashing weapons and enemies being attacked).[7] The development team also worked closely with Marianne Krawczyk, the writer of the God of War console games, allowing the inclusion of more additional backstory. Krawczyk used Betrayal to bridge the events between God of War and God of War II, and explain why the relationship between the Gods and Kratos had changed.[6]
Reception
Aggregator | Score |
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GameRankings | 75.00%[8] |
Publication | Score |
---|---|
GamesRadar+ | [9] |
IGN | 9.0/10[2] |
Modojo | [10] |
The Escapist | 8/10[7] |
Blogcritics | [11] |
God of War: Betrayal received mixed-to-positive reception, although it has been critically acclaimed for its fidelity to the series in terms of gameplay, art style and graphics. It currently holds an average score of 75% at GameRankings.[8] IGN's Levi Buchanan praised it for being "the real deal third game in the killer franchise", though noted that the "contextual attacks [...] can prove frustratingly tricky as you have a brief amount of time to input the commands, but the controls on most handsets are quite small".[2] Justin Davis of Modojo described the enemies in the game as "punching (or slicing, as it were) bags for Kratos" and said that the combat system is "a little shallow".[10] GamesRadar stated that "fans will be thankful for is the triumphant return of the contextual attacks" and that the game is "quite possibly the goriest thing your mobile's ever seen." The review did state, however, that the "only real problem with this mobile game are in the control limitations" as the "cursor button is sensitive and often results in the occasional failed combo. And the jump button sends you forward in the direction you're facing automatically."[9]
A review from The Escapist stated that "the plot isn’t progressive, but it suits its purpose for a mobile game" and also stated that the "platforming is great."[7] Blogcritics stated that the game is "one of the best mobile games you’ll ever play, and has truly made the format a relevant part of the current video game scene" but also noted the game "does not save your position in the event of a phone call" which "can lead to unbearable frustration." Regardless of the criticism, the reviewer stated that "Betrayal is a full-fledged extension of the God of War franchise, and it earns its title."[11]
See also
References
- ^ "God of War: Betrayal – Wireless". IGN. News Corporation. Retrieved 2012-07-05.
- ^ a b c Buchanan, Levi (June 27, 2007). "God of War: Betrayal Review". IGN. News Corporation. Retrieved 2010-01-16.
- ^ Javaground (June 20, 2007). God of War: Betrayal (Java Platform, Micro Edition). Sony Pictures Digital.
HELP Menu: Phoenix Feathers – Phoenix Feathers are hidden in unmarked Chests. Find a Phoenix Feather to permanently increase the size of the Magic Meter. / Gorgon Eyes – Gorgon Eyes are hidden in unmarked Chests. Find a Gorgon Eye to permanently increase the size of the Health Meter.
- ^ a b Adams, Dan (May 10, 2007). "God of War Mobile Preview". IGN. News Corporation. Retrieved 2010-01-16.
- ^ Javaground (June 20, 2007). God of War: Betrayal (Java Platform, Micro Edition). Sony Pictures Digital.
HELP Menu: Arena Mode
- ^ a b c d Yoon, Andrew (August 29, 2007). "Phil Cohen talks up God of War: Betrayal". Joystiq. AOL. Retrieved 2012-05-04.
- ^ a b c TWiSTEDmerc (December 7, 2011). "Review: God of War: Betrayal (2007)". The Escapist. Themis Group. Retrieved 2012-08-01.
- ^ a b "God of War: Betrayal (Mobile)". GameRankings. CBS Interactive. Retrieved 2012-01-12.
- ^ a b Antista, Chris (August 24, 2007). "God of War Betrayal [mobile]". GamesRadar. Future plc. Retrieved 2012-08-01.
- ^ a b Davis, Justin (June 27, 2007). "God of War: Betrayal (Mobile) Review". Modojo. Retrieved 2012-01-12.
- ^ a b Paprocki, Matt (June 28, 2007). "Mobile Game Review: God of War: Betrayal". Blogcritics. Technorati, Inc. Retrieved 2012-08-01.