God of War III

About God of War III

God of War III dropped on PlayStation 3 in March 2010 as the final chapter for Kratos at SCE Santa Monica Studio. This hack and slash adventure sees the Spartan warrior climb Mount Olympus and dive into Hell to kill every god who wronged him. The game uses a fresh engine to deliver visuals that quadrupled in texture resolution over the previous PS2 entry. You control a one-man army wielding chained blades and new magical weapons while battling colossal Titans and ancient deities. The narrative picks up immediately after Kratos unleashed his fury on Zeus, resulting in a world flooded by Poseidon's death. It is a brutal, linear action game built entirely for single-player sessions on the original PlayStation 3 hardware.

Gameplay

You move forward through levels while mashing buttons to slash enemies or trigger quick-time events during boss fights. The combat feels heavy and impactful as you chain attacks together before finishing off weakened foes with cinematic execution moves. Large scale battles let you fight alongside Titans against entire armies of Greek soldiers. Between the slaughter, you solve environmental puzzles that often involve dragging massive statues or climbing giant structures. The new weapon system lets you swap between different tools to handle specific enemy types or reach high platforms. Controls are straightforward but demand precision during the chaotic boss encounters against gods like Poseidon and Helios. Sessions focus on clearing out hordes of enemies before progressing through increasingly vertical and destructive environments.

What Players Think

PlayPile data shows this title holds a 92 Metacritic score and a 91.1 IGDB rating from 782 users. Our community tags the game as Story-Driven, Emotional, Hardcore, and Atmospheric based on recent activity logs. Players consistently note the intense narrative weight of Kratos final quest against his father. The emotional tone stands out even among other violent entries in the genre. Average playtime remains high given the lengthy campaign and multiple boss fights per chapter. User reviews frequently mention the sheer scale of the battles compared to earlier installments. The hardcore difficulty rating reflects the punishing nature of these encounters where one mistake can end a run quickly.

PlayPile's Take

Buy this if you want a definitive conclusion to Kratos saga with high production values that still hold up today. The price on the secondary market is reasonable for a complete experience without needing newer hardware. There are no achievement systems to worry about since the original PS3 release lacked them entirely. This is not for players who dislike linear storytelling or frequent quick-time events. The game delivers a relentless pace from start to finish. You will spend your time watching cutscenes and fighting giant gods rather than exploring open worlds. It ends on a high note that feels earned after two previous games.

Storyline

Following the ending of God of War II, God of War III picks up directly after this with a stirring opening narration from Zeus discussing the actions of the rogue Kratos, who is 'commanding' a small army of Titans rescued from the Great War (using the power of the Fates). The Olympians immediately rush to battle; Helios rides on his chariot over Olympus, Hermes speeds down the very peaks of Olympus as Zeus watches on, Hercules receives the order to lead his troops down into the fray, Hades lunges off and engages several Titans in his giant form, and Poseidon (using his aquakinesis) shoots down from Olympus like a missile and performs a death blow through the chest of Epimetheus, and then manifests himself as a massive water being and spawns several water horses called Hippocampi to aid in the battle. With Poseidon as their greatest threat in the battle, having already decimated numerous Titans and soon going after Gaia herself, Kratos engages the God of the Sea and after drawing him into Gaia's grasp manages to knock a weakened Poseidon out of his godly form and onto a separate platform. The two quarrel with each other briefly before Kratos walks up and beats the Lord of the Sea savagely, finally gouging out his eyes and snapping his neck before he tosses him into the ocean. With Poseidon's death, the seas cataclysm and ocean levels rise significantly, causing a flood that appears to engulf the entire world and destroying almost all of mankind save those on top of Olympia.