God of War (2005 video game)

God of War is an action-adventure developed by SCE Santa Monica Studio and published by Sony Computer Entertainment for the PlayStation 2. The game was published by Capcom for Japanese audiences. The game was released in March 22, 2005 (North America), June 21, 2005 (Europe and Australia), November 17, 2005 (Japan).

The game is loosely based upon Greek mythology. The game chronologically is the third chapter in the God of War series. The game focuses upon series' protagonist Kratos, who is a servant of the Olympian Gods, who must stop Ares from destroying Athens with Pandora's Box.

Plot
Kratos is a warrior in the service of the Greek gods of Mount Olympus. It is revealed (via a series of flashbacks) that Kratos was once a captain in the Spartan army. A fierce warrior, Kratos led his army to several victories, until finally overmatched by an invading horde of barbarians. Outnumbered and on the verge of being killed by the Barbarian King, Kratos called to the God of War, Ares. Kratos promised to serve Ares servitude if the god would spare the Spartans and provide the power to destroy their enemies.

Ares hears Kratos' prayer, and bonds the "Blades of Chaos" (a pair of chain blades and forged in the depths of Tartarus) to his new servant. Kratos then returns to the confrontation with the Barbarian King and decapitates his foe. A victorious Kratos then wages war against all of Greece, and eventually leads an attack on a village occupied by worshippers of Athena. Ares tricks Kratos by placing his wife and child in the village, whom Kratos accidentally kills. Although Ares intends for this act to make Kratos the perfect warrior, Kratos renounces his servitude to Ares. The oracle of the now destroyed village curses Kratos, and the ashes of his family adhere to his skin, turning it ash-white. Now the "Ghost of Sparta", Kratos is plagued by nightmares of his horrible deed and commits to ten years of servitude to the other gods of Olympus. Eventually tired of his servitude, Kratos summons Athena, who states that if Kratos performs one final deed—the murder of Ares—he will be forgiven for the murder of his family. Athena assigns Kratos to destroy Ares because Zeus has forbidden divine intervention.

After killing the Hydra on behalf of the god Poseidon, Kratos is guided by the goddess Athena to the city of Athens, which is under siege by Ares' minions. Kratos battles his way to Athens' oracle, but not before also having a strange encounter with a grave digger, who encourages Kratos to continue with his task. Finding the oracle, Kratos learns the only way to defeat Ares is to locate and use Pandora's Box, a legendary artifact which can give a mortal the power to kill a god.

Entering the Desert of Lost Souls, Kratos is advised by Athena that Pandora's Box is hidden within a temple chained to the back of the Titan Cronos - a punishment inflicted by Zeus for Kronos' role in the Great War. Kratos summons the Titan and climbs for three days before reaching the Temple entrance. Overcoming an array of deadly traps and an army of monsters, Kratos eventually finds Pandora's Box. Although successful, on leaving the Temple with the Box Kratos is murdered by Ares, who is aware that his former servant has succeeded. As a group of harpies take the Box to Ares, Kratos falls into the Underworld. Kratos, however, battles his way through the underworld, and with the aid of the mysterious grave digger, who states that Athena is not the only god watching over him, escapes and returns to Athens.

Recovering Pandora's Box from Ares, Kratos opens it and uses the power to become god-like. Despite Ares' best efforts to destroy Kratos both physically and mentally (including being stripped of the Blades of Chaos and all magic) Kratos survives and kills his foe with the Blade of the Gods. Athens is saved, and although Athena states that Kratos' sins are forgiven, the gods cannot rid him of his nightmares. Kratos then attempts to commit suicide by casting himself into the Aegean Sea, but Athena intervenes and brings him to Mount Olympus. As a reward for his services to the gods, Athena provides Kratos with a new set of blades and Kratos becomes the new God of War.