Kratos is giving the PS4 another outing, and he’s bringing a couple of extra reasons to swear at the telly. God of War Sons of Sparta arrives on Sony’s older console on 16 November, alongside a patch introducing two new modes for both PS4 and PS5.
Santa Monica Studio confirms a midnight local-time release, which puts the UK launch at the start of Monday 16 November. The announcement comes as an update to the game’s original PlayStation Blog article, rather than a brand-new reveal of the adventure itself.
Hermes Mode is the speedrunning option, adding a timer that tracks individual sections and a scoreboard that keeps your results. It becomes accessible after completing the game for the first time, giving returning players a reason to see how efficiently they can get through Kratos’ younger years.
Erebus Mode goes for a rather less forgiving approach: one hit kills you, and one hit kills your enemies. That sounds like a wonderfully efficient arrangement right up until you remember you’re also on the receiving end. Modes are chosen when starting a new game and selecting a save slot, and the chosen mode cannot subsequently be changed for that save.
Sons of Sparta was developed by Mega Cat Studios with Santa Monica Studio, translating the series into a retro-inspired 2D action platformer. Its story follows a young Kratos and his brother Deimos during their Spartan training, giving the new PS4 audience a different period of his life to explore.
The PS4 date and new modes were highlighted by VGC and are confirmed in Santa Monica Studio’s updated announcement. Existing PS5 players can look forward to the same modes without treating the PS4 release as a separate content exclusive.