God of War: Sons of Sparta Gets PS4 Version and New Content Next Monday

About nine months after its surprise announcement and launch during a State of Play, God of War Sons of Sparta is heading to PlayStation 4. The pixel-art prequel is also receiving two new modes in a free update.

Developed by Sony Santa Monica and Mega Cat Studios, the spin-off follows Kratos as a 13-year-old soldier, long before his battles with the gods. It combines 2D combat with a Metroidvania-style map and a fully voiced cast. Scott Menville, known for voicing Robin in Teen Titans, plays Kratos’ brother Deimos. The cast also includes Jack Quaid, who will voice a different character in next year’s God of War Laufey, and original trilogy actor TC Carson, returning as the voice of adult Kratos.

God of War Sons of Sparta Comes to PS4

As announced on the PlayStation Blog, the game is coming to Sony’s previous-generation console, nearly 13 years after the PS4 launched. Its 2D pixel-art presentation is less technically demanding than that of other God of War games, making the move to older hardware possible.

Hermes Mode and Erebus Mode

PS5 owners are also getting two new ways to play. Hermes Mode is designed for speedruns, with a split timer in the upper-right corner of the screen to help players track their progress.

Erebus Mode offers a more punishing challenge: Kratos and every enemy die in a single hit. Players must complete the game once to unlock it. Hermes Mode, however, can be accessed on a fresh save by entering the following code at the start menu:

Up, Up, Down, Down, Left, Right, Left, Right, L1, R1, Touchpad

The PS4 version and free update arrive Monday, November 16, at midnight local time. For more on the game, read the God of War Sons of Sparta review. Meanwhile, God of War Laufey has been delayed until May.