Fans argue that PlayStation should focus on more titles like God of War: Sons of Sparta rather than high-budget AAA games with excessive detail.

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God of War: Sons of Sparta has faced criticism from some who were disappointed that the big reveal during PlayStation’s February State of Play was a 2D Metroidvania. However, many fans argue that we should be supporting diverse releases like this instead of tearing them down.

As of now, Sons of Sparta has a modest score of 73 on Metacritic, with a limited number of critic reviews logged. While not terrible, a segment of players has been vocal about their dissatisfaction online. Some have criticized the visuals, labeling them as “ugly,” while others express fatigue with the genre, stating, “We have plenty of generic indie side scrollers, please make it stop.”

On the flip side, some believe that the game deserves more appreciation, as it offers a refreshing change from the plethora of third-person action adventures that dominate PlayStation’s recent first-party lineup, including the God of War reboot series.

“Do you know how often we see complaints that PlayStation ONLY makes cinematic third-person action games? We get something a bit different, and now we have this,” one fan tweeted, poking fun at the backlash.

“‘Give us something new.’ They give us something new. ‘This sucks, give us what we want.’ They give us what we want. ‘This sucks, AAA just recycles games. You have no innovation. Indie is better,'” another fan pointed out, highlighting the common grievances often directed at the PS5’s game library.

“I hate that the appreciation for games seems to have vanished,” remarked another player, criticizing those who “just want to see ultra-realistic graphics.” They added, “Games are ultimately about gameplay and/or story. Some of the best games in history are side-scrollers.”

>complains that PlayStation only makes cinematic games >complains that their games don’t have unique art styles >complains that games are too expensive >also complains when they make a $30 gameplay-heavy spinoff with a unique art style ????‍♂️

Others have noted the ongoing concerns about the state of AAA development and its unsustainable budgets, yet many aren’t embracing a title like this with its $30 price tag.

“It’s kinda sad this game is getting mocked because PlayStation would benefit greatly from more projects like this. Smaller-scale games with conservative budgets are what many companies need right now instead of $300 million for minute details,” one commenter stated.

“Honestly, Sony should be producing more of these smaller titles between their big-budget AAA releases to keep fans engaged with something fresh and to help offset the costs of those AAA games. Nintendo shouldn’t be the only one doing this,” another added.

It’s still early days for God of War: Sons of Sparta, so it remains to be seen how well it will perform and whether it will encourage Sony to take more creative risks in the future. For now, most of the excitement around God of War seems to be focused on the newly announced Greek trilogy remake, even if that’s likely still a ways off.