The recent release of God of War Ragnarök has reignited interest in Kratos’ story. In God of War III, which is officially the fifth installment in the long-running series, Kratos embarks on a vengeance-fueled adventure where he seeks to kill his father Zeus.
God of War III received critical acclaim upon release due to its epic battles, exploration aspect, and varied gameplay. However, it’s not a flawless adventure game. Players who decide to revisit the game will uncover a handful of harsh realities that might dampen their gaming experience.
10 The Puzzles Were Too Easy
The combat of God of War III is unmatched. However, there have been gamers who found the game’s puzzles to be too easy. This is especially true for those who are familiar with the franchise, as the puzzles found in the game were also found in its predecessors.
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In addition, the puzzles also had clear indicators in the form of highlighted objects and glowing runes. This makes it easier for gamers to figure out what they need to do. Some of the examples in the puzzles that were considered easy by gamers include aligning symbols using rotating gears and using objects to trigger pressure plates.
9 God Of War III Feels Monotonous
While the whole God of War franchise is praised as being a sprawling epic, God of War III can sometimes feel monotonous to players. A big reason for the monotony of the game is its combat system which can quickly get old as it relies on button mashing and quick time events.
The game also limits the player's exploration opportunity, which stems from its linear narrative. Many of the boss fights in the game share similar mechanics, which can make the game feel repetitive and boring.
8 The Boss Fights Are Not Good
The GoW franchise has a diverse selection of bosses with difficulties ranging from extremely difficult to easy. In the fifth installment in the series, players felt that the boss fights didn’t live up to their expectations.
The boss fight involving Poseidon was criticized for its repetitive nature and some felt that Poseidon should have been placed at the end of the game due to his history and nature. Hercules is another boss fight that wasn’t satisfying due to his simple mechanics that players can easily dodge and counter. However, many agree that the boss fights were visually stunning and added to the game’s epic sales.
7 The Story is Incoherent
The narrative in a game should be coherent in order for gamers to be fully immersed in its lore. God of War III was one game that had an incoherent and discombobulated storyline, which resulted in unsatisfied gamers.
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The incoherence in God of War III’s narrative is due in large to its overcomplicated plots that involved many gods, subplots, and other characters. It’s hard to keep up with the game’s story, plus some found the game’s story to be poorly paced. Thankfully, the developers recognized the lack of clarity in the game and made sure succeeding releases had solid narratives.
6 The Collectibles Are Not Memorable
In the world of gaming, collectibles like Spirits and Action Figures make finishing a title all the more fun. Sadly, God of War III’s collectibles that included Phoenix feathers, Minotaur horns, and Gorgon eyes were not as memorable compared to other collectibles.
This is because the collectibles in the game didn’t really serve the story or warped the mechanics of the game. What’s more, it’s tiresome to gain all the collectibles as they were often found in similar locations. While they add some replay value to the game, getting all the collectibles in God of War III is just not worth it.
5 The Side Quests Lack Substance
In games with heavy linear storylines, side quests provide some unserious respite for gamers and bring variety to the monotonous gameplay. And as seen in God of War Ragnarök, side quests can also bring fruitful rewards. God of War III might have quite a number of side quests, but these haven’t been well-received by players due to their lack of narrative and gameplay substance.
For example, the side quest titled The Labyrinth was found by gamers to be mundane and tedious as all they had to do was navigate through identical-looking rooms. The side quest The Steeds of Time, on the other hand, was too challenging and didn’t add to the game’s main narrative. Good side quests are ones that engage gamers while deepening the game’s lore or narrative.
4 God Of War III Doesn’t Have Intuitive Controls
The gameplay and controls between the most recent entry in the God of War franchise and God of War III are worlds apart. In God of War III, many gamers were left confused by its complex control scheme and non-existent button mapping, which resulted in hard-to-perform combos and moves.
The aiming system of the game also received flack for being unresponsive and imprecise, which made it difficult for gamers who preferred to wield ranged attacks. Due to the lack of intuitive controls in the God of War III, players found it more difficult to overcome the battles in the game.
3 God Of War III Is Pretty Short
Depending on the gamer’s skill level, God of War III takes at least 10 to 15 hours to complete. The short run time of the game has made gamers frustrated and felt cheated, as God of War III had a high price tag at the time of its release.
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What’s more, the game was more bent on creating solid narrative gameplay and had foregone any meaningful player interaction through side quests and exploring. The short run time also detracted from the game’s replayability and made gamers feel that there was no point in going back to fully complete the game.
2 The Ending Is Unsatisfying
God of War III was essentially the end of the franchise until the developers decided to pivot into Norse mythology. As a true ending to the game, the end of God of War III was unsatisfactory for players as it lacked closure. The game left too many loose ends and didn’t answer all of the gamers’ burning questions.
Thankfully, questions involving the fate of the world after the gods have been defeated have been answered in the succeeding games God of War (2018) and God of War Ragnarok. But looking back at it, God of War III was such an unsatisfactory conclusion to the beloved franchise.
1 God Of War III Has Annoying Bugs
Gamers expect triple-A games such as God of War III to be polished and free from error. However, the game also had its fair share of annoying bugs and glitches that can substantially affect the experience of gamers.
A common bug that has been noticed by gamers is slow-loading textures and visual artifacts that primarily happen during cutscenes or when transitioning between locations. Another one is significant frame rate drops that happen when there’s an overwhelming number of enemies on screen or during brutal action sequences. Such bugs can make gamers feel that they’re playing an unpolished beta game.
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