God of War: Ascension

God of War: Ascension is the seventh installment in the series and a prequel to the games that came before it. It returns to Kratos at a moment when, having been tricked by Ares into murdering his own family, he breaks the blood oath that binds him to the God of War and abandons his former master. Imprisoned for it, Kratos must fight his way to freedom and sever the bond between himself and Ares.

The game keeps the hack-and-slash combat of earlier entries, with Kratos wielding the Blades of Chaos, but adds a World Weapon system that lets him take up a variety of other arms. He can master up to four magical disciplines, the Fires of Ares, Ice of Poseidon, Lightning of Zeus and Soul of Hades, each granting unique abilities, while three new relics let him manipulate time, summon a shadow self and dispel illusions.

Ascension also brought online multiplayer to the series for the first time. Players pledge to one of four gods, Ares, Hades, Zeus or Poseidon, each offering a different set of abilities, and level up their warriors to unlock magic, armor, weapons and relics across four modes, including Team Favor of the Gods, Match of Champions, Trial of the Gods and Capture the Flag.