- Players are accusing PlayStation of false advertising due to confusion about God of War Sons of Sparta's co-op mode.
- The game's PS Store listing mentions support for 1-2 players, while its gameplay trailers showcase combat featuring two characters.
- However, its story is single-player only, with co-op tied to a 'Challenge Mode' that is locked by default.
God of War Sons of Sparta was PlayStation’s “one last thing” for the February State of Play, with the title receiving its first reveal before being shadowdropped in the same breath. Developed by Mega Cat Studios, the 2D Action Platformer serves up an origin story for Kratos and his brother Deimos, showcasing their escapades as young Spartans. The narrative is brought to life using hand-drawn environments, while the moment-to-moment gameplay takes the franchise into Metroidvania territory.
As you’d imagine, fans of the IP ate up that premise and quickly rushed to the PlayStation store to purchase a copy. Unfortunately, that initial excitement has rapidly dwindled due to issues with the game itself, as well as accusations of misleading advertising being levied at Sony and Santa Monica Studio.
God of War Sons of Sparta Criticised for Locking Co-Op Mode Behind Story Completion
The root of the controversy can be traced back to God of War Sons of Sparta’s store page. As seen above, the game’s advertised capabilities include 1-2 players, with its reveal trailer also emphasising side-scrolling action featuring both Kratos and Deimos. The notion of monster-slaying in local co-op is what convinced many fans to purchase the game (according to comments online), so you can imagine the disappointment when they learned that the action platformer does not support this functionality.
As clarified by the devs in an X post, Sons of Sparta doesn’t come with a proper two-player co-op mode, and instead, features a co-op ‘Challenge Mode’ that is unlocked after you finish its lengthy main story. If we’re cutting the devs some slack, this could be chalked up as a communication error. But if you play through the game, it really feels like a co-op side-scroller.
Hundreds of players shared the same sentiment as they flooded Santa Monica Studio’s post to express their displeasure.“By every metric, this game looks like a co-op side scroller,” said one user, “The way the description is written on the store, the ads for it, and the ‘2 players.’ I thought I’d be able to experience the story with my partner by playing together. I feel cheated. I want my refund.“
The calls for a refund didn’t end there, with another player stating, “Why would you lock co-op behind beating the game? I don’t want to play it twice; I want to play it once with my wife. Trying to return now for the false advertising…“
Fortunately, there is a quick fix to the problem – a patch that unlocks the two-player ‘Challenge Mode’ from the start. However, there is currently no word on when, or if, the devs plan on implementing the change.
Have you checked out God of War Sons of Sparta yet? What are your thoughts on the game? Let us know in the comments.
