In the battle between Sparta and Troy, God of War: Ascension shows the struggle between both sides as they fight for the favor of the Gods. Chained-up and angry, Polyphemus attacks the warring armies, who battle for control of points on the map. Contested zones are home to mechanical gears that control the binds to the grand one-eyed man, who’s so giant that only his face and arms appear on the edge of the areas.
The purpose this four-on-four multiplayer mode, which Game Director Todd Papy tells me is called “Execution,” is to take control of the map in order to earn rewards from the Gods, so that one team can dispatch Polyphemus.
After capturing multiple gears on the map that control Polyphemus’s chains, the Gods award the Spartan soldiers with the Spear of Olympus, giving them the power needed to dispatch the behemoth.
The mode fluctuates from attack and defend, forcing Sparta to hold the points from Troy as they attempt to destroy Polyphemus. If Troy regains control of the areas, Polyphemus resets his original position and the fickle Zeus takes the Spear away. “When you think about Gods, in particular in Greek mythology, they’re always messing with the mortals,” Papy tells me, explaining that teams will fall out of favor with the Gods quickly if they cannot maintain control.
t’s unclear what other modes will be made available, but Papy notes that the God of War engine is now retooled to feature eight-player multiplayer, opening the door to possibilities never-before-seen in the series.
