God of War III Remastered Score: A Masterpiece Refined for a New Generation
When Sony Santa Monica released God of War III in 2010, it was hailed as a staggering technical achievement for the PlayStation 3. It was the brutal, bombastic, and beautiful culmination of the original Greek saga, a game that pushed the hardware to its absolute limits to realize the scale of Kratos's vengeance against Olympus. Five years later, God of War III Remastered arrived on the PlayStation 4, tasked with a singular mission: to preserve the raw, visceral power of the original while elevating its presentation to meet the expectations of a new console generation. In this regard, it succeeds unequivocally, delivering a port of exceptional quality that honors the source material while offering tangible, meaningful improvements.
The most immediate and impactful upgrade is, without a doubt, the visual overhaul. The original game was no slouch, famously opening with a breathtaking ascent of Gaia on the back of the Titan Cronos, a sequence that remains one of gaming's most impressive displays of scale. The remastered version takes this foundation and polishes every pixel to a brilliant sheen. The jump to a native 1080p resolution and a targeted 60 frames per second is transformative. The chaotic, screen-filling battles against cyclopes, centaurs, and undead legionnaires, which could sometimes cause the PS3 version to dip, now run with a buttery smoothness that is both visually pleasing and mechanically critical. This enhanced fluidity improves the gameplay experience, making parries, dodges, and the precise input of complex combos more responsive and reliable. Kratos's rage has never felt so controlled.
Beyond the resolution and framerate, the artists at Wholesale Algorithms (under the supervision of Sony Santa Monica) delved into the game's assets. Character models, textures, and environmental details received significant attention. Kratos's ashen skin, the intricate etchings on the Blades of Exile, and the worn leather of his straps exhibit a new level of detail. The majestic vistas of Olympus, the fiery depths of Hades, and the lush gardens of Olympus are revitalized with higher-resolution textures, eliminating the blurry surfaces that were a necessary compromise of the past. The game's legendary lighting and particle effects—the hellish glow of the Underworld, the shimmer of the River Styx, the explosive geysers of blood—are more vibrant and dynamic than ever, showcasing the PS4's superior graphical horsepower without altering the original's distinct artistic vision.
The auditory experience, already a cornerstone of the God of War series, is similarly refined. The remaster delivers a pristine, high-fidelity mix of the original's stellar audio. The iconic score, composed by Gerard Marino, Cris Velasco, Ron Fish, Jeff Rona, and Mike Reagan, sounds more powerful and immersive. The thunderous orchestral swells during boss fights and the haunting, melancholic themes that underscore Kratos's pathos are given room to breathe, enriching the emotional and epic weight of the narrative. The bone-crunching sound design of combat—the satisfying thwack of a Gorgon's head being ripped off, the metallic clang of blade on shield, the visceral roar of a Minotaur—is delivered with crisp clarity. Voice acting, always a highlight of the series, remains superb, with Terrence C. Carson's performance as Kratos losing none of its guttural intensity and commanding presence.
However, to critique God of War III Remastered is to critique God of War III itself. The core gameplay remains unchanged. This is a faithful port, not a reimagining. For some, this means the game carries over some of the design philosophies of its era that have since evolved. The fixed camera angles, while masterfully directed for cinematic effect, can occasionally feel restrictive compared to modern, player-controlled cameras. The platforming sections, particularly the infamous "Labyrinth" sequence involving the moving boxes, retain their sometimes finicky and frustrating nature. The combat, while deeply satisfying and incredibly violent, is a pure expression of the character-action genre of the late 2000s—a relentless focus on crowd-control, quick-time event finishers, and unlocking increasingly powerful combos. It lacks the strategic depth and over-the-shoulder intimacy of the 2018 soft reboot. For veterans, this is a welcome return to form. For newcomers arriving from the newer title, it may feel like a historical artifact—a brilliant one, but an artifact nonetheless.
The package is rounded out with all the original's DLC, including the excellent "Exiled" and "Armor of the Deimos" skins, and photomode functionality is added, allowing players to capture the game's countless iconic moments in stunning detail—a feature that was absent in the PS3 original but feels perfectly at home here.
In conclusion, God of War III Remastered stands as a benchmark for how to properly honor a classic game. It is not a simple, lazy upscale but a thoughtful and technically proficient enhancement that addresses the limitations of the original hardware. It delivers a superior audiovisual experience that leverages the PS4's capabilities to full effect, all while safeguarding the integral, furious heart of the experience. It does not attempt to modernize the game's design, understanding that its value lies in its preservation. For those who never experienced Kratos's climactic war on the PS3, this is the definitive way to witness one of the most epic chapters in gaming history. For returning fans, it is the perfect excuse to don the Blades of Exile once more, to scale Olympus in breathtaking clarity, and to be reminded of why this game was, and remains, an absolute titan of the action genre. It is a masterful port that scores a resounding victory.
