The surprise shadow-drop of God of War: Sons of Sparta following the February 12 PlayStation State of Play has shifted from initial excitement to widespread confusion as players realize a core advertised feature is nowhere to be found. Despite official store listings explicitly mentioning a multiplayer component, the 2D side-scroller appears to be a strictly solo affair, leaving the community questioning whether the inclusion was a clerical error or a feature cut at the eleventh hour.
This prequel, which pivots the franchise toward a 2D side-scrolling perspective set in Ancient Greece, focuses on Kratos’ early years of training and his ascension within the Spartan army. While the gameplay shift is a significant departure from the cinematic third-person action fans have grown accustomed to over the last decade, the reception to the mechanics has been largely positive. However, the inability to access the “supposed” co-op functions has become the primary talking point across social media and gaming forums.
Early adopters have spent the hours following the launch scouring the game’s menus for a secondary player prompt or a lobby system, only to come up empty-handed. The disconnect is particularly jarring because the official store page—the primary source of information for a shadow-dropped title—specifically highlighted co-op as a selling point. This has led to a frustrating experience for those who purchased the title specifically to dive into the Spartan lore with a friend.
Sony and Santa Monica Studio have yet to issue a formal clarification regarding the missing mode. In the interim, players are left to enjoy the single-player campaign, which remains a polished look at the Ghost of Sparta’s origin. Whether the co-op mode will be patched in at a later date or if the store listing was simply a mistake remains to be seen, but for now, those looking for a joint venture through Greece will have to wait for an official word. God of War: Sons of Sparta continues to draw interest for its unique art style, even as the multiplayer mystery lingers.
