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Javaground and Sony Online Entertainment Inc

God of War: Betrayal

YEAR: 2007

COUNTRY: United States of America

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Title of the work

God of War: Betrayal

Studio / Production Company

Sony Pictures Digital

Country of the First Edition

Original Language

English

First Edition Date

2007

First Edition Details

Javaground, Sony Online Entertainment Inc., God of War: Betrayal. Java Platform, Micro Edition. [Directed by Philip Cohen.] San Diego, California: Sony Online Entertainment Inc., 2007.

Platform

Java Platform, Micro Edition

Official Website

sms.playstation.com (franchise owner)

Genre

Action and adventure video games*
Hack-and-slash*
Platform*

Cover

Logo of the God of War franchise owned by Santa Monica Studio. Retrieved from Wikimedia Commons, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 (accessed: December 29, 2021).


Author of the Entry:

Joanna Bieńkowska, University of Warsaw, joanna.bienkowska@student.uw.edu.pl

Peer-reviewer of the Entry:

Elżbieta Olechowska, University of Warsaw, elzbieta.olechowska@gmail.com

Susan Deacy, University of Roehampton, s.deacy@roehampton.ac.uk 

Sony Online Entertainment booth by Doug Kline. Retrieved from Wikimedia Commons, licensed under CC BY 2.0 (accessed: December 30, 2021).

Javaground and Sony Online Entertainment Inc (Production Company)

Javaground – mobile games developer and owner of Xpress Suite (a set of porting tools for the mobile games industry). The company closed in March 2010 due to financial reasons.

Sony Online Entertainment Inc. (currently known as Daybreak Game Company LLC), part of the Sony Corporation until February 2015, now belongs to Columbus Nova. Owner of video game titles, among which are MMO games.


Prepared by Joanna Bieńkowska, University of Warsaw, joanna.bienkowska@student.uw.edu.pl


Sequels, Prequels and Spin-offs

The events of God of War: Betrayal take place between the first game of the series and God of War: Ghost of Sparta.

The sequels are: 

  • God of War: Ghost of Sparta, 
  • God of War II, 
  • God of War III

The prequels:

  • God of War, 
  • God of War: Chains of Olympus, 
  • God of War: Ascension.

Summary

The story revolves around Kratos, a Spartan warrior who helped the Olympian gods kill Ares and became the new god of war. 

During his journey, Kratos receives a number of weapons and magic items. In the God of War: Betrayal there are: weapons: Blades of Athena and Blade of Artemis and magic: Army of Hades and Medusa's Gaze, all of which he received in the previous game. He can also collect gorgon eyes and phoenix feathers to boost his health and mana respectively – this is a standard option in all God of War games. Since 2010, minotaur horns are also available and boost usage of other items. 

These weapons and magic items are remotely based on different ancient mythologies and have no meaningful effect on the plot whatsoever.

Using his godlike powers to gain an advantage over other poleis, Kratos leads Sparta towards new goals, ready to take down any city he considers worthwhile. Unlike other gods, he openly favors his home polis and ignores any opposition.

Hera is the first to protest – with Kratos' new war campaign, she sends monsters led by the giant Argos, a humanoid creature of many eyes, to stop him from warmongering. But surprisingly, it is not Kratos who kills the monstrosity, but an unknown assassin wanting to destroy Kratos' position among the Olympian gods. Seeing such a blunt attack on his interests, Kratos sets out on a quest to discover the identity of whoever is responsible for the assassination. 

Hades' minions however are ready to slow him down. Soon after that, Zeus is concerned with the trail of dead bodies left behind by Kratos and sends Ceryx, the son of Hermes, with a message for him. But the god of war refuses to abandon his campaign, determined to find out the identity of his new enemy. Ceryx ends up dead and the assassin escapes.

Analysis

God of War: Betrayal is the only game in the franchise that wasn't developed for the PlayStation platforms, but for the mobile phones instead. While God of War II reached the limits of PlayStation II and PlayStation 3 was still in the process of development, the title for mobile phones was simply filling the only gap left. In 2007 mobile phones were widely spread in groups of all ages, thus God of War: Betrayal was as influential as its predecessors. 

Following the success of both first games, it kept popularizing the world of ancient Greece and bringing fans to the whole franchise. Surprisingly well developed in the graphical area, it lacked the usual depth and tragedy that the series is known for. It can be easily explained by the platform limitations that characterized phone games build on java script. Thanks to the very same limitations, the game displays less gore and is more suitable for young adults in comparison to the titles for PlayStation that keep the protagonist soaked in blood and covered in intestines of his victims. 

It's unusual for a God of War game to end without a conclusion, but in case of God of War: Betrayal the end provides no explanation as to the assassin's identity and the gods' reaction after Ceryx' death. It is highly probable that it was Hermes who was behind the actions against Kratos, which would suggest a plot to diminish Kratos' authority on Olympus and to end his reign as the new god of war. Even if it meant the death of his own son, Ceryx.

In God of War II, Zeus takes away Kratos' divine powers. However the plot of God of War: Betrayal has never been mentioned in the remaining games, so we can only guess at its influence on Kratos' case.

Addenda

Trailer Available Online

Commercial Success: Soon after its release the game received awards for "Wireless Game of the Month" and "Best Platform Game (wireless)"

Genre

An action, adventure, hack and slash, story-driven mobile game


It is important to stress that Kratos’ genealogical tree looks different in the God of War series than in Greek mythology. Instead of being a son of the Titan Pallas and the river-deity Styx, a brother to Nike (victory) and Bia (Force), he’s the son of Zeus and Callisto, i.e. a half-brother to Ares and many other Olympian gods and heroes. He is married to Lysandra, has a daughter, Calliope, and is a brother to Deimos, another half-god. All three of them bear no resemblance to any mythological or historical characters.

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Leaf pattern
Leaf pattern

Title of the work

God of War: Betrayal

Studio / Production Company

Sony Pictures Digital

Country of the First Edition

Original Language

English

First Edition Date

2007

First Edition Details

Javaground, Sony Online Entertainment Inc., God of War: Betrayal. Java Platform, Micro Edition. [Directed by Philip Cohen.] San Diego, California: Sony Online Entertainment Inc., 2007.

Platform

Java Platform, Micro Edition

Official Website

sms.playstation.com (franchise owner)

Genre

Action and adventure video games*
Hack-and-slash*
Platform*

Cover

Logo of the God of War franchise owned by Santa Monica Studio. Retrieved from Wikimedia Commons, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 (accessed: December 29, 2021).


Author of the Entry:

Joanna Bieńkowska, University of Warsaw, joanna.bienkowska@student.uw.edu.pl

Peer-reviewer of the Entry:

Elżbieta Olechowska, University of Warsaw, elzbieta.olechowska@gmail.com

Susan Deacy, University of Roehampton, s.deacy@roehampton.ac.uk 

Sony Online Entertainment booth by Doug Kline. Retrieved from Wikimedia Commons, licensed under CC BY 2.0 (accessed: December 30, 2021).

Javaground and Sony Online Entertainment Inc (Production Company)

Javaground – mobile games developer and owner of Xpress Suite (a set of porting tools for the mobile games industry). The company closed in March 2010 due to financial reasons.

Sony Online Entertainment Inc. (currently known as Daybreak Game Company LLC), part of the Sony Corporation until February 2015, now belongs to Columbus Nova. Owner of video game titles, among which are MMO games.


Prepared by Joanna Bieńkowska, University of Warsaw, joanna.bienkowska@student.uw.edu.pl


Sequels, Prequels and Spin-offs

The events of God of War: Betrayal take place between the first game of the series and God of War: Ghost of Sparta.

The sequels are: 

  • God of War: Ghost of Sparta, 
  • God of War II, 
  • God of War III

The prequels:

  • God of War, 
  • God of War: Chains of Olympus, 
  • God of War: Ascension.

Summary

The story revolves around Kratos, a Spartan warrior who helped the Olympian gods kill Ares and became the new god of war. 

During his journey, Kratos receives a number of weapons and magic items. In the God of War: Betrayal there are: weapons: Blades of Athena and Blade of Artemis and magic: Army of Hades and Medusa's Gaze, all of which he received in the previous game. He can also collect gorgon eyes and phoenix feathers to boost his health and mana respectively – this is a standard option in all God of War games. Since 2010, minotaur horns are also available and boost usage of other items. 

These weapons and magic items are remotely based on different ancient mythologies and have no meaningful effect on the plot whatsoever.

Using his godlike powers to gain an advantage over other poleis, Kratos leads Sparta towards new goals, ready to take down any city he considers worthwhile. Unlike other gods, he openly favors his home polis and ignores any opposition.

Hera is the first to protest – with Kratos' new war campaign, she sends monsters led by the giant Argos, a humanoid creature of many eyes, to stop him from warmongering. But surprisingly, it is not Kratos who kills the monstrosity, but an unknown assassin wanting to destroy Kratos' position among the Olympian gods. Seeing such a blunt attack on his interests, Kratos sets out on a quest to discover the identity of whoever is responsible for the assassination. 

Hades' minions however are ready to slow him down. Soon after that, Zeus is concerned with the trail of dead bodies left behind by Kratos and sends Ceryx, the son of Hermes, with a message for him. But the god of war refuses to abandon his campaign, determined to find out the identity of his new enemy. Ceryx ends up dead and the assassin escapes.

Analysis

God of War: Betrayal is the only game in the franchise that wasn't developed for the PlayStation platforms, but for the mobile phones instead. While God of War II reached the limits of PlayStation II and PlayStation 3 was still in the process of development, the title for mobile phones was simply filling the only gap left. In 2007 mobile phones were widely spread in groups of all ages, thus God of War: Betrayal was as influential as its predecessors. 

Following the success of both first games, it kept popularizing the world of ancient Greece and bringing fans to the whole franchise. Surprisingly well developed in the graphical area, it lacked the usual depth and tragedy that the series is known for. It can be easily explained by the platform limitations that characterized phone games build on java script. Thanks to the very same limitations, the game displays less gore and is more suitable for young adults in comparison to the titles for PlayStation that keep the protagonist soaked in blood and covered in intestines of his victims. 

It's unusual for a God of War game to end without a conclusion, but in case of God of War: Betrayal the end provides no explanation as to the assassin's identity and the gods' reaction after Ceryx' death. It is highly probable that it was Hermes who was behind the actions against Kratos, which would suggest a plot to diminish Kratos' authority on Olympus and to end his reign as the new god of war. Even if it meant the death of his own son, Ceryx.

In God of War II, Zeus takes away Kratos' divine powers. However the plot of God of War: Betrayal has never been mentioned in the remaining games, so we can only guess at its influence on Kratos' case.

Addenda

Trailer Available Online

Commercial Success: Soon after its release the game received awards for "Wireless Game of the Month" and "Best Platform Game (wireless)"

Genre

An action, adventure, hack and slash, story-driven mobile game


It is important to stress that Kratos’ genealogical tree looks different in the God of War series than in Greek mythology. Instead of being a son of the Titan Pallas and the river-deity Styx, a brother to Nike (victory) and Bia (Force), he’s the son of Zeus and Callisto, i.e. a half-brother to Ares and many other Olympian gods and heroes. He is married to Lysandra, has a daughter, Calliope, and is a brother to Deimos, another half-god. All three of them bear no resemblance to any mythological or historical characters.

Yellow cloud