God of War III
=== Setting ===
As with previous games, God of War III is set in an alternate version of ancient Greece populated by Olympian Gods, Titans, heroes, and other characters from Greek mythology. The game is set across several locations on the fictional Mount Olympus, including the Tomb of Ares, the ancient city of Olympia, the Path of Eos, the Labyrinth, several areas of the Palace of the Gods, such as the Forum and Hera's Gardens, and the Underworld and Tartarus.
The Tomb of Ares—housing the former God of War's remains—and the city of Olympia lie on the sides of Mount Olympus. Just beyond the city is the Path of Eos, a hidden cavern near the foot of Olympus. The Palace of the Gods is the home of the Olympians, and features the Forum (a small coliseum), Hera's Gardens, and the chambers of Aphrodite and Poseidon. The Labyrinth is a large aerial puzzle constructed by the architect Daedalus to imprison Pandora in the Caverns of Olympus, home of Skorpius and its offspring. The Underworld, ruled by Hades and divided by the River Styx, is the realm of the dead. Hades' palace contains the remains of his wife, Persephone, who was killed by Kratos in Chains of Olympus. The Underworld is also home to statues of the three Judges of the Underworld, who hold the Chain of Balance connecting the Underworld to Olympus. Tartarus is the prison of the dead where the Titan Cronos was banished after Kratos retrieved Pandora's Box from Pandora's Temple (which is chained to the Titan's back) in God of War.
=== Characters ===
Kratos (voiced by Terrence C. Carson), a Spartan warrior and demigod who became the God of War after killing Ares and seeks revenge on Zeus for his betrayal, is the game's protagonist. Other characters include Greek gods such as Athena (Erin Torpey), the Goddess of Wisdom and Kratos' mentor and ally; Zeus (Corey Burton), King of the Gods and the primary antagonist; Poseidon (Gideon Emery), God of the Sea; Hades (Clancy Brown), God of the Underworld; Hephaestus (Rip Torn), the Smith God; Hermes (Greg Ellis), Messenger of the Gods and the God of Speed and Commerce; Helios (Crispin Freeman), the Sun God; Hera (Adrienne Barbeau), Queen of the Gods who controls all plant life; and Aphrodite (April Stewart), Goddess of Love and Sexuality. Several Titans are featured, including Gaia (Susan Blakeslee), Cronos (George Ball), Epimetheus, Oceanus, and Perses. Other characters include Hercules (Kevin Sorbo), a demigod and Kratos' half-brother; the architect Daedalus (Malcolm McDowell), father of Icarus; and Pandora (Natalie Lander), the created daughter of Hephaestus. Minor characters include the three Judges of the Underworld: King Minos (Mark Moseley), King Rhadamanthus, and King Aeacus; Peirithous (Simon Templeman), an Underworld prisoner in love with Persephone, and Kratos' wife and daughter: Lysandra (Gwendoline Yeo) and Calliope (Debi Derryberry), who appear in a plot sequence in which Kratos journeys through his own psyche.
=== Plot ===
Continuing immediately after God of War II, Kratos, Gaia, and the other Titans ascend Mount Olympus to destroy the Olympian Gods. Poseidon launches a counter-assault against the Titans but is killed by Kratos and Gaia; his death causes the oceans to flood the world. Reaching the peak of Olympus, they try to attack Zeus, but he drives them back and knocks them off the mountain. Gaia clings to the mountainside and refuses to save Kratos, calling him nothing more than a pawn for the Titans' revenge.
Kratos falls into the River Styx, where he loses the Blade of Olympus; the souls of the Underworld weaken him and ruin the Blades of Athena. Climbing from the river, he is confronted by the spirit of Athena, who had previously sacrificed herself to save Zeus from Kratos. She tells Kratos that her sacrifice has brought her to a higher existence, and she now sees truths she did not see before. She states that as long as Zeus reigns, there is no hope for mankind. She gives him the Blades of Exile and says that to kill Zeus, he must quench the Flame of Olympus. After finding the three Judges of the Underworld and the Chain of Balance, Kratos encounters the spirit of Pandora, whom he mistakes for his dead daughter, Calliope. Refusing to help the child, he continues his quest. After encountering the Olympian blacksmith Hephaestus and recovering the Blade of Olympus, he kills Hades, which releases the souls of the Underworld. When he considers searching for the soul of Calliope, Athena reminds Kratos of his quest, and he leaves the Underworld, arriving at Olympia. There he finds the wounded Gaia, who calls for help. He severs her arm, causing her to fall from Mount Olympus to her apparent death.
Kratos continues his ascent, murdering powerful foes that include the Titan Perses and the god Helios, which causes the sun to disappear, plunging the world into eternal darkness. This leads to an encounter with Hermes, who mocks Kratos for his past sins. The Spartan chases the god, who leads him to the Chamber of the Flame. Kratos discovers that Pandora's Box is in the Flame of Olympus and is key to the success of his quest, as it was in God of War. Athena appears, telling Kratos that the flames around the box can only be quelled by Pandora. Kratos then continues after the overconfident Hermes, whom he catches and kills, releasing a plague. At the Forum, he has an audience with the drunken Hera, who ignores his request for Pandora's location and summons Hercules. After discussing his jealousy of his half-brother, Hercules attacks Kratos and is killed. Kratos then encounters Aphrodite, who is indifferent to his war on Olympus. She then leads him to her estranged husband Hephaestus through Hyperion's Gate, a teleportation device. In a suicide mission, the blacksmith sends Kratos to Tartarus to retrieve the Omphalos Stone so he can forge a new weapon for the Spartan. Kratos finds Cronos, kills the Titan for the stone, and returns to Hephaestus. After forging the weapon, the god tries to kill Kratos himself. Instead, the Spartan kills Hephaestus, who claims that he was trying to protect his daughter Pandora, who was imprisoned in the Labyrinth after Kratos opened her box. Reusing the Hyperion Gate, the Spartan travels through Hera's Gardens where he kills the taunting goddess, ending all plant life, and makes his way to the Labyrinth to find Pandora.
The imprisoned architect Daedalus tells Kratos to unite the Labyrinth. Completing this task, Kratos fights his way through the aerial puzzle and rescues Pandora, who tells him to break the Chain of Balance so the Labyrinth can be raised, and she can reach her box. Neutralizing the three judges and breaking the chain, Kratos raises the Labyrinth, and Pandora tries to enter the Flame of Olympus. Zeus intervenes and fights Kratos; after a brief battle, Pandora sacrifices herself and quenches the flame, despite Kratos' protests. Finding Pandora's Box empty, Kratos attacks the mocking Zeus. Gaia returns and tries to kill them, but they escape through a gaping wound in her chest where they continue their battle. Gaia is killed when Kratos impales Zeus against her heart with the Blade of Olympus, which apparently also kills Zeus. When Kratos recovers the blade and tries to leave, he is attacked by Zeus' spirit and loses all of his weapons in the process. Before Zeus can land a fatal blow, Kratos is saved by Pandora during a journey into his psyche. With help from the spirits of his wife Lysandra and daughter Calliope, Kratos forgives himself for his past sins. After discovering the power of hope, he regains consciousness and beats Zeus to death with his bare hands, thus ending the reign of the Olympian Gods.
Athena reappears, demanding that Kratos return what she thinks he took from Pandora's Box. She refuses to believe the box was empty, explaining that when Zeus sealed the evils of the world in the box, she placed her power of hope in it, foreseeing that it would eventually be opened. Athena realizes that when Kratos opened the box to defeat Ares, the evils escaped and infected the gods while Kratos was imbued with hope, which enabled him to kill Ares. She tells Kratos to return her power, saying that she knows how to use it to rebuild the world. Distrusting Athena, Kratos refuses; saying his vengeance has ended, he impales himself with the Blade of Olympus and releases hope for the world so that it can heal. An angry Athena pulls the sword from him, saying that he has disappointed her and leaves empty-handed. Near death, Kratos collapses as Athena leaves.
In a post-credits scene, a trail of blood leads away from an abandoned Blade of Olympus, with Kratos' whereabouts unknown.
revenge, murder, violence