Were it not for Mass Effect 3, the news that an upcoming God of War title was set to get a multiplayer addition would be making shockwaves throughout the gaming forums. As it is, the presence of a good multiplayer mode in Mass Effect 3 has made us a lot more pliable to seeing a similar implementation in other, traditionally single-player oriented titles.
God of War: Ascension is set to have four-on-four competitive multiplayer battles. GamesRadar's Hollander Cooper revealed in an article today that he was privy to seeing the game's multiplayer mode in action which featured two groups consisting of four players each battling each other in an arena also populated by a gigantic chained Cyclops.
The article describes the battles as not only large, open areas, but ones with verticality—multiple levels—as well. It's a classic tale of red versus blue, with the red-painted Spartans doing battle against the Greeks, garbed in blue. They're like regular fights in God of War, except they're against other people instead of AI opponents.
Players are also able to customize their characters with skills and the ability to choose between four patron deities (Hades, Ares, Zeus, and Poseidon) within the game's multiplayer mode.
The point of each map, according to the article, is to capture a specific point on the map before the enemy team. It's King of the Hill, in other words. After capturing the point, the team must then defeat the map's titan. The team that captures the objective point is rewarded with a weapon that allows the players in possession of it to tip the balance of the battle in their favor. The Javelin of Olympus was provided as an example of such a weapon, which allowed the wielder to hurl death at his opponents and face the Cyclops together with the rest of his team.
The article suggests that the competitive multiplayer mode in God of War: Ascension may play a very big role in the game itself rather than a tacked on element.
We're certain that Sony will reveal more about the game in the days and months to come.