I Played God of War: Sons of Sparta: The Polish Localization is a Major Misstep [OPINION]

Recently, I ventured out of my gaming comfort zone to try the new God of War: Sons of Sparta. Priced at $39.99, this title serves as a prequel to Kratos’ Greek saga from the PlayStation 2 and PlayStation 3 era. I expected the 2D, pixelated style and the Metroidvania genre—which I typically dislike—to make me bounce off the game entirely. However, as the title of this review suggests, those weren’t the biggest issues.

God of War: Sons of Sparta Successfully Captures the Series’ Greek Spirit

This game was arguably the biggest surprise of the February 2026 State of Play showcase. It launched immediately after its presentation, appearing exclusively on PlayStation 5. God of War: Sons of Sparta is a 2D Metroidvania focusing on the adventures of a teenage Kratos and his brother Deimos, set in their early days in Sparta.

The game’s Metroidvania structure means it’s filled with interconnected paths and areas that are initially inaccessible to the player. As you progress through the main story, you’ll gain new abilities and tools that allow you to revisit and explore previously locked locations. While I generally prefer more linear game structures, Sons of Sparta can still be enjoyed in a more direct fashion if you resist the urge to explore every nook and cranny immediately. There’s also another significant aspect that, after 8 hours with God of War: Sons of Sparta, still keeps me hooked.

First and foremost, despite its minimalist yet colorful art style, the game perfectly captures the atmosphere of the Greek saga from 2005-2013. The developers at Mega Cat Studios clearly aimed to make every fan feel right at home. I immediately recognized the designs of half-dead hoplites, minotaurs, and even the iconic gift chests, which emit their classic sounds upon opening. Furthermore, much like the original Greek trilogy, this title isn’t easy, even on normal difficulty.

Challenging Combat Mechanics

The aforementioned difficulty primarily stems from the combat system. The game heavily rewards patience in planning dodges and parries, rather than mindlessly attacking bosses and minibosses to simply chip away at their health. The upgrade system also presented a challenge in decision-making. Initially, it’s hard to tell whether to invest in offensive or defensive skills, or perhaps prioritize upgrading Kratos’ spear and shield.

Nevertheless, at least within my initial 8 hours of playtime, the game strikes a good balance, offering a challenging yet not overly frustrating experience. Even with significant upgrades, young Kratos isn’t an unstoppable ‘terminator,’ making even minor monster encounters engaging. It’s satisfying, for instance, how the game allows you to temporarily disengage from melee to fire a few shots from a slingshot, chipping away at an enemy’s health before re-engaging. What truly enhances the experience is the PlayStation 5 DualSense controller’s haptic feedback accompanying every sound effect, while the 16-bit interpretation of classic God of War themes perfectly establishes the mood for this ancient, teenage adventure.

The Translation Appears Fine, But Only Upon Closer Inspection

However, this immersion is regularly broken by the low quality of God of War: Sons of Sparta‘s Polish localization. This was entirely unexpected, especially after the fantastic localization of titles like Ghost of Yotei (a similarly sized fictional game). Aside from the localization, the game otherwise feels like a polished production, just on a slightly smaller scale.

Technical Glitches and Inconsistencies

God of War: Sons of Sparta was fully localized into Polish. As with previous installments in the Norse saga, Artur Dziurman voices Kratos, while Maciej Dybowski lends his voice to the teenage version of the Ghost of Sparta. There are no complaints regarding the voice acting quality itself—it meets the high standard PlayStation has accustomed Polish players to.

However, the technical execution of the localization is a different story. The issues are numerous:

• Some side characters have their names captioned in English.
• Weapon descriptions occasionally contain English sentences.
• On one occasion, the audio completely mismatched the subtitles.
• I also witnessed instances where subtitles were present, but no audio played.
• The noticeably quiet Deimos was particularly annoying; I had to strain to hear him, while other characters in the game were perfectly audible.

Unacceptable for a PlayStation First-Party Title

Such inconsistencies might be excusable for an independent studio or a smaller AA publisher. Polish localization has historically not been a top priority for many publishers, so even basic subtitles are often appreciated. However, when it comes to first-party productions from PlayStation Studios, a much higher standard is expected, especially since Sony has been fully localizing games into Polish since 2009.

Yes, God of War: Sons of Sparta is priced at just $39.99. However, this price point doesn’t excuse the numerous errors present in the Polish localization. Our editorial team reached out with inquiries about whether the Polish version of the game would be improved over time and which entity was responsible for its localization. We were assured that answers should be forthcoming, and we will update this article as soon as they arrive. We also know that Mega Cat Studios continues to update the title; version 1.05, for example, addressed volume balancing issues for voice actors in… Spanish. At least it’s somewhat reassuring to know that the Polish version isn’t the only one experiencing problems.

Source: Gemini. Opening photo: Gemini

About Post Author

Param Flora

Param Flora is a senior editor at Techtiper and a longtime gaming enthusiast and cat lover. She writes about gaming, movies, and TV shows. When she’s not writing, she’s reading. When she’s not reading, she’s playing PUBG with her friends.

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