Let’s admit it, if you know anything about predicting the quality of videogames by now, it’s that movie-based games are most likely not very good. Unlike other movie games, Clash of the Titans: The Videogame was delayed until a few months after the movie release, so perhaps some effort was actually put into this title, right? While I admit that the introduction of Hades as the sour villain in the re-released film adaption, Clash of the Titans, was potentially a change for the better, the movie still fell short. Being a fan of the original film, I owed it to myself to watch the movie and play the game. So, let’s see how a videogame based on a poor remake of a great movie fares.

Mankind has declared war against the Gods. The Gods, who rely on prayer for immortality, decide to punish the humans and bring them back to their grateful ways. While hesitant, Zeus agrees to allow his brother Hades to roam the Earth and remind mankind why they should submit to the will of the Gods. Unfortunately for the Kingdom of Argos, Hades decides to set them an example. Their choice is as follows: sacrifice the princess, or be annihilated by the Kraken. The family of our hero, Perseus, falls by the hands of Hades. Bent on revenge, Perseus offers to save the princess of Argos by defeating the Kraken, the child of Hades. Oh, did I mention Perseus is a demigod?

The start of the game is a test of patience. Not everyone minds a slow developing story, but what can really repel gamers from this title are the long and wordy tutorials. The amount of information the game throws at the player is overwhelming. If you manage to make it through the first 6 hours, which is plagued by tutorials, you’ll find that Clash of the Titans is actually a decent slasher, especially when you set on your journey to defeat the Kraken; visiting almost every setting from the movie along with the memorable characters who assist you in battle. 

The battle system is the only thing that fuelled me into proceeding with the game. You may be shocked to learn that it’s actually fun. The tutorials don’t do it justice and the controls are not difficult. The basics are light and heavy attacks from the ground, or aerial combos after launching foes into the air. Where things start to get somewhat interesting though, is when sub-weapons become available. There are over 80 customizable sub-weapons that can be seized from enemies. Four can be set to the d-pad for quick selection. Bows, hammers, axes, spell and healing cores are but a few sub-weapons, all of which enhance the variety of combos that can be performed.

Weapon seizing is an in-game battle sequence that quickly dispatches enemies. The common way to activate this sequence is to hack away at an enemy until he/it becomes weak. However, you can take advantage of different opportunities to avoid dragging out a conflict with multiple enemies. For example, some enemies take a short breather, while other enemies, like the Centaur, are left open after charging towards Perseus. Weapon seizing differs with every enemy, but always uses a button responding sequence. Simply correctly time your button presses and watch Perseus slice a warrior limb by limb, or rip a magical orb out of a wraith's chest.

Unlike the main weapon, sub-weapons use soul power. The soul meter gradually fills up as you attack enemies. For a larger boost of souls, Perseus can use a technique called “Soul Seize”. However, the best and most efficient way to fill the soul meter is to perform a “Chain Seize”, which allows you to drain souls from all enemies on the battlefield. Chain seizing can only be performed after successive and successful combos, so it’s not always available. 

The main story is divided into Quests. Draco, leader of the Argos Guard, and a number of his best men will assist you on your journey. You’ll eventually have the priestess Io and the Turkish bounty hunters Ozal and Kucok join you as well. Perseus can choose to go on quests alone, but he will almost always have the option of having another character tag along. A second player can assume the role of your guest character during a quest. It’s ridiculously enjoyable. At the end of every quest you’re rewarded with items that can be used to upgrade your sub-weapons.

It’s not surprising that the voice acting is horrible, but it beats reading walls of text since almost every character has a voiceover. The music is heavily inspired by the movie, so it’s alright overall. The graphics, although sharp, are outdated; settings not only look generic but are limited as well. Multiple quests revolve around the same setting, until the story carries on to another area. The climate changes with each visit, but that doesn’t change the fact that you’re revisiting the same locations, just with new objectives. Characters look good during combat, but have obvious flaws during dialog scenes. The only really impressive visuals are the enemy bosses. Giant scorpions, sand serpents and Chimera are some of the mythological creatures the son of Zeus will face. Perseus is no Kratos, but watching him lob off parts of colossal enemies, climb the backs of enemies, or hack away at a monster’s insides after being digested, is exciting and amazingly gruesome for a T rated game. 

After Each chapter, you are granted access to side missions. Here you can farm for items or search for weapons you accidentally skipped during the main story. But, honestly, the game is very easy, so there’s really no need to search for sub-weapons you’re never going to use or upgrade. Perseus can make do with the same hammer, healing core and fire stone he finds early in the game, right up to the end. I never once died, and it took a little under 20 hours to complete the game. All weapons and items transfer over to a new game after completion.

Don’t buy this. Yes, I know I praised the battle system somewhat, but that’s the only decent part of Clash of the Titans and even that falls flat about 15 hours into the game - during the most epic and classical battle moments I should add (I’m looking at you Medusa and Kraken). If you really want to own a slasher, there are much better games out there, like God of War, Bayonetta and Dante’s Inferno. Even if you enjoyed the movie this is not a game you want to own.