Game Reviews
Game Gush: Spartan: Total Warrior (2005)
Hello friends and gamers, What’s greater than roleplaying as a total badass Spartan warrior? A badass Spartan warrior who has combat prowess and abilities on par with the Greek God […]
Hello friends and gamers,
What’s greater than roleplaying as a total badass Spartan warrior? A badass Spartan warrior who has combat prowess and abilities on par with the Greek God of War, Ares, of course! Spartan: Total Warrior is a classic video game that my brother and I played as kids on our PlayStation2. I believe it’s one of many heavy influences that allows me to learn about the Roman era and mythology. Join me today as I initiate the Game Gush Zone for Spartan: Total Warrior! Transform from shirtless warrior to God Killer!
What is Spartan: Total Warrior?
Spartan: Total Warrior is what you call a hack and slash video game, which is relative to games like Devil May Cry, Darksiders, and God of War. At first glance, the player will battle as a seemingly ordinary Spartan warrior against hordes of the Roman Empire during Emperor Tiberius’ invasion of Greece. But he isn’t an ordinary Spartan warrior, is he? As events unfold, the Spartan warrior will learn of his true identity while slaughtering his Roman enemies—utilizing both the training of Sparta and the Power of the Gods!
Developer – Creative Assembly
The 2005 video game throwback was developed by Creative Assembly and published by Sega for PlayStation 2, Xbox, and GameCube. You may have heard of Creative Assembly before—they were founded in 1987 and are a multi-award-winning gaming studio in Europe! This spectacular studio is the creator of the vast Total War series on PC! Some other projects you might know from Creative Assembly are Halo Wars 2, Viking: Battle for Asgard, and Alien: Isolation.
Spartan Total Warrior Story Synopsis
Spartan Siege
300 BC: Emperor Tiberius is setting siege to Sparta with King Leonidas fortifying his army. The Spartan warrior hero hears Ares’ voice offering a deal. He accepts his offer which will aid Sparta in defeating the Romans at the price of the Spartan warrior carrying out Ares’ vengeance. The Spartan helps push back the Roman siege by defeating Talos, a bronze giant.
Medusa WMD
At night, the Spartan steals the Blades of Athena from a nearby Roman camp. He learns the Roman General Crassus has captured and imprisoned Medusa. Crassus manipulates her power into a weapon that turns people into stone. Our Spartan hero saves the day by destroying the weapon and killing Medusa and Crassus.
Spartan Magical Weapons
Upon Ares’ instructions to recover the Spear of Achilles in the ruins of Troy, the Spartan encounters Beowulf and is forced to do battle. Beowulf’s death grants the Spartan his unique war hammer, Deathbiter. After fighting through skeleton-filled ruins to obtain Achilles’ Spear, the Spartan must defeat an exact replica of himself. He defeats the copy and escapes the ruins.
The Spartan learns that Sparta has fallen. Suddenly, a large hydra appears and the Spartan uses the Spear to quell the beast. In Athens, a powerful necromancer, Sejanus, revives a skeletal dragon named Ladon. Using Archimedes’ invention, the Eye of Apollo, the Spartan strikes down Ladon using a lightning rod. Sejanus is executed shortly after.
Minotaur of Rome
With a plan to assassinate Emperor Tiberius, Spartan and friends arrive in Rome by infiltrating the catacombs. The famed mythological Minotaur lurks in the catacomb sewers and is defeated after attacking the Spartan. The group’s assassination plan is somewhat successful; Tiberius is cornered. He then commits suicide out of fear of an unknown master.
God of War, Ares
The Spartan enters the Roman coliseum where he finally meets Ares face-to-face. Ares tells the warrior a story—the Spartan warrior is the son of one of Aphrodite’s handmaidens. This particular handmaiden told Aphrodite’s husband, Hephaestus, of her affair with Ares. Enraged, Ares killed the handmaiden, thus was banished by the other gods. The gods agreed to hide the handmaiden’s son among the humans. He was dropped off as a baby in Sparta and granted superhuman capabilities to protect himself should Ares ever find him.
Since Ares was very spiteful and could not find the boy, Ares manipulated Tiberius and orchestrated the Roman invasion of Greece. Once Ares concludes his monologue, Ares and the Spartan enter a fateful duel. The Spartan slays the fierce God of War, finally able to rest following an epic journey.
Why Do I Gush About Spartan Total Warrior?
Mythology & Powers
Alright, so the story at a glance is honestly pretty cool—a journey across renowned Greek and Roman locations. Fighting in an era of pure mutilation. A lone orphan warrior slowly progressing into the legendary Spartan hero who had slain a god. Purely an amazing feeling at 12 years old! Seriously, what is not to like about dismembering Roman soldiers, fighting mythological beasts, commanding magical powers summoned by the gods, and becoming the literal entity of a Spartan warrior?
Addictive Combat
Now the graphics definitely did not age well after 15 years, but this was one of the first games I remember that showed heads being sliced off the top of their shoulders. There were six different weapons to use: Spartan sword, Blades of Athena (dual blades), Bow, Deathbiter (war hammer), Shield of Medusa, and the Spear of Achilles. All six weapons were imbued with a special power. For instance, casting the Shield of Medusa would transform enemies into stone for a short duration.
Singular and radial attacks were developed for every weapon too. There was also a rage meter that would unleash powerful blows to adversaries once filled. Between weapons, attack variants, powers, and a rage meter, the combat was super addicting! Another awesome component to combat was the number of opponents at once. How Spartan Total Warrior encounters feel are reminiscent of how Dynasty Warriors or Ninety Nine Nights encounters feel.
IGN hosted an interview with Spartan Total Warrior writer, Sophie Blackmore. Sophie’s response sums up how I feel.
“The battles are gargantuan! We have over 170 NPC warriors onscreen, each of them fighting for his life. Every single NPC has their own AI, which includes battle tactics, attack and defense plans, pathfinding routes, etc. It can be quite an overwhelming experience!”
Castro, Juan (August 12, 2005). “Spartan: Total Interview”. IGN.
Video Games Similar to Spartan Total Warrior
- God of War Trilogy—play as Kratos, son of Zeus, and unleash pure rage while epically murdering all types of gods, goddesses, and mythical creatures!
- Ryse: Son of Rome—embrace the role of Roman centurion Marius Titus and wield the sword and shield against deadly foes during the infamous reign of Emperor Nero.
- Darksiders Trilogy—weave yourself in the four horsemen (three horsemen, one horsewoman) of the apocalypse. Play as War, Death, Strife, and Fury on a hack and slash thrill ride between heaven, hell, and earth!
What About You?
I genuinely loved Total Spartan Warrior as a kid. Reflecting back on the game doesn’t change my mind one bit. I still think it was one of the best games to have ever been on the PlayStation2! What about you? Have you played this game? Do you want a remake just as much as I do? Let me know in the comments!
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