Kratos is a popular guy these days. God of War fans far and wide know of the Ghost of Sparta and his bloody exploits in Ancient Greece and Scandinavia. As far as character development is concerned, he’s undergone one of the most fundamentally life-altering transformations, shifting from a vengeful god-killer to a remorseful man seeking to guide his son in the wilds of Midgard and the other realms of Nordic myth.
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While Kratos’ notoriety is legendary at this stage, the company he keeps only adds to his glowing resume. Regardless of his appearances in ensemble games that celebrate PlayStation characters such as ModNation Racers or PlayStation All-Stars, Kratos has also been featured among other gaming properties.
Tearaway Unfolded: Crafted Edition
We couldn’t expect anything less from developer Media Molecule. After stitching together a world of color and whimsy for the cutest platforming character yet, Sackboy, they did it again in the arts-and-crafts-themed title, Tearaway Unfolded. In the game, you control a paper doll as you roam around a world that appears to have been made by youngsters in art class.
Tearaway Unfolded: Crafted Edition brings Kratos into the mix. Though, it’s hard to take the character seriously as a burly god of war bent on bloodlust and vengeance when he is just so gosh darn adorable.
Hot Shots Golf: Out Of Bounds
Hot Shots Golf: Out of Bounds, or Everybody’s Golf: World Tour as those outside of North America know it, was launched exclusively on the PlayStation 3 in 2008. And, as one would expect from a PlayStation-exclusive series, one of the brand’s biggest mascots is a playable character in this game.
Kratos enters the green as a DLC character. Once you get over Kratos’ large head and disproportionate visage being added to the cartoony atmosphere of Hot Shots Golf, prepare yourself for another chuckle when he whips out his Clubs of Chaos. Instead of a traditional golf club, his are attached to chains — obviously.
Mortal Kombat (2011)
No crossover makes more sense than Kratos’ entrance in the Mortal Kombat tournament. His bloody method of pummeling and shredding his foes to pieces is right at home in NetherRealm’s semi-rebooted foray back into the world of Mortal Kombat.
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Kratos brings all the tools of his trade to the kombat arena, wielding them with extreme prejudice as he juggles foes with deadly combos. And when you’ve finally brought your foe to the brink, whip out a Gorgon head, freeze your enemy in stone, and smash them to bits with the Nemean Cestus. Fatality, indeed.
The Simpsons Game
Kratos may not physically appear in Springfield, but he does still manage to have a cameo appearance of sorts in The Simpsons Game that hit the shelves in 2007. At the wharf, you can see a billboard advertisement featuring the God of War, or, um, the God of Wharf, using his Spoons of Chaos to eat hot chowder.
This parody billboard is prime real estate for the time considering this came just after the release of God of War II. You probably never thought you’d see Kratos drawn as a Simpsons character, did you?
The Little Big Planet Series
Kratos has a solid relationship with the Sackpeople of the Little Big Planet world. Little Big Planet and Sackboy: A Big Adventure are filled to the brim with outfits for your little avatar. Ever since the original game’s release, costumes featuring many of Sony’s first-party characters have been available for your own personal Sackperson. Kratos is absolutely numbered among them. And just like Tearaway Unfolded, he couldn’t get much cuter.
Little Big Planet’s spin-off title Sackboy: A Big Adventure also eventually earned the Nordic version of Kratos as a free downloaded costume as well as his son, Atreus, and Freya. So, the Ghost of Sparta is a familiar sight in the Sackboy universe.
Fortnite
Fortnite is, perhaps, the biggest name in crossovers these days. Skins of licensed characters are constantly added to the ongoing multiplayer romp that are just too good to pass up. Ever since the game’s foray into the realm of battle royale, the developer has unleashed a steady stream of licensed characters, ranging from Star Wars to Halo. And, of course, the God of War gets his due, also.
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So, saddle up and witness Kratos dance in the goofiest, most out-of-character display yet while taking on the likes of the Doom Slayer, John Wick, or Geralt. What a wild world Fortnite has become.
Astro’s Playroom
In all fairness, it’d be totally absurd for Kratos to not appear in Astro’s Playroom in some capacity. After all, the entire game is a celebration of all things Sony PlayStation. The game is a freebie for new owners of a PS5, and it uses its gameplay to demonstrate the capabilities of the DualSense controller.
At one point, you can take your little Astro bot for a stroll on the beach and find Kratos and Atreus bot characters in a boat just offshore. In another world within the game, you can locate two bots playing “Bot of War” with a similarly styled title screen from the original game.
Soulcalibur: Broken Destiny
Soulcalibur has become synonymous with its crossover characters over the years, ranging from Link and Darth Vader to Spawn and Geralt. Soulcalibur: Broken Destiny on the PSP also granted players a chance to fight as Kratos. The Ghost of Sparta could appear in both his traditional garb as seen in the Greek-era games, or with the armor he donned in God of War 2.
Soul Caliber is no Mortal Kombat, so Kratos couldn’t be as brutal as his Mortal Kombat counterpart. However, he’s just as ruthless in combat as ever. This is a cameo fighter that is sure to please fans.
Shovel Knight
This ode to pixilated platformers of yesteryear managed to also corral fans of the PS2 era in gaming with a killer Kratos cameo. Of course, this cameo is only available on the PlayStation version of Shovel Knight. However, Kratos is actually more than a simple cameo. He is an optional boss fight.
It really is quite thrilling to go toe-to-toe with the Ghost of Sparta with the digitized soundtrack of the God of War theme. Defeating Kratos will set you on the path to obtaining the Armor of Chaos which is aptly named. It’ll also net you the Grave Digger’s Shovel – a reference that fans of the original God of War (2005) will understand.