Olivia Cavallaro Games 08.03.2022 02:Aug AM EDT

'God Of War' Knock-off Comes to Xbox, Receives Bad Reviews

Fans of the God of War games may be amused (or angry?) to find out that a rip off of the popular Sony action-adventure game is now on Xbox.

Game developers have released something that may or may not appease fans of Sony's God of War, whose sequel is set to be released this November. While God of War is only available on PlayStation, this new knock-off is available on Xbox and is called War Gods Zeus of Child, starring Sony's game character Kratos.

Available for just $4.09 on the Xbox, the God of War knock-off is officially described as "a great war game" in which players can "Destroy all enemies and creatures with the Zeus War Gods of challange [sic]." Players will also be able to launch attacks using various combos and achieve the highest monster kills using the character's gun and weapons.

"Feel the power of the warning god," the game's official description says. War Gods Zeus of Child was developed by a company called Dolaka Ltd., which according to The Verge is also responsible for another blatant ripoff called Dinasaur Falling Survival, based on Fall Guys.

How Was a 'God of War' Knock-off Published on the Xbox Store?

The first question that comes to mind is how did a God of War knock-off escape copyright laws and restrictions on the Xbox store? Eurogamer reported that War Gods Zeus of Child appears to be part of the Xbox Creators Collection, a section on the Xbox Store that is dedicated to selling games that do not have Microsoft's usual certification and approval and does not have any support for Achievements.

The report describes the Creators Collection as "a Wild West for game development." But the God of War knock-off is developed in Unity and features a geometry that is easily broken by heading out of bounds. It also does not feature any in-game music or sound effects.

Rather hilariously, Kratos also does not have any backwards walking animation, so he only glides when trying to walk in reverse.

'God of War' Knock-off Receives Bad Reviews

War Gods Zeus of Child's low game play and visual quality earned several negative comments from those who played it and some media outlets. Kotaku described it as a game that "sucks, looks terrible, and is likely unauthorized by Sony." It added that the game has "no real depth to it" as the player must kill the same enemy over and over again.

The God of War knock-off, which has been on the Xbox store since July 26, also received some harsh comments from GamesRadar, which called it a "hilariously bad" and "boldfaced ripoff" of God of War.

War Gods Zeus of Child appears to be a funny distraction while fans wait for God of War Ragnarök, which is set to arrive on November 9 to PlayStation. The upcoming game, which is set to arrive on both PlayStations 4 and 5, is the ninth installment in the widely followed game series and is a sequel to 2018's God of War.

God of War Ragnarök has been named by several media outlets and gaming journalists as one of the most highly anticipated games of the year.