You remember that first boss fight in Attica? The Basilisk? It’s basically the moment everyone realized Sony Santa Monica (and Ready at Dawn) weren't joking around with the PSP’s hardware. Back in 2008, seeing a giant lizard tear apart a city on a screen the size of a candy bar was mind-blowing. Honestly, even today, if you’re firing up an emulator or dusting off your old hardware, the PSP Chains of Olympus walkthrough experience holds up surprisingly well because the combat is so tight.
But man, this game can be a slog if you don't know which chests to hunt for.
Kratos isn’t just angry here; he’s a literal servant of the gods, doing their dirty work while the world goes dark because Morpheus decided to take over. Most people get stuck not on the combat, but on the specific puzzle mechanics involving the Sun Shield or forgetting to backtrack for those Gorgon Eyes. If you miss too many health upgrades early on, the final fight against Persephone becomes a nightmare. Let's get into the weeds of how this actually plays out.
The Siege of Attica: More Than Just Button Mashing
The game kicks off with a literal bang. You’re dropped into Attica to defend it from the Persian Army. This isn't just a tutorial. It’s a test of how well you can parry. If you aren't using the L button to deflect arrows and spear throws right away, you’re going to lose chunks of health that you can't afford to lose before the first checkpoint.
The Persian King is your first real hurdle. He’s slow, but his Efreet magic is annoying. Most players try to stay far away, but the trick is staying right in his face. Use the Plume of Prometheus combo (Square, Square, Triangle). It’s the bread and butter of every God of War game for a reason. Once you beat him, you get the Efreet. Use it. Seriously. It’s the best crowd control tool you have for the first half of the game, especially when you’re swarmed by those annoying cyclops spawns later.
Finding the Missable Stuff
Right after the King, there’s a hallway where the camera angle shifts. Most people just run forward. Don't. Check the corners behind the breakable wooden structures. This is where the game hides the Red Orb chests that let you upgrade your Blades of Chaos early. Upgrading to Level 2 before you even leave Attica makes the Basilisk chase much smoother.
The Basilisk fight itself is a three-part affair. When it’s chewing on the bridge, don't just mash Square. You need to focus on its claws. When it retreats and starts breathing fire from the rooftops, that’s your cue to use the ballista. It's a simple sequence, but if you're playing on God Mode (Hard), one mistimed roll means death.
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The Temple of Helios and the Sun Shield
Once you reach the Temple of Helios, the game changes. It stops being a pure brawler and starts demanding you pay attention to the environment. You're looking for the Sun Shield. This isn't just a defensive tool; it’s the core of the PSP Chains of Olympus walkthrough puzzles.
You'll find it in a central chamber after a fairly easy platforming section. Once you have it, you can reflect projectiles. This is huge. Those statues that shoot beams of light? You have to stand on the pressure plates and time your block to redirect the light into the crystal sockets.
- Pro Tip: If you’re struggling with the statues in the Magma area, remember that you can grab and pull them. You aren't just reflecting light; you’re positioning the reflection points.
The Cave of Olympus is where things get a bit trippy. You’ll meet Eos. She’s trapped, and you need the Primordial Fire. This part of the game introduces the Light of Dawn, which is your ranged magic. It’s basically a magical crossbow. Don't waste your orbs upgrading this until your Blades and the Sun Shield are maxed out. You won't use it enough to justify the cost early on.
The Marathon Through Hades
After you deal with Helios’s carriage, you literally fall into the underworld. This is where the difficulty spikes. The enemies here, like the Harpies and the Shielded Sentries, require specific tactics. You can't just swing your blades at a shielded enemy. You have to use the Sun Shield parry or the heavy Triangle attacks to break their guard.
Crossing the River Styx
The atmosphere here is peak God of War. Dark, moody, and full of platforming sections that will make you swear at your PSP’s analog nub. When you reach the area with the falling pillars, timing is everything. If you jump too early, the crumbling geometry will clip you.
You’ll eventually run into Charon. The first time you fight him, you're supposed to lose. Sort of. It’s a scripted event that lands you in Tartarus. Don't burn through all your magic trying to win that first encounter; save your energy for the escape from the chains.
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Tartarus and the Gauntlet of Zeus
Tartarus is where you find the best weapon in the game: The Gauntlet of Zeus. Once you get this, the Blades of Chaos almost feel redundant. The Gauntlet hits like a truck. It can break through walls, shatter enemy armor, and basically turn Kratos into a one-man wrecking ball.
To get it, you have to navigate the Temple of Zeus and solve the statue puzzles. It involves pulling weights to keep gates open. It’s classic "pull lever, run fast" gameplay. Once the Gauntlet is yours, focus all your Red Orbs into it. An upgraded Gauntlet makes the final boss fight 50% easier.
Why the Gauntlet Matters
The Gauntlet has an overhead smash (hold Triangle) that deals massive area-of-effect damage. When you’re in the fields of Elysium later and getting mobbed by satyrs, this move is a life-saver. Satyrs are notoriously fast and can parry your blades, but they can't parry a giant metal fist coming down on their heads.
The Elysium Twist and the Final Stand
The story takes a turn when Kratos finds his daughter, Calliope. This is the "soul" of the game. You have to give up your powers to be with her. It’s a button-mashing sequence where you push away your weapons. It’s actually pretty heartbreaking for an action game.
But then, Persephone shows up. She’s the one behind the whole "world ending" thing, teamed up with Atlas. To stop her, you have to kill the innocent souls in Elysium to regain your power. It’s grim. It’s Kratos.
Beating Persephone and Atlas
This is a two-phase fight.
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- Phase One: Persephone flies around and throws energy balls. Use the Sun Shield to reflect them back at her. This is why I said the shield is the most important tool. If you try to jump and hit her, she’ll just dash away. Reflect, stun, and then go in with the Gauntlet of Zeus for heavy damage.
- Phase Two: Atlas gets involved. You’ll be on a platform, and you need to dodge his giant hands while still dealing with Persephone. When Atlas slams the ground, jump. When he tries to clap his hands together to crush you, roll toward the camera.
The final sequence involves a QTE (Quick Time Event) to chain Atlas to the world. If you miss the prompts, you start the whole phase over. Stay calm. The timing on the PSP buttons can be a little tighter than on the PS2 or PS3 versions of the series.
Hidden Secrets and Post-Game Content
Most players finish the story and call it a day, but there’s a lot of stuff tucked away in the "Treasures" menu.
- The Challenges of Hades: These are unlocked after you beat the game on any difficulty. They are brutal. One challenge requires you to kill enemies without getting hit a single time.
- Costumes: Completing the game on different difficulties unlocks outfits like the Spud of War. They aren't just cosmetic; they change your stats, giving you infinite magic or higher defense.
- The Lost Files: These are behind-the-scenes videos that show how Ready at Dawn squeezed a PS2-level experience into a handheld.
Actionable Strategy for Your Next Playthrough
To truly master the PSP Chains of Olympus walkthrough path, you need to prioritize your resources. Orbs are finite unless you grind specific spawn points (which is boring).
- Prioritize the Blades to Level 2 immediately. This unlocks the Cyclone of Chaos (L1 + Square), which is essential for handling the bird-men and groups of soldiers.
- Save your orbs for the Gauntlet of Zeus. As soon as you get it in Tartarus, dump everything into it. It outclasses the blades for every boss fight from that point forward.
- Don't ignore the Gorgon Eyes. There are 15 in total, and every 5 eyes increases your health bar. If you enter the Hades section with a base health bar, you will get one-shot by the Cyclops bosses.
- Master the Parry. Clicking the L button right as an attack lands doesn't just block; it slows down time for a split second and allows for a powerful counter-attack. In God Mode, this is the only way to survive.
If you’re stuck on a specific puzzle, like the one with the two statues and the light beams in the Temple of Helios, remember that the "reflect" mechanic only works if you're standing in the light yourself. Kratos acts as the final mirror. Position the statues to hit the pedestals, then stand in the center and hold L. It’s a "eureka" moment that a lot of people miss because they expect the statues to do all the work.
Finish the game, unlock the Bonus Play, and try a run with the Gauntlet of Zeus from the start. It changes the entire flow of the game and makes you feel like the true Ghost of Sparta.