20 years later, God of War's original monster art has been revealed: behold this army of stick figures slapped on a whiteboard, no clue Kratos is coming for them

Please remember that an initial sketch should be just that, a simple, quick drawing. Sony Santa Monica has been sharing tidbits of God of War history to celebrate the game’s 20th anniversary, and the latest and final one is that director David Jaffe drew all of the original’s enemies as stick figures on a whiteboard. Buckle up, because they look hilarious.

First up, there’s a big guy with a sword. I think this is meant to be Ares, the god of war you fight at the epic climax of the game. Next up, there’s a stickman with a small sword, and another with a sword and shield. I think these are the legionnaires, the fodder that you fight throughout most of the game. To be fair, they are just gaunt dudes with weapons, so these stick figures are pretty accurate.

Before the enemy characters of God of War took shape, they started as… stick figures!Director David Jaffe sketched the entire enemy cast of God of War on a whiteboard in simple stick-figure form. The team then took those rough doodles and transformed them into the brutal,… pic.twitter.com/UTSm5VCR9iMarch 22, 2025

One of the figures looks like a man doing something unspeakable to a dog, or pig, or some other four-legged animal, but I’m guessing it’s actually an enemy on a mounted crossbow or some other form of siege weapon.

There’s a figure in a dress with long hair that looks to be letting out a screech, so my guess is these are the game’s harpies that fly around and shriek at you before swooping down for an attack. Iteration is important, folks, these drawings were clearly just the first step of many.

The centaur and cerberus are easier to make out because of their shapes, but again, they look very simple here compared to the excellent designs in the final game. There’s a snake-like thing, really it’s just a wiggly tube, that could be a wraith, or it could be the hydra you fight right at the start; it’s honestly too simple a design to tell.

All in all, this is a fascinating look at how game development starts in the early stages – simple, quick ideas that help form a picture in the mind before concept artists and designers go off and turn them into something your parents would actually put up on the fridge.

“Director David Jaffe sketched the entire enemy cast of God of War on a whiteboard in simple stick-figure form,” tweets Santa Monica. “The team then took those rough doodles and transformed them into the brutal, unforgettable foes Kratos would face. Every legend starts somewhere – even as a couple of lines and circles.”

Fans of the game don’t seem to care too much about the sketches, though, they’re just sad that no God of War remake was announced.

“Oh, we need a proper remastered OG God Of War (1-2) – so many memories with those games,” tweets one person.

“We need that entire Greek saga on the PS5. You all seen the demand,” replies another.

I first got into God of War with the PS3 remasters of 1 and 2, and I, too, would love to see these games be playable on a PS5. I much prefer the combat, camera work, and boss fights of the original games and really hope whatever comes next for Kratos takes the gameplay back in that direction. I love the story and performances in the Norse saga, but I miss my cinematic battles. The one-shot camera was cool for a game, but it lost its appeal to me in Ragnarok.

For now, check out all the upcoming video game release dates so you know what to look forward to this year.

Source link