God of War Ascension was a very weird experiment from 2013.

Two main factors seen to influence its existence: the first is a corporate mandate to make a god of war multiplayer, to surf on the then-growing money printing machine of online games; the second resides in an attempt from Santa Monica to renovate the franchise's moment to moment experience - which can be seen since at least God of War III's variation on the 'hack n' slash' / character action gameplay.

I think the large disinterest on the multiplayer speaks for itself, and personally there's nothing I can add on it, since I didn't play this mode. The problem is that I couldn’t see if eventual changes to accommodate multiplayer might have impacted the overall combat formula of the single-player game itself; nevertheless, its necessary to acknowledge that, at least in part, this game was made to unleash an online death-match version of god of war, and it ultimately didn't work out (what I personally think it’s a very good thing: just imagine all that would be lost if the series pivoted to become multiplayer focused).

To me it seems that the single-player campaign is largely regarded as mediocre - and with reason, since this game is a prequel's prequel and, in this matter, unable to move the story anywhere impactful, as to not mingle with the series' continuity. The fact that a large portion of the tale is told through flashbacks, comprising what it seems to be 80% of the game (with the inexplicable choice of making Kratos amnesiac!), certainly did not helped. God of War as a tale is always characterized by action. Present-tense action.
And this was a shame because from the very beginning, God of War's 'epic' gameplay is moved by what happens in the narrative being communicated to the player - this is a part of the stablished formula.

So we have a very strange game, with touches of a mediocre, B-side, 'AA' joint, but with very high, 'AAA' production value, with impeccable sound design, and coming very late in the ps3's lifespan, bringing a graphical quality that makes the game look like an early ps4 title, like Arkham Knight or Until Dawn. The level of artistry on display here is high, and worth a look by itself.

To this I can add my impression that this game, in its design, constitute the missing link between the old God of War series and the new one, from 2018-2022.
The mix of story and gameplay, the number of changes made to the combat formula, 'QTEs', storytelling and level design, all of it, in retrospect, seen to indicate the intention of breathing new life on the series by completely changing the formula, the narrative themes, and aesthetics of God of War. And by the quality of the games that came after this one, I can say that was a valiant effort, virtuous in its desire to renovate and to not conform, even inside a long running series.

This part of the saga not only ended up closing the book on its initial formula, but it also kind of started the effort to make sense of what exactly was Kratos' Greek-tragedy told in the past titles. How can we make sense of all that late-90's edge, and all the sadism that constituted a relevant part of the series' appeal? Is there any way to see that the violence wasn't, itself, the point? This line of thought appears more prominently in 2018's game, is directly faced in "Ragnarok" on Kratos' character arc, being concluded only in "Valhalla".

Still, the low variety of encounters and environments, and the limited scope of spectacle really bring this game down. This, coupled with some mediocre puzzles, reused bosses, frustrating enemy design, and an incomprehensible lack of traversal and combat options being offered to the player, contradict some of the best elements that made god of war such a popular series, and thus denounce the exhaustion of its old formula, and the necessity for the renovation that came later.

So, I would recommend this game for someone interested in this aspects discussed above, especially in comparing God of War's old incarnation to the new one.

Further expanding some of what was pointed here, I very much recommend Noah Caldwell-Gervais' analysis of the God of War series on his youtube channel.

My primary complaint with older God of War games has been their lack of evolution, so it's ironic that I find Ascension, the largest departure from series' staples, to be the weakest entry. Everything about this game feels unnecessary, from its very existence telling a story that doesn't need to be told to changes such as modifying counter mechanics. It's certainly the best looking PlayStation 3 game I've ever seen and the spectacle is all there, but the gameplay is weaker due to a lack of variety and gameplay design changes which only serve to stifle the flow of combat.

A prequel to the God of War trilogy, Ascension fails to explain it's existence and stands as just a basic God of War title. The story is very non-existent never allowed to unfold itself and is left feeling incompleted, along with the characters never being explored, but the two leads at least remaining likeable, it's only achievement being the setting feeling immersive as always. The audio is way off, as the soundtrack is forgettable and sound effects have no weight, along with voice acting never syncing up, the level design is decent, but is very repetitive, tedious, and boring, with only some memorable setpieces. The art direction is also mixed, as though it's not entirely unappealing, it feels plain and basic, with no real texture or artistic significance. The gameplay is decent and playable, but it doesn't add anything new and when it does, the mechanics are never fully executed, the control rearrangement is also a little wonky and difficulty can be so extreme or light.