Fischer von Erlach, Joseph Emanuel, The Colossus of Rhodes. The Olympian Jupiter. The Dianen Temple at Ephes, 1801 (1693-1742). Photo: Fine Art Images/Heritage Images via Getty Images.

Despite its grandeur, the Colossus was not destined to stand the test of time. In 226 BC, a devastating earthquake struck Rhodes, causing the statue to break at the knees and collapse.

Early in God of War II, after using a ballista to launch him onto the Colossus of Rhodes’s face, Kratos and I begin working our way through its insides. It’s the an inversion of that last ...