With only a week left before release, Sony has announced one more surprise in store for God of War: Ascension. Today Sony Santa Monica revealed the "Trial of the Gods" mode, a fourth pillar of the game's multiplayer offerings.

As detailed on the PlayStation Blog, Trial of the Gods is a two-player, cooperative time trial mode. You and one friend will tag team against waves of mythological beasts while an hourglass drains of sand. Defeating the monsters adds time to your clock, and beating waves gets you an even greater bonus to your time based on your performance. Reaching the fifth round means you get to face off against a boss.

Experience gained in the mode will go towards the multiplayer experience, but you could also play through it solo. At launch, Trial of the Gods will be available in three maps: Desert of Lost Souls, Forum of Hercules, and Rotunda of Olympus. The blog states that more arenas are planned to come later, but didn't detail any downloadable content plans.