Kratos, the God of War, a man who suffered, a man who fought, a man who made sacrifices, a man who lost it all. It’s not easy portraying a vulnerable and yet extremely powerful character like him. What we’ve seen from Kratos in the past is nothing compared to the man we’re seeing now. Yes, this still is the same Kratos as before but everything about him feels different, he’s not just a merciless god, he’s far more than just that.
God of War, prepare yourself
The God of War franchise is an extremely popular and successful franchise that got a lot of gamers hooked to their PlayStation 2 and PlayStation 3 back in the days. Kratos, the main character of the franchise, was, and still is, one of the most brutal and powerful protagonists you’ll ever control. Where the previous God of War games focussed on brutal combat featuring a lot of blood and violence, this new God of War for PlayStation 4 takes an entirely new direction. When it was first revealed during the E3 of 2016, a lot of fans were disappointed with this new direction. Not only did the franchise leave the Greek mythology behind in favor of the Norse mythology, Kratos also looked a lot softer than before, looking after his young son Atreus. It’s true, this is a different setting but don’t let this fool you, Kratos remains the same brutal character, he just carries the baggage of chaos and destruction that brought him to where he is today.
Right from the start of your gorgeous new adventure, it’s clear, the story is what claims the central role in this game. Yes, the action is still there and it’s as brutal as ever; but it seems like the pacing slowed down a bit, allowing a touching story to unfold in front of your eyes. Personally, I like this new approach, it gives us more insight into one of the most iconic PlayStation characters. Kratos is far more than just this brutal killing machine and the opening of the game couldn’t be any better. No worries, we do not intend to spoil anything about the story since it’s simply too strong and you’ll need to discover it on your own. What we can say, however, is that you’ll be amazed by the opening, it has everything to motivate you. From an emotional loss to a strong father and son moment, and even a mysterious encounter with other powerful characters. The amazing graphics and solid soundtrack take away all doubts. God of War might be going a new direction but Kratos still has to prepare for some deadly and brutal combat.
Take them down close and personal
Since the story takes a more personal approach, the rest of the game simply had to follow. This new God of War makes use of a new dynamic over the shoulder camera. This means you’ll follow the action from a lot closer than ever before. Where older God of War games often zoomed out on the combat, allowing multiple enemies to appear on the screen at once, this God of War stays very close to the action. This means that combat got a lot more intense than before and you’ll really need to fight in order to stay alive. Like other games in this genre, Kratos has a light and heavy attack, both can be used with the shoulder buttons. The other shoulder buttons are used for your shield while the action buttons are used to call in the help of your son or to dodge deadly attacks. At first, you’ll need to get used to this new way of controlling Kratos but after you understand it completely, you’ll never want to go back to the old ways.
The big star of the combat is Kratos’s Leviathan Axe, a mythical Axe created by the Huldra Brothers, who also forged Thor’s hammer, Mjölnir. The Axe resembles the Hammer in many ways, the biggest thing being it also returns to the hand of its owner once thrown. This new axe is the centerpiece of combat in God of War and it’s simply an amazing new tool to use. You can use it as a standard weapon to inflict light and heavy attacks are you can easily throw it at your enemies, using it as a long-range weapon. What I like to do most of the times is throwing it at an enemy while hitting the other enemy when it boomerangs back to my hand. During the first moments of the game, it felt like the axe was a bit overpowered but soon you’ll face enemies who are invulnerable to your magical axe. Throwing your axe away and fighting with your bare fists is always a solution for that problem. The combat in God of War is fast, bloody, and strategic at the same time.
Santa Monica Studio managed to reinvent an iconic world
More strategic combat
Unlike the older God of War games where button mashing and Quick Time Events seemed all you need to know to survive, this one offers more depth to its combat. Besides your axe, your son is your biggest help. He shoots enemies with his bow when you command him to. The more you advance in the game, the more certain the kid becomes, transforming into a really big help in combat, especially when he shoots those arrow more accurately. For veteran fans of the franchise, this new system will take some adjusting time but after a while, I’m sure everybody will simply adore this new way of combat.
Since there’s a lot more depth to the combat, this also means you’ll have to spend some of your time in menus. God of War allows the players to gather new powerful runes to help them in combat, but also offers a lot of upgrades. Like other modern action games, you’ll find some skilltrees here to max out your abilities, weapons, and gear. There’s also a shop where you can easily upgrade your weapons and gear or forge new ones. Since there are a lot of different enemies you’ll have to face, it’s always a good idea to prepare yourself for combat in the best way possible. A new upgraded weapon or some shiny new gear can easily mean the difference between life and death. Although this system is rather deep compared to other God of War games, they didn’t go overboard with it; all skills and upgrades are manageable and you won’t lose sight of what’s really important. All in all, these upgrades and skill certainly are a nice addition to the overall experience.
You’re in full control
What I really like most of this new approach is the feeling you’re in full control. Since there’s this emotional bonding between the player and the characters; it’s good to know that you truly control their faith. Just like in the good old days, this God of War features some devastating bosses. The story might be more emotional, the bosses remained as brutal as before. From time to time, you’re forced to battle gigantic creatures while figuring out how your axe and your son can help you out in the best way possible. These epic boss fights aren’t a fest of Quick Time Events no longer. The developers made sure that the player has to work hard to bring down these powerful creatures. You’ll need a lot more strategy and a lot more willpower than ever before if you want to bring down these strong Norse creatures. I really liked this a lot and can only applaud this addition of freedom in combat.
Generally speaking, I really adored this Norse theme concerning the enemies. Thanks to this, you simply never know what to expect and you’ll always have to adapt to different situations. The game offers a wide variety of enemies so you’ll be busy learning their weaknesses before you can take them down in your good old bloody Kratos way.
A gorgeous setting
The last thing I would like to point out in my review is just how beautiful this new Norse setting really is. In all honesty, I was getting tired of the Greek mythology and this Norse/Viking theme simply speaks more to me. What I didn’t expect were those gorgeous environments. I played this on a PlayStation 4 Pro and it all looked amazing. From the fog in the forest to the fresh snow in the mountains, this simply has to be my favorite God of War setting yet. The setting alone isn’t the only thing that really makes this game come to life, so are the colorful characters you’ll meet during your story.
As I already said earlier on, I have no intention of spoiling the story for you but this God of War certainly has some of the most memorable characters in the franchise. Some of these will be extremely important to the story while others supply a humoristic note to the emotional story. Santa Monica Studio managed to reinvent an iconic world and made sure everything about it made sense, truly an impressive piece of work.
But… I miss my old God of War
After reading all this, I can imagine some of you are still wondering if this is a game worthy of the God of War name. In my opinion, it certainly is. Sure, there are some rather strange decisions from time to time and it’s true that the boat segments aren’t as thrilling as you would hope for, and why can’t Kratos jump? Certainly, these thoughts appeared in my head while playing the game but they all vanished like thin air when I continued playing. It’s not the God of War game we’ve grown up with but both for newcomers and veterans of the franchise, it feels like a fresh new start. The franchise made the jump to 2018 and even made a new standard for the genre. So no, it’s not the old God of War, it’s even better. Don’t let doubt take away your chance of playing this, it’s simply a new type of masterpiece.
Conclusion:
This God of War isn’t like the older God of War games and that’s simply nothing to worry about. I adore this new direction since it gives us more insight into the humanity of a brutal god, all while exploring a gorgeous new setting. The Norse theme works amazingly well and offers some of the most iconic enemies, locations, and weapons that ever appeared in the franchise. This game is a true masterpiece on PlayStation 4 and should be played by as many people possible. I’m sure not everybody will agree since the game looks and plays a lot differently than before but in my opinion, this is the best thing that could happen to the God of War franchise.
