God of War is the fifth mainline game that also serves as a reboot / sequel. It was released exclusively for the PS4. While there are small references to past games, it welcomes new players and you won’t lose much if you haven’t played the previous games. Instead of being wrapped around Greek mythology, it uses Norse mythology. Kratos is much older, signified by him having a beard, as well as having a young son, Atreus. He is instantly portrayed as a tough father. The game starts off with him preparing his son to be ready, teaching him the proper way of hunting and fighting.
Whereas Kratos used to be loud and full of anger, shouting at anyone in his way, here, he is constantly grumbling using a low voice. Kratos is more reasonable, as demonstrated with him thinking things through instead of indiscriminately killing everyone he meets on his way. While he is still ruthless, you can tell that he really cares about his son. The combat has been completely revamped. The game is still a third-person action game with a sprinkling of puzzles but the camera focuses much closer to Kratos. Kratos can fight barehanded or with his ax and attacks are mapped to the shoulder buttons. There is a quick light attack, a slower heavy attack, blocks with his retractable shield, as well as aiming to throw and recall his ax. Due to the narrow field of view, the combat feels more personal and enemies will more likely than not be spawning out of view. To help with this, there is an indicator if an enemy is close to Kratos or about to attack.
The game features some light RPG elements. Defeated enemies will provide experience points and these are used to purchase additional skills and abilities for Kratos. These include new moves, boosts to stats, and passive abilities. Atreus can help during the combat since he will fire arrows which stun enemies, as well as distract them from attacking Kratos. Atreus will attack at close range too and the game gives you some control as you can command Atreus to attack. Thankfully, Atreus is invincible and cannot be hurt.
The story starts off revealing that Kratos has been living in the woods with his son and wife. However, his wife has passed away and he is training his son when a stranger comes. After this encounter, we find out that Kratos has cremated his wife and her last wish was to have her ashes spread from the highest peak in the lands, thus Kratos ends up having to travel out of the safe haven.
The story gets grander in scale as it goes along. The father and son will be constantly detouring but their ultimate goal remains the same. The game focuses on the relationship between Kratos and Atreus, especially with how Kratos handles his past in relation to his son. Atreus eventually goes through a rebellious and arrogant phase (despite having low confidence when he was first introduced) and you can see the mistakes that he is making. This phase makes him a bit annoying but thankfully, Atreus is a good character that holds his own for the duration of the game.
The Norse gods makes plenty of appearances. The usage of mythology is great and enhances the game, especially if you are familiar with the mythology. Just when you thought the game has broken free of its past, it heavily pulls it back, whether for better or worse. The combat then leans towards more hack and slash like its predecessors and feels a tad bit too familiar. The game is presented with an addictive mix of cinematics, combat, and light puzzles. The puzzles are usually really easy but it is so that it doesn’t break the pacing. There are a few that involves a time limit but most of them just has you walking around to align targets and find levers. However, the game hasn’t lost its flair on epic boss battles. While it takes a while before you get to the first one, it is amazing.
The game is positively massive. Not only are the story areas huge, but there are even more areas that aren’t covered by the story and filled with stuff to find. Each optional area still has the same care and detail put into it. You’ll be facing against mini-bosses, clearing side-quests and doing a lot of looting. The loot will then provide the ingredients to craft new equipment as well as upgrading them. Due to the requirements of the story, the game can’t help but frequently involve backtracking. This can be confusing but the way back usually has something slightly different and more often than not, have shortcuts so you don’t have to do the slow climbing sections again.
The graphics are fantastic, as to be expected. If you have a PS4 Pro, then you’ll have access to two PS4 Pro enhancements. There is a Performance mode which has the game in 1080p but uncapped frame-rates, while Resolution mode will have the game in checkerboard 4K. There is also HDR support.
Unlike the originals, this game is long, easily lasting you 25-50 hours. It’ll be skewed towards the longer end if you are collecting and exploring as much as possible. The ending is interesting and is a fitting end to the journey. It is nice that the ultimate objective doesn’t stray from the initial objective. While the final boss (and antagonist) was a little bit sub-par in terms of the amount of time spent onscreen, it was still a satisfying ending, especially with the revelations. It also settled the rift in the relationship between father and son.
Furthermore, there are optional challenges similar to previous games. A few of these challenges can be frustrating on the higher difficulties and some can feel like it is dragging things out. There is an area where if you die you will lose your progress in the area, all the while you’re on a timer. You will need to balance out between exploration and retreating. It doesn’t help that that portion of the game is tiny and is designed to make you spend a lot of time grinding. It completely ruins the game. There are also various super tough bosses that are the ultimate challenge in the game.
Overall, God of War is an amazing game. It has a great story that not only deeply focuses on the relationship between Kratos and his son Atreus, but is also an emotional final journey as they try to satisfy their loved one’s final wishes. The revamped battle system is fun; the puzzles and exploration are finely balanced. It has managed to take a somewhat stale series by the time of the last release and made it into something completely fresh without losing its roots.
----------------------------------------------------------
For other game reviews, have a look at this page.