Not only is God of War in fact a meaty open-world action-RPG, it also finds an equilibrium that showcases both Kratos’ maturation as a character and the series’ evolution as a whole. With the original games serving as a prologue, this new era’s transformation is a jarring metamorphosis in game design, mechanics and character development.
Up until now, our antihero, Kratos, has been famously one-dimensional and mad as hell at pretty much anything and everything. This new “chapter” in his life rips him from his Greek mythological roots and transplants him into the frigid depths of Norse lore, stripping away his iconic chained Blades of Chaos.
Kratos is now presented as a much more vulnerable demigod (if you can believe it) at the start of God of War, weathered by his shattered past, time and his current familial dilemma. Most importantly, he’s a relatively new dad.
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His son, Atreus, and their fragmented relationship strings the game’s narrative across what feels like an “Alice in Wonderland” trip down the rabbit hole of Norse mythology.
Forcing Kratos to deal with the secrets of his past to prevent a dark future for himself and his son.
God of War is mostly a new beast from the ground up. God of War stands as a departure in more ways than not. Meaning you don’t have to know much about Kratos’ timeline before you start.
New is Kratos’ Leviathan Axe which proves to be a supremely satisfying weapon. It’s got some real weight to it that permeates through the rumble of the controller.
The moment-to-moment action and encounters force you to respect every enemy you come across. Big boss battles feel more in line with what you would remember in past God of War games. It might be steep, but the learning curve is fair.
Let me just say this at last. Simply put, God of War is on a different level. It’s an incredibly impressive and fully realized experience unmatched by anything. I’ve played in recent memory.
