Let’s see, I haven’t been playing anything interesting lately. A while back I tried to get into Nioh, a samurai soulslike that stuck closer to Souls roots than Sekiro. I thought it was pretty good at first until I faced off against bosses with a lot of cheap one shot kills and after week three I didn’t want to play anymore of it. Then I tried Children of Morta, a dungeon crawling roguelike with a strong narrative. It’s good at telling a story and developing characters, but gameplay wise it was clearly designed to be played with a friend because playing alone it is very unforgiving. Recently I’ve been playing through Final Fantasy 7 Remake. The story is interesting, I like the characters, cinematography is great, and the combat is okay. Until you have to manage three characters at once because that's when the combat gets annoying, and the game takes a while to get to the thrilling parts. So with nothing new to talk about I decided to review a game I played a year or two ago. How about the first game I bought for the Playstation 4?
At the beginning of the 20th century, Sony came out with the Playstation 2. It had a strong marketing campaign, better hardware than the original Playstation, and outsold many other consoles at the time. What helped the Playstation 2 stand out was it’s strong library of games and third party support. It had Metal Gear Solid 2, Silent Hill 2, Resident Evil 4, Devil May Cry, Shadow of The Colossus, Twisted Metal: Black, and many other hits. It’s thanks to these landmark titles that the Playstation 2 became one of the best selling consoles of all time. One game on the Playstation 2 that Sony really had their eye on was God of War. Starting production in 2002, the original God of War was developed by a team named Santa Monica Studio. They originally planned to call the game Dark Odyssey, since it would follow the tale of a greek warrior slaying greek gods. Santa Monica wanted to combine the high octane combat of Devil May Cry with the platforming challenges and deep storytelling of Ico. Eventually they pitched their idea to Sony, and Sony being open to new ideas and selling points for their console gave them the funding they needed to make the game. Santa Monica spent days working on their new project and this led to them making God of War. The dawn of a legacy.
God of War finally came out in 2005, and it turned out to be an absolute banger. Critics alike praised God of War for it’s writing, originality, and how different it was from other games. God of War received several perfect scores, and was announced one of the greatest games of all time. Santa Monica followed it up with God of War 2, which also turned out to be a critical hit. They released several spin offs which also did pretty well, and the last mainline game in the franchise was God of War 3 back in 2010. Ever since God of War 3, a mainline entry was never seen again. Santa Monica took some time off from the series and tried to think where to take God of War next.
After four years, Santa Monica finally figured out what to do. Rather than make another hack n’ slash adventure, they wanted to completely redo God of War. Change the combat, change the world, change the tone, and change the overall formula. Rather than face the greek gods with utter rage, they wanted Kratos to have emotions and face the fierce gods of norse mythology. In 2016, Santa Monica revealed their new game named after the original, God of War. They showcased what the game would look like, how it would play, and what exciting new tale would lay before the player. Of course this new God of War wasn’t finished just yet, as Santa Monica wanted this to be their best game yet. In 2018, the new God of War finally emerged and it was fantastic.
Not only did it live up to expectations, but it completely blew the crowd away. The Triple A industry up until that point was going through pretty bumpy terrain. Some companies were publishing incomplete games, forcing loads of microtransactions and monetization into their games, and focusing more on making big budget multiplayer games rather than wholesome story focsed experiences. God of War (2018) was the game that proved those companies, specifically EA and Activision, were wrong. Every aspect of the game was praised, many considered it to be a masterpiece and one of the best games of the year. It was just one of the best single player games to come out in years and was the perfect example of how to make a Triple A game. I decided to replay God of War (2018) earlier this year and I can safely say it still holds up after three years upon release. It's not one of my favorite video games ever made, but it has earned it's title as a masterpiece in both storytelling, presentation, and gameplay. Today we’ll be talking about why I love God of War (2018) and how it still holds up to this day. Bellows of pain and scrapping of chains. The echoes they taunt and deceive me. Ocean of blame and rivers of shame. The fury it never leaves me.
Story
The game takes place several decades after the events of God of War 3. Kratos has killed countless Greek gods. Ares the previous God of War, Hades the lord of the underworld, Poseidon the god of the sea, Apollo the god of the sun, Hercules the son of Zeus, his father Zeus, and even himself to prevent the entire world from running rampant with corruption and evil created by the gods. However he didn’t die. He ended up in Norway, a place located in the realm of Midgard. There he met a kind woman named Faye, and together they had a child. That child was given the name Atreus.
Several years pass and Faye has died for an unknown reason. We see Kratos and Atreus burning her body on a stack of logs and collecting her ashes into a small pouch. Faye’s dying wish was to carry her ashes to the highest peak in the realm and scatter them into the air and Kratos, cherishing his new family more than ever, makes a promise to her. Atreus who I’m gonna guess is about twelve years old has been trained by his father his entire life, and Kratos tests Atreus to see if he is capable of climbing the peak with him. During the test they are attacked by enemies, specifically Draugers. Rotten corpses brought back to life by raging spirits. During the fight Atreus loses control of his emotions and goes into a fit of rage. Kratos realizes that Atreus is not capable of climbing the peak with him, saying that if he can’t control his emotions during battle then he’ll be cut down very quickly. Kratos tells Atreus to stay home while he climbs the peak, but before he leaves he is visited by a random stranger.
I’m not going to spoil who it is, but I am gonna tell you it’s a stranger with godlike power, is related to the norse gods, and doesn't want Kratos climbing the peak and scattering Faye’s ashes. After a colossal battle, Kratos defeats the stranger and realizes that several other challenges may stand in his way. He decides to bring Atreus with him, thinking that overtime he may learn a thing or two about control. Along their journey they meet Freya, a witch who lives in the woods and has the ability to control life. Atreus trusts the woman, but Kratos knows that secretly she is one of the norse gods. Freya sends Atreus outside her humble abode, and tells Kratos that she knows he isn’t from Midgard. Odin , the god of the realm, and his children will stand in his way until he and Atreus either give up on their journey or die trying to reach the highest peak. Kratos is still determined to scatter his wife’s ashes, so he grabs Atreus and continues with his journey. Together the both of them will chop down hordes of monsters, make unlikely allies, and even traverse countless realms all to eventually reach the highest peak in the realm. Yet, something from Kratos' past has come back to haunt him. To seep deep into his skin and remind him of all the sins he has committed. Pour out the anger and hide it away. Lest it spill to the blameless and lead them to pain. In the steel and the rags I will cover the shame. So the innocent need not be judged in my name.
Gameplay
There are several elements that make God of War (2018) such a satisfying game to play. One of those elements being the combat, and is some of the best third person action I've seen besides Bloodborne. Previous games were more fast paced focused. They were more similar in vein to older action titles like Devil May Cry or recently the Bayonetta series. They had meters which ranked you on how long you could perform combos, and it was more about how long you could juggle a huge group of enemies without being overwhelmed. The new God of War isn't in that sense anymore. It took influence from modern action titles and made a combat system that was much slower paced. This may anger fans who were fans of the original combat as it pushed them towards their limit. However, it still feels like an epic God of War styled fight despite seeing a drastic change. You are still being surrounded by foes in huge hordes and you have to prioritize who to cut down before the player can be overwhelmed.
It’s about creating a playstyle you know will work best, observing your enemies, knowing which one will be more annoying to deal with, and learning when to strike at the right time using your most powerful attacks. The main director, Cory Barlog, stated during an interview that the new God of War took heavy inspiration from the Dark Souls series. How fights were slower, but more methodical due to how the player had to make full use of their arsenal. They even copied a similar control layout to Dark Souls. Light attacks are performed by pressing R1, and strong attacks can be performed by pressing R2. Pressing the block button at the right time let’s you parry, and you mostly dodge roll and sidestep from enemy attacks. A sidestep is much quicker and allows you to immediately follow up with an attack, but a dodge roll offers for invincibility time although is much slower and you can't get up as quickly to perform another attack.
To fight foes, Kratos has armed himself with a new norse themed frost weapon known as the Leviathan Axe and by understanding how this weapon works it can serve multiple purposes. Kratos swings this axe ever so fluidly, each attack is done in quick succession to one another, and it feels like you're getting ready to slam it down onto your foes. Performing a charged attack alone let's you feel the weight of the axe as it's lodged deep into the skin of your enemies. The Leviathan Axe can be thrown to attack from afar, making quick work of enemies like archers or spell casters. Kratos can then call back the Leviathan Axe whenever he wants to, meaning the amount of times he can throw and recall the axe aren’t limited. Remember the Leviathan Axe also deals frost damage, meaning it can be effective against fiery foes you encounter later in the game who are immune to all damage types. There's even a boss later on where you have to alternate between using the Leviathan axe and another weapon we'll address shortly. The Leviathan Axe is also pretty useful outside of combat. Some puzzles will have levers that turn a set of gears, but when you let go the gears turn back to their original state. If you throw the Leviathan Axe at the gears they will freeze, and seeing how you can call back the axe whenever you want you can keep the gears in place as long as you need to. Some objects like jars or fans that open up special treasure chests can only be reached by throwing the Leviathan Axe, so you’ll be encouraged to use it.
However, there are certain enemies that may be immune to the Leviathan Axe’s frost damage, so you’ll have to beat them down using your bare fists. Your bare fists attack are no much quicker than the Leviathan Axe and can damage any type of enemy no matter their resistances, but the downside is that it doesn't do as much damage as the axe. It does make sense thought, because if you have a quicker weapon then it must deal less damage so that you don't easily overpower foes. It's called having a balanced video game. Kratos is also outfitted with a shield which simply blocks attacks, but if you simply hold down on the block button then you run the risk of enemies breaking through your defenses. Instead you can parry at the right time, which no only protects you but easily exposes an enemy for crucial damage. Killing enemies and taking deadly blows can increase Kratos’ stress levels, and that’s why Kratos has a rage meter where all the stress goes. By activating the rage meter, Kratos enters a short state of rage where he becomes invincible, unleashes a flurry of blows with his fists, regains health with each hit, and is able to down multiple foes within seconds. Rage mode only stays active for a few seconds, because after that it’s back to fighting normally.
There's one final weapon which Kratos has on him. A lot of you may know what it is as it's iconic to the franchise and it's been show around online. Halfway through the story you unlock the Blades of Chaos. The flaming daggers which Kratos was once gifted to kill the gods of Olympus as it was the only weapon capable of doing so. These blades have wider range than your other weapons, can attack in quick succession similar to your fists, apply fire damage to foes, and can be used to grapple enemies towards you for punishment. Similar to the Leviathan Axe it too can serve purposes outside of combat. There's this one area where you must absorb wind using these blades to open up gateways to progress. Okay so maybe they aren't used as well as the Leviathan Axe, but the time they are brought into the story is done extremely well. This is where we dive into the writing for a bit. Atreus falls unconscious from a mysterious illness caused by trying to activate his godly powers, and the only way to cure this illness is to slay a monster lying in Helheim, the underworld. Everything down their is dead including the monster, so the axe and fists which Kratos uses is ineffective. Then Kratos remembers a weapon from his past. The blades designed to kill gods and beings beyond the realm of living. This results in Kratos returning home, but along the way he is visited by a vision of Athena. The greek goddess of wisdom who used to aid him in his journey. She taunts him over his past and reminds him he will always be a monster. It's a point where the new God of War pays respect to the past. Kratos knows this, but is able to push onward as the monster he was no longer exists. It's really a well executed moment, because it serves not as fan service but to contribute to the current narrative.
I almost forgot to mention Atreus or what the name Kratos mostly refers to him as, "boy". Atreus can shoot arrows at enemies, which not only leaves them open for attacks but can inflict certain ailments. Shock arrows to stun them and light arrows to dazzle them. Otherwise they're both the same in nature. Everytime you overcome a battle you gain experience points, hacksilver, and sometimes special minerals. Experience points can be used to unlock new skills and combos for Kratos, opening up more options for battle. Attacking while running, shaking the ground by violently slamming on it, throwing a miniature cyclone attack, or charging up a powerful swing that kills most basic foes instantly. There are three skill categories and they all prioritize one of your three weapons. There's also a skill tree for Atreus which makes his arrows more potent. Your hacksilver can be spent at two dwarven blacksmiths, Brock and Sindri, both of whom are brothers and just so happen to be the ones who forged the Leviathan Axe. They can upgrade your weapons, armor, or forge you new equipment if you have come with the right materials. Armor plays a big role in God of War, because it’s what affects your stats. You don’t level up stats which is for how the armor system is going for an RPG approach, but trying to grind the experience points to level up each category sounds tedious now that I think about it. By equipping certain pieces of armor you can choose what stats you want to increase. You can have high attack power, high defense, a higher health bar, or better runic attacks. Might as well address those quickly.
Runes are special perks that you can equip to your armor. They give Kratos special skills which can be activated during combat. These skills are extremely powerful and when used at the right time they can make quick work of foes. They include buffing your axe for a short period of time, sending out a wave of ice, performing a whirlwind which sucks opponents in, smashing your axe down onto the ground repeatedly, and more. They don't just apply to the axe, but other weapons. The Blades of Chaos can have a powerful slam or an attack that causes an explosion which is cool. Well that's all I have to say about combat, so now it’s time to talk about exploration.
The game does reward you for going off the beaten path. Once you enter the open ended Lake of Nine you unlock multiple locations to sail towards. There are treasure chests that give you new gear, optional bosses, side quests, dragons to set free, and Iounn’s Apples and Horns of Blood Mead which are needed to increase Kratos’ maximum health and rage meter. As you progress through the game you unlock new realms to explore, each one containing different environments and races. I don’t want to spoil them, but I am going to say it changes up the pace. Besides that there isn't much else to say. God of War (2018) is the perfect example of how to make a Triple A game. Feels good, plays good, and damn does it feel complete. Hopefully you can reach the top of the realms, spread your wife's ashes, and move on from the past.
Long I've suffered the hunger. Long I've silenced the cries. Long I fled from the thunder. To ascend, still I try. To carry the pain. To keep it contained till the end.
Thoughts
Well this review has gone on longer than it should have, so I’m just going to say it one more time. God of War (2018) is a brilliant game. It takes bold strokes towards a new direction and it does so brilliantly. Santa Monica could have made an entirely new IP because this game feels very differently from the original games. Yet, they decided to stick with the character they grew to know over the years and deliver a story which both the new and older audience can enjoy. Balance as we all call it.
The gameplay is badass, having a good amount of challenge but never reaching that level of confusion or frustration. Some fans may like the original few games’ combat better because it was more skill based, rewarded the player for mastery and getting better, and was more fluid. The new combat system is much slower, but I think it’s still really good. Every attack has a sense of force to them and when a hit lands it feels impactful. The graphics are beautiful as each location becomes more stunning than the last. I thought the entire game would take place in snowy regions, but that doubt was reassured when I ended up in a realm full of blossoms and heavenly lights. There is a butt ton of content and most of it is worthwhile. Most games would add in extra content through DLC or updates, but God of War (2018) is a complete package once you download the game. Something I wish to see more from the Triple A industry.
What makes God of War (2018) so memorable though is its incredible writing. I haven’t played the original three games, but from what I can tell Kratos was characterized mainly from his anger. A once peaceful man now distraught by the acts the gods of Greece forced him to commit. Well in God of War (2018) they made him a calmer and gentler person. This may anger some fans of the original game who constantly thought the original already had character and this one transforms him into the modern stereotypical video game dad with a beard and deep voice, but to me I love this new Kratos. He gets to show all the pain he’s gone through and the decisions he has to make. He’s trying to teach Atreus to defend himself and choose what is best, so that if something were to happen to him Atreus can become a fighter for peace and justice. Kratos is not only trying to preserve what he has now, but also let go of his brutal past. My father has taught me a lot of things throughout my life and sometimes he can be very strict with his ideas, but deep down I know he cares about me and my sister. Wanting to know we are able to take care of ourselves when dumped into the world.
After almost two years I still believe God of War (2018) is a masterpiece. I do have a few problems with this game which were noticed during the second playthrough, but they aren’t major problems which detract from the experience. Some of the climbing sequences can break the flow of gameplay. However, I didn't mind this as well as the boat sections. The boat sections I actually liked, because during those peaceful moments Kratos and Atreus would have conversations and despite them feeling meaningless they actually develop character. Not only that, but they help offer downtime in between long and challenging fights. The sorcerers that quickly teleport away and enemies with shields can be annoying at times, but they never come in large pairings. Most combat scenarios have like one or two of them which is fine. Finally the armor system, while fine, doesn't feel needed. However, you don't have to max out a specific to stand a chance later, which makes hunting down crafting resources not a chore and more like an attempt to make the game a little easier.
Besides some of those minor complaints, God of War (2018) is fantastic and I can strongly recommend it to anyone who has a PS4. Who knows if the Playstation 5 will have backwards compatibility, and if so you should still pick it up for this is one the best stories told in a game. Now we just have to cross our figures and pray there will be a sequel. That’s why I give God of War (2018) the high score of 10/10 for being incredible.
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