From Santa Monica Studio and creative director Cory Barlog comes a new beginning for one of gaming’s most recognizable icons. Living as a man outside the shadow of the gods, Kratos must adapt to unfamiliar lands, unexpected threats, and a second chance at being a father. Together with his son Atreus, the pair will venture into the brutal Norse wilds and fight to fulfill a deeply personal quest.
• Bold New Beginning — His vengeance against the Gods of Olympus years behind him, Kratos now lives as a man in the realm of Norse Gods and monsters. It is in this harsh, unforgiving world that he must fight to survive…And teach his son to do the same. This startling reimagining of God of War deconstructs the core elements that defined the series—satisfying combat breathtaking scale and a powerful narrative—and fuses them anew.
• A Second Chance — Kratos is a father again. As mentor and protector to Atreus, a son determined to earn his respect, he is forced to deal with and control the rage that has long defined him while out in a very dangerous world with his son.
• A Darker, More Elemental World — From the marble and columns of ornate Olympus to the gritty forests, mountains, and caves of Pre-Viking Norse lore, this is a distinctly new realm with its own pantheon of creatures, monsters, and gods. With an added emphasis on discovery and exploration, the world will draw players in to explore God of War’s breathtakingly threatening landscape—by far the largest in the franchise.
• Vicious, Physical Combat — With an over the shoulder free camera that brings the player closer to the action than ever before, fights in God of War mirror the pantheon of Norse creatures Kratos will face: grand, gritty, and grueling. A new main weapon and new abilities retain the defining spirit of God of War while presenting a vision of violent conflict that forges new ground in the genre.
*Warning: Minor spoilers ahead!
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A god was born in the PS2
Imagine yourself yourself in the time where the most popular consoles was a Nintendo GameCube, the original Xbox and the Playstation 2. You have a PS2 and you had games like Ratchet and Clank, Jak and Daxter and Sly Cooper. Just like how Mario and Zelda games were exclusive to GameCube while Xbox had Halo, the PS2 also had their own exclusives. There was one game that took a challenge and made most gamers want a PS2 due to gameplay and utilizing the Rated M rating in the same way as Grand Theft Auto. In 2005, a company called Santa Monica Studio created God of War. This game told a story of a warrior in a Greek mythology world where he slaughters monsters and warriors to get revenge on the god of war that made him kill his family. Players got to play as Kratos and experience the thrill of being a spartan warrior and fighting these epic fights.The game would later get a sequel and even get side stories in the PSP. In 2010, it was revealed that the next God of War game was going to be the conclusion of Krato’s bloodthirsty revenge against the gods of Olympus and it was called God of War 3. The game made the jump to the PS3 and it would later be remastered for the PS4 in 2015. Even though Kratos was able to fulfill his destiny, it was not the end for his adventure as Santa Monica Studio had other ideas for him. In 2018, the company came back with the release of God of War (sometimes called God of War 4 or God of War PS4). Kratos came back, but in a whole new world and the game offered new gameplay and story.
Story – A father and son story
Taking place after the events of God of War 3, Kratos lives as a simple man in the land where Norse Mythology exist with a family. With his wife dead, Kratos cremates her body and will fullfil her last wishes. With his son Atreus, Kratos and his son goes on a quest to spread her ashes Jötunheim, the land where giants live. However, as these two travel in the realms of Midgard, Kratos and Atreus will learn about each other and face against perilous threats that will hinder their quest. Atreus is a young boy who wants to earn the respect for his father and be strong like him. However, Kratos has to not only train his son to control his anger, but he also tries to hide his violent past. Throughout the years, Kratos never told his son about his past and he abandoned is old life for his new life. As these two travel, Kratos will do anything to protect his son from his past and enemies who wants to bring them. Together, Kratos and Atreus will explore Midgard and fight adversaries in order complete a last request.
Gameplay – You need an axe and bow and arrow
Unlike the previous games, God of War handles the gameplay differently. Kratos uses an axe called the Leviathan Axe instead of the Blades of Chaos. With the axe, Kratos will be able to slice enemies in both light and heavy combinations in a ice-base attack. Players can toss the axe as a projectile weapon to either attack from afar or freeze puzzles; the axe can return back to him. Kratos is also equipped with a shield called the Guardian Shield in which he can block and counter attacks and also stun enemies in combat. As the story progresses, Kratos will be able to use the Blades of Chaos in order to use fire attacks and wipe out enemies surrounding him. Not really playable but still useful in combat, players can use Atreus for combat. Atreus is an AI character that can be used to attack enemies with his bow and arrows and summon spiritual animals. He doesn’t have a health bar so players don’t have to worry about defending him; however, if he is either trapped or hurt, he is unable to help unless the player saves him or let him recover. With the addition of the game being different than previous titles, this game plays like an open-world game. Players have the option to do side quests and obtain money and items which can be used to craft upgrades and armor. Instead of using red orbs for upgrading weapons, players need to money and material which can be used at some blacksmiths and forge items. Kratos and Atreus can wear armor that gives them perks such as resistance to elemental attacks and increase damage. The game’s camera is fixed where instead of freely exploring the surroundings, the game will focus on whatever Kratos is facing. Added in the game is photo mode. This mode allows gamers to take snapshots of the game and add funny faces for Kratos and even other characters and share in social media.
Review: The journey is the story
Is God of War for the PS4 a great game? As someone who enjoyed the past games, I really did like playing this game. Santa Monica Studios put a lot of work on the characters and story and made it feel like being in a movie. Despite the story taking place after GOW3, this game feels like it could be a standalone game. The game makes subtle references to the previous GOW games, but the game doesn’t heavily rely on them to capture current story’s plot. If you are curious about Krato’s past life, I would either recommend playing at least God of War 3 in order to get understand Krato’s personal struggle in this game. I really like Krato’s character as he went from from a man filled with rage from the past games to a man who understands rage and knows how to control it. Besides him, the other characters in the game are memorable and they stink around and the story makes sure they still relevant. I like Mimir, a head that serves as a guide for Kratos and Atrues in their quest, for his humor and his wise stories. Other characters like Brok and Sindri also adds some fun in the game’s dialogue moments. We have Brok who curses like a sailor and has a rough personality while we have his brother Sindri who is cares about cleanliness and perfection. Atreus was a character that I also grew attached. Unlike his father, Atreus is more vocal and he does most of the talking when interacting the characters. When you first start the game, I feel like Atreus speaks for us and we question everything going on with our surroundings and characters. Overall, the characters in God of War feels really close to real-life people. Visually, the game is a huge step up compared to other titles. The way the world looks almost gives you the feeling of walking in nature and feeling like you are a warrior in your element. The gameplay is an adjustment as it doesn’t rely on the traditional hack and slash combat mechanic. This game makes you analyze and focus on how to take down multiple enemies and giant enemies that can take away chunks of health. In a new world and story, players will have to learn some moves in order to explore a huge world of Midgard. God of War is a huge game and it can be tricky to explore especially if you have to backtrack.
Conclusion
Is God of War (PS4) worth playing? Despite this game being a new installment in the series, I believe this game is worth playing if you enjoy games that with fun action moments and character bonding like a father and son connection. In a whole new world with new features, new and old fans can jump into this game and feel strong as Kratos. The world around this Norse environment feels like being an epic story. To me, the character dynamic between Kratos and Atrues is one of the high points of the game besides the combat. We get to play as a veteran warrior like Kratos and we help mentor a young boy who doesn’t understand the full concept of fighting like a god. The story and gameplay is a cinematic experience. The only thing I can say that would be a negative is that is unless you played the previous games, you might get spoiled about what happened to Kratos in God of War 3 and why is so important to him to hide his past from his son. The game uses new mechanics that handles fighting differently than before and that can be a huge adjust for long time fans. In a series that started from 2005, God of War (PS4) continues to give us a fun way of having god like strength and it gives us the power to understand the world and challenges thrown at us. I can’t wait to experience more adventures with Kratos and Atreus if there are plans for a sequel.
What do you guys think about this game? Comment down below.
Matt-in-the-Hat 