God of War: Review

“Has the God of War found a new playground?”

When it comes to the God of War franchise, one thing is usually clear, overwhelming violence and a story reminiscent of a B rated action movie. However as time went on, we were given a better narrative as the Greek saga came to a close. So the question now is… does Kratos’ new adventure into the land of the Norse Gods give new life to what became a stagnant franchise or has it finally quelled the rage of the God of War?

Story

Beginning a few years after the events of God of War 3, you are a much older Kratos on a journey to mourn your wife who has passed. There we are introduced to Atreus, Kratos’ son who is now without his mother and lost. During the campaign, Kratos and his son are traveling to the top of the mountain to deliver her ashes as her final wish. In doing so, you come across all of the creatures of Norse Mythology including Draugrs and Trolls and some of Norse Mythology’s Gods including Balder. When it comes to the story in the God of War franchise, normally we are treated to a rage filled person on a mission, to kill the gods that did him wrong and anything that stands in his way. In this game they did somethings differently. Now you have a companion in your son, Atreus which adds a new dimension to the franchise. Much like you are discovering their new location, you are now watching Kratos discover how to truly be a father for the first time.

God of War (4) has done something that they have never attempted and few other companies have, creating a seamless story experience with very little change between gameplay, cinematics and in game dialogue. However where some have failed, the team at Santa Monica Studios has excelled. They have brought together a seamless story that doesn’t let up from start to finish, making it almost impossible to find that “time to quit” moment and will find you playing for hours before you know it. One thing that is different is the voice acting, Christopher Judge (Teal’c of SG1) voices a new, older Kratos and it couldn’t of been a better choice.

However when it comes to the actual story of the game, I cannot find anything that would be considered wrong with it. It has a deep narrative, amazing voice cast and a concept that keeps you interested from beginning to end. I give the story a 10 out of 10.

Gameplay

With the new God of War, they have decided to use a new control system and gameplay mechanics that you would see in game like Bloodborne and Dark Souls rather than the old lock on and hack n slash that some gamers come to expect with GOW. If you are not a fan or don’t really play those types of games, learning this system could be a complicated process but for those who love that style, this game amps up that system with the brutality that only Kratos’ can bring. Another change is the magic aspect, long gone is the ability to learn new magic spells that rely on a separate mana bar. Instead you now charge up the Leviathan Axe with Rune Stones. Each of these stones can be added to one of two slots and can imbue the axe with different abilities such as a shockwave of frost or a frost slam or even a whirlwind attack that allows the player to tailor Kratos’ fighting style to anything you want; making the game truly a custom fit to your individual play-style.

Just as with the story portion, the team at Santa Monica truly took the time to craft a system that was both fluid yet complex that seamlessly fits together for an experience unlike any other game. With that I give the gameplay a 10 out of 10, truly perfection at its finest.

Graphics

In an ever expanding gaming world, graphics can sometimes be the hardest thing to master, especially where you put time and effort into perfecting your campaign and gameplay. But that’s not the case with God of War, infact when it comes to the graphics, God of War looks good on a regular PS4 and simply awe-inspiring on a PS4 Pro to the argument that where some thought Horizon: Zero Dawn was the pinnacle of perfect graphics has never met the God of War. From start to finish, there is rarely a moment (maybe one or two) where there is a glimpse of a delayed load or a clipping event that deters you from what this team was able to accomplish.

In fact, the graphics in God of War (in my opinion) has set a brand new bar of what a game is able to accomplish in terms of visuals. For that fact, I give the graphics a 10 out of 10.

Final

With an ever changing landscape that points us to a world of only PvP games, God of War returns to chop down any notion that single player games are dying off and he does it with his rage filled fashion. To that end, I give God of War, a perfect 10.

If anyone can show that single player is not dead, it is the God of War himself, bravo to the team at Santa Monica Studios.