"God of War": the series has matured with the paternity of its famous angry warrior
19.4.2018
Translation: machine translated
An almost unrecognisable Kratos is back. The series devoted to the bloodthirsty god of war has been transformed into a touching story of father and son. But don't worry, there's plenty of action to go around.
Who would have thought that the angry, bloodthirsty, epic series with the typical quick time events could turn out like this? Yet story was never an essential element of this game... Losing wife and child = revenge. The logic was simple and enough to kill monsters, demons and gods, and seduce a few damsels in the process.
It's the characters that make the story
The re-release of Santa Monica Studio's game takes a new path. It focuses on the father-son relationship and the shared history of the two characters. Kratos, god of war (Ares abdicated against his will) has swapped the sun of Greece for the cold of the North. The bald, muscular giant no longer travels alone, as he has a son, Atreus. Their relationship is complicated, so don't expect a happy family. It's Atreus' mother - whose body is cremated at the start of the game - who brings them together. The story begins as her ashes are scattered from the top of a mountain. During his journey, Kratos tries to teach his son how to survive in this extremely dangerous world. Indeed, the Norse gods resent the presence of a foreign god of war and put all sorts of obstacles in their way.
The dialogue between Kratos and Atreus and the complexity of their relationship are the game's great strengths. The vengeful god who was once so one-dimensional has to channel his anger and deal with someone other than himself. Santa Monica Studio presents the changes that take place over the course of the game in a very realistic way. The short dialogues between the two battles illustrate particularly well the humanity and fragility of the two protagonists. One detail is a testament to the hard work and passion of the developers: when dialogue is interrupted by action or other scenes, it is not simply cut off abruptly in mid-sentence. Kratos and Atreus say they'll come back to it later, and they keep their promise. The dialogue then resumes in a natural way. "Where did we leave off? Oh yes, we were talking about how Odin fought the Midgard Serpent."
A detail not to be underestimated.
An almost new game
"God of War" is and remains an action game. Although Kratos has swapped his famous chains for a magic axe, he is no less ferocious. Fortunately, the quick time events have disappeared. Even if certain attacks still require good timing, the keys to press no longer appear constantly on the screen. Atreus and his arrows are very useful in battle. Fortunately, it's very autonomous and never tiresome. The combat system takes a while to get going, but it's as stimulating as it is demanding. Opponents aren't sitting around waiting for their turn, as they were in Batman: Arkham. They attack from all sides. The finish moves that eliminate them with one click are annoying, though, as they quickly become repetitive. I would have liked more variation and, above all, faster actions.
While the game is slightly less violent, that doesn't mean Kratos has become cosy. Unlike previous versions, the brutality isn't completely gratuitous. It's much more illustrative of the harshness of the world and shows that Kratos is destined to remain a killing machine.
The new "God of War" isn't exactly open world, but it's light years ahead of the previous version, which was particularly linear. It has several different large areas that are sometimes more open and sometimes very restricted. The areas are big enough to offer some great exploration. The visuals are well worth the effort; God of War is as beautiful as it is varied. On the PS4 pro, you can choose between resolution and performance. I opted for resolution mode. It reduces the frame rate dangerously, but you eventually get used to it. Incidentally, performance mode doesn't reach 60 fps by a long way either. The PS4 pro's fan gets very noisy when you reach the performance limit.
Levelling up, loot, skills and quests
The ability system further increases the variety and modalities of play. Focus, for example, on the invaluable aid of Atreus; you can direct your son indirectly and, if necessary, target your enemies. He then acts as an additional ranged attack. You'll also be able to activate various tricks to handle the axe and shield better.
The new version also comes with loot. Chests filled with new accessories or runes are constantly placed in your path. You'll also find them with your enemies. They improve your equipment. A pair of friendly dwarves also increase the value of your loot. They cost money or experience points, but they're worth it, and not just to reach the main objective. Side quests also allow you to face bosses if you wish and find loot with which to improve even further.
Summary: a good reason to buy a PS4
Even if the giant bosses from the third instalment are missing, this new edition surpasses it in every way. It surprised us with its emotionally rich story. The violence is no longer just there to distract players. Even if the titans have disappeared, the combat system is as ferocious and action-packed as ever. And the axe really does feel massive. The free-form camera, which films continuously throughout the game, never ceases to impress. Santa Monica Studio has pulled it off perfectly. Kratos has aged, but he's still in great shape.
Philipp Rüegg
Senior Editor
Philipp.Rueegg@digitecgalaxus.chBeing the game and gadget geek that I am, working at digitec and Galaxus makes me feel like a kid in a candy shop – but it does take its toll on my wallet. I enjoy tinkering with my PC in Tim Taylor fashion and talking about games on my podcast http://www.onemorelevel.ch. To satisfy my need for speed, I get on my full suspension mountain bike and set out to find some nice trails. My thirst for culture is quenched by deep conversations over a couple of cold ones at the mostly frustrating games of FC Winterthur.
