Written by: Daniel D
Introduction
God of War 2018 is the latest addition to one of Sony’s flagship franchises, it is a soft reboot of the series, it centers around a much older Kratos who has journeyed north after the destruction of the Pantheon to start a new life for himself. The new entry brings with it a host of welcome changes to the formula while still leaving the God-punching, monster killing roots of the series intact.
Game Play
The story itself is one of the most compelling narratives in games to date and the developers have done an excellent job in taking a once larger than life and almost 2-dimensional character and humanizing him, making him more relatable to the player as we watch him develop both as a character and as a father.
Kratos’ interactions with his son, Atreus, who is a constant companion throughout the game, begin as awkward, almost painful exchanges but as the story progresses there are some genuinely touching moments as the pair grow to understand one another and it leaves me looking forward to what comes next.
One of the main ways in which God of war has changed is the game play itself, this time Sony Santa Monica opted to scrap the frantic hack and slash combat of previous titles in the series in favour of a more heavy and deliberate style of combat. This change in the combat is one of the best things about the new God of war as each of Kratos’ attacks feels powerful and it’s unbelievably satisfying to launch enemies off their feet and across the ground after a particularly heavy punch or weapon hit. The combat encounters can still be fast paced despite the more deliberate nature of combat, players must learn when to duck, block and attack while juggling multiple attackers which can make for some challenging fights.
RPG mechanics have been interwoven into the experience, there is now a plethora of side-quests and objectives to accomplish throughout the quite sizable world for players to complete for rewards like armour, crafting materials and resources to upgrade Kratos and Atreus’ abilities.
Kratos and Atreus’ armour and weapons can be upgraded and customised with a variety of talismans, enchantments and Runic Attacks which are special abilities which allow the pair to unleash powerful attacks in combat.
There is a good variety of armour, runic attacks and enchantments that can be obtained meaning that players can customise Kratos and Atreus to fit their playstyle, with a good mix of defensive buffs, crowd control and single target DPS options.
Graphics
Graphically speaking the game is very impressive with crisp textures and intricate set pieces scattered throughout the world. The cinematography used is also very different from the usual techniques seen in other games as the entire game, cutscenes and gameplay is one continuous cut, meaning that, with some exceptions there are no fade outs or loading screens, which, only adds to how immersive and compelling an experience the game is.
God of war’s interpretation of Norse mythology, namely their belief that the world is split into nine distinct realms means that Kratos and Atreus can explore a number of these legendary places. From the scorched volcanic wastes of Muspelheim to the vibrant woodland realm of Alfheim the developers have done an amazing job of making each of the realms look and feel unique.
Audio
From the booming, epic main theme to the stellar voice work, audio is another area where Sony Santa Monica has outdone themselves. The main theme of the soundtrack as well as even the more sombre “Memories of mother” track are some of my favourite pieces of music in recent video games.
Christopher Judge, best known for his role in the television series, Stargate SG-1, has taken over as the voice of Kratos and portrays what I believe is the definitive version of the character, his booming vocals bring the perfect amount of gravitas to the grizzled war God and even when Kratos isn’t shouting and roaring at his next supernatural punching bag, Judge’s voice work is great.
Replay Potential
This entry in the seasoned God of War series is probably the most replayable of the games, outside of the main narrative there are variety of side quests to undertake. Completionists may also like to spend time hunting down all of Odin’s ravens and the various treasure chests scattered across the map. There are also plenty of combat challenges for those players who are craving a real fight, whether they travel to Muspelheim for the trails of Surtr, seek out the imprisoned Valkyries or brave the cursed mists of Niflheim there is something to test each players skill. Post launch the Developers have also added a new game + mode to the game allowing players to carry over their weapons, armour and abilities in order to fight stronger opponents and obtain special new game + exclusive gear.
Conclusion
God of war is my personal pick for Game of the year 2018, it brings together a compelling narrative, an addictive and satisfying game play loop, beautiful visuals and an epic soundtrack. If I had to recommend one game from this year or even this generation of consoles it would probably be this one.
The Gaming TechLits 