God of War Review

Mighty

(This review contains minor spoilers!)

          Let me be honest with something from the get-go: this is my first ever game in the God of War franchise. I’ve always been aware about the series and Kratos’ adventure killing his way through Ancient Greece, but this is my first time actually picking up an installment and playing it for myself.

          And man, if this is what I’ve been missing out on all this time, I have some serious catching up to do on my hands.

          God of War is yet another stupendous inclusion to the PS4’s already strong library of Sony-published exclusives. Blending incredibly satisfying gameplay with a very strong and even heartwarming storyline about parenting and what it means to be there for those you care for, this is one of those rare games that somehow manages to juggle both gameplay and storylines with ease.

          That red-tattooed god-murderer Kratos has fled his homeland and his past, instead deciding to settle down and have a quiet, peaceful life in the realms of Norse mythology. But things go awry when his wife passes away, leaving Kratos to face down his most terrifying challenge yet:

          Parenthood.

          His son Atreus has been left without a mother and one hell of a mission before him: journey with his father to bring his mother’s ashes to the highest peak in all the Nine Realms and spread them there. The game starts with the two of them barely getting along or understanding each other, but the growth that builds between the two of them as the story goes along is nothing short of brilliant.

          Think of it as A Goofy Movie but with less fishing and more frost trolls.

          In all seriousness, the relationship between Kratos and Atreus is absolutely the highlight of the entire experience. How they feel about each other is established in the earliest moments of the game, and it goes on a wild ride from there. It’s hard to talk about it without spoiling some of the major story moments and some of the stuff they go through sake over the course of the game, but I will say that if you’re someone that loves games with engaging stories and characters, this one will be right up your alley.

          And even if you’ve never played a God of War game before, have no fear. This game is clearly meant to be a soft-reboot of the franchise. While Kratos’ past is a part of the story, you don’t need an encyclopedic knowledge of his life to understand what’s going on. Everything is explained in a way that new fans can easily pick up what happened in the franchise before this point while still mainly focusing on this new game’s main story of Kratos and Atreus.

          Graphically this game is nothing short of gorgeous. I played it on a standard PS4 and even then it blew my mind. The landscapes look like photographs, that’s how good they look. It’s honestly stunning.

          Unfortunately with great graphical prowess comes a disappointing amount of graphical issues. I noticed a lot of stuttering, particularly in certain cutscenes and when a lot was happening onscreen at once. There were also times when graphical textures took a little bit of time to appear. I particularly remember the water texture being especially finicky. Maybe it’s just because I played on the standard PS4 instead of the PS4 Pro, but that shouldn’t be an excuse, especially as 4K gaming is still in its infancy.

          I can’t say enough good things about the sound design and music. Composed by Bear McCreary of Battlestar Galactica, Walking Dead and Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D fame, the music is often what captures the most emotion on the journey. It can be both big and intimidating, but it also knows when to be quiet and peaceful. Just like how the game itself expertly juggles story and gameplay, McCreary juggles the epic tones that suit Kratos to the quieter melodies for Atreus with mastery.

          And now let’s move on to the big enchilada: the gameplay. As a first-timer to this franchise I have no frame of reference comparing it to any previous installments, but let me just say that I had a ball with the combat in the game.

          I was actually a little nervous about this game in the pre-release stage because of some videos I saw of the combat. It just looked like your typical beat-‘em-up, where you hack your way through one guy, then the next, then the next, and so on and so on. Upon the insistence of the many 10/10s this game received I made the purchase, but I thought my fears had been realized after I trounced the tutorial boss by repeating a single attack over and over until he collapsed to his knees.

          Much to my relief, this initial disappointment proved to be incorrect, as the combat in this game is truly a sight to behold. Very quickly you are encouraged to experiment and be creative in destroying your enemies, with many different methods at your disposal from minute one and even more unlocked along the way as you progress through the story and level up Kratos. In order to truly decimate your enemies you must use a combination of Kratos’ new Leviathan Axe, his bare fists of fury, and your partner in Atreus to their fullest potential.

          Speaking of the Leviathan Axe and Atreus, let’s talk about them. Using the Leviathan Axe feels just as awesome as it looks in videos of the game. Much like Thor’s hammer Mjolnir the Axe can be thrown and brought back to Kratos when called, making for use in several clever puzzles as well as lots of fun combat. I adored using my trademark move on early-game enemies: charge up the axe to increase its frost powers, throw it into an enemy to leave it in place, use my fists to take down the others, and then bringing my axe back to my hand to deal the finishing blow. It’s just plain awesome.

          As for Atreus, he is the new standard for what a game’s companion character should be. How many times have we seen a character be one or the other: a character that tags along on your quest to benefit the story but does next to nothing in the gameplay, or a partner character that hangs out with you to help you in battle but has little to no part in the story?

          Atreus is a major participant in both the gameplay and the story, and I found myself feeling that his presence in battle made each fight feel more alive. He doesn’t have any of what I like to call “idiot partner moments”, like when a NPC controlled partner character stands around and does nothing or gets stuck in a corner while you have to handle all the dirty work yourself. Atreus will always be right by your side fighting, and the further you get in the game the better of a partner he becomes. While his bow initially serves as an extra bit of damage, it quickly becomes like an extra weapon you carry at all times with its own bonuses and special abilities. Putting Atreus to work is the key to beating some of the more difficult encounters in the game. It also helps that he’s a fully-fleshed out character that goes through a complete storyline from start to finish, and he’s the type of character you’re really left wanting more of.

          As I said before, God of War is yet another modern gaming masterpiece available on PS4. While I have no real way of telling you if it’s better than the originals or not, I can say that playing this game was a complete joy, and I can’t wait to go back to explore the sidequests and new areas I haven’t seen yet. While it isn’t without faults, especially in the graphical department, overall this game is heavenly.

FINAL SCORE

9/10

Amazing