God of War Review

Kratos and Atreus

Kratos, the Spartan warrior who destroyed the Greek gods, now faces off with the Norse god - IMDB.

Santa Monica does something developers of franchises from the previous console generation couldn't - continue a franchise in the next console generation and manufacture a masterpiece while at it. Futile efforts from Gears of War, Halo Franchises et al have been met with mixed reviews and reactions from the most fervent fans, however, this developer chose to change the status quo and thus redefine who Kratos is, simply by evolution. Kratos, a previous one note, un-relatable and always enraged character has been reshaped. On a journey to fulfil the dying wishes of his wife, now in Scandinavia, our demigod with his son, Atreus, finds himself internally conflicted. This journey shakes Kratos' reality, as he sees what may become of his child if he doesn't guide him as a father, but how will he be able to? He had no father of his own to do the same. This is not an experience to scratch off the Bucket List, but an avenue for Kratos to rediscover his humanity.

The Norse mythos lives and breathes in this very-detailed constructed world, where interaction and exploration spurs an innate sense of discovery. God of War returns to its aggressive, visceral and scenic combat, but with a slight alteration; the third-person/shoulder camera gives a very direct view to the combat (which is now very grounded and tactical) couple with a purposeful RPG progression system for both Kratos and Atreus.

The seamless, no-cut feature (no loading screens) allows you to enjoy the story, making you soak up everything - the adventures and bonding of a father and son, to the myriad of ensemble characters and villain with their various motivations.

God of War shakes up the entire industry to own up to its mistakes of regurgitating old themes, creating large titles that are actually empty. It shows that linear titles with a focus on story, deep character interactions and a decent gameplay mechanics are still a meaningful medium. It may lose longtime fans, but that's their loss.

In what is tentatively a reboot, we have never seen this kind of character development, and they say you can't change the past - 10/10.