While there is much to be said about the new God of War, the most important would be that it is one of, if not the, best game in the series. And this is largely because it isn’t like any of the other games in the franchise.
Set in the world of Norse mythology, Santa Monica Studios has sent Kratos on a completely different adventure than what he’s usually used to: being a father. On top of that they’ve completely revamped the gameplay style to make it more action RPG like.
Related: The setting and gameplay of the new GOW!
The graphics of the game never failed to impress me throughout the journey. From the scenery to the characters, to even the smallest actions were expressed beautifully. I really liked the design of the realms you get to explore and how they vastly differ from each other. Level design was also very well thought out with the various ‘puzzles’ you have to solve to either progress or get that treasure chest that’s so near yet so far.
Gameplay is also more refined with new equipment and crafting system. Depending on how you want to play the game you could go for more offensive or defensive equipment or have an all rounded character, making each player’s version of Kratos unique. You also get to hunt for materials throughout the game to craft epic equipment. These new systems added another layer of complexity to compel players to sidetrack off the main story to take on the side quests as well as just wander around the world to look for better materials to craft epic equipment.
Defeating enemies is also very satisfying as each enemy has a certain challenge factor as compared to previous games which were more hack and slash. The various enemies, albeit small, were also designed really well, and the AI proves to be a great challenge.
I would also like to give an honourable mention to the Valkyrie fights that kept me on my feet for hours trying to take down just 1 of the many Valkyries in the game.
The story is definitely where this game shines, I really enjoyed how the relationship between Kratos and his son grew throughout the adventure, Kratos growing from god killer to caring father and Atreus from boy to warrior. The story and the world that was conceived keeps players interested throughout the run of the game.
Unfortunately, I found the last fight and the end pretty underwhelming, but other than that the story was one of the best stories I’ve ever played through.
The voice acting of all the characters was also spot on and I honestly felt the emotions that the characters expressed through out the game.
Overall, God of War is one of the best games I’ve ever played in terms of story, graphics, gameplay and even voice acting.
If you have a chance to pick this game up you should totally jump on it right away. Even if you haven’t played the previous titles you can still enjoy the game as it is technically a fresh start for Kratos and any gaps within the story concerning his past will also be addressed in this game.
God of War releases on the 20th of April and you should be pre-ordering it now for all the bonus stuff!