RATH'S REVIEWS: God of War

God of War is one of Playstation's most recognizable franchises and it's been on the backburner for a very long time (in gaming years) now.

Ascension, easily the most disappointing of the entire series, released in 2013 (5 years ago for those of you counting) and was met with such mediocre reception that it effectively put the brakes on most future God of War plans. For a series that had seen an all-time classic trilogy of games spanning the PS2 and PS3 era and a couple very strong PSP games, Ascension was a sign that a change of course was needed and that Kratos needed a break.

So the PS4 release came and went. The Ghost of Sparta was really nowhere to be found despite some rumblings in the background that he'd get a new game eventually. One of Sony's premiere studios, Santa Monica, had been quiet for a while and, luckily for the brand and PlayStation, there were more than enough incredible exclusives to take the attention off their most recognizable hero.

Eventually though, God of War released a trailer and announced its comeback. This time with Norse mythology (the original had all been Greek) and now with a son. A lot was unclear to me initially and in full transparency, I was lukewarm about it. Was this a new Kratos? Was this a reboot? Why does he have a son? Would Norse mythology be as captivating as the Greek mythology had been? I had a lot of questions and it was still very early but regardless, as a HUGE fan of God of War I'd be getting the game day 1.

A few weeks before release my hype skyrocketed as early reviews (always a good sign for games) were not only great, but classic. "PS4's Best Exclusive" and "One of this generation's best games" were statements in multiple reviews. I had to play the game and I had to play it now!

Space travel?

With combat like this, you'll be looking
for that light at the end of the tunnel

Now, with many hours (definitely upwards of 30) under my belt, I'll tell you something borderline miraculous about God of War: it just keeps getting better and better. As opposed to most games that begin to die out with interesting/new things to do, God of War has kept me highly intrigued and is one of the few games in recent years that I've wanted to 100%, difficult as it may be. Even after the main story ends (more on that in a bit) there's plenty to do. And I'm still finding new worlds, places, and doors that are locked.

God of War is one of those games in a generation that gives you things you didn't think you wanted or needed with a particular franchise and is a near-genius evolution of keeping Kratos relevant in today's different and more-demanding gaming world. Much like Tomb Raider and last year's Breath of the Wild, it's a re-imagining that needed to happen and not only takes Kratos into the current generation of gaming, but also assures he'll be around for a long time to come (it's currently selling like hot cakes). In other words, it's a classic.

The previous trilogy introduced a very one-note Kratos as the titular character -- often a complaint of later games in the series. It's true, Kratos was all anger and revenge, and not much else. He wanted to punish the gods for taking everything for him and his anger often made him a somewhat dumb character when it came to decision making. Almost miraculously, God of War retroactively makes Kratos a better character even in the original trilogy. It IS the same Kratos and we learn that he's taken some time in his life to evaluate his choices. He's older, wiser, and a father; something the game doesn't take lightly. His past sins haunt him in this new land and he tries to guide his young son, Atreus, to avoid becoming the same man he was. Where the original games were all based in hate and killing, this God of War is a somber tale about remembrance, devotion, and saying goodbye, but also growth. Kratos' new wife, and Atreus' mother, has died and she gave them instructions to scatter her ashes from the highest peak. Sounds simple enough, but the adventure that follows is captivating, long, and resets the God of War franchise on a fantastic new path. This is a mature direction for the series to go and there's so more character development for Kratos in this singular game than there was in the first 4 main games combined. All of his burdens and past ghosts weigh on him heavily and again, retroactively makes him a better character even in earlier games. The story -- driven by the quest to scatter the ashes -- evolves and has enough twists and turns to please God of War fans and make this new Norse world addictively intriguing. There are some surprises in there that the games' marketing has done well to NOT spoil, so I won't either but suffice it to say that the connections to the past add a lot of mystery to the game.

Usually the only time you see this much red
in God of War is as you're ripping someone in half...

"Daddy's gon spank you!"

It's hard to find anywhere to be critical about God of War because it does everything so damn well. It has the quality that we've come to expect from AAA PlayStation exclusives in nearly every facet. That's impressive when, to a certain extent, this is borderline new IP. Sure we still have Kratos and some elements carry over, but this is truly an extensive re-imagining. The biggest change comes with the open world(s) format that's clever and will create obsessive fans looking for every completion secret. The main world is Midgard which is the biggest and it evolves as the game continues, providing you access to new places. Investigating all the side quests and to-dos has never seemed like a chore as I usually have to "earn" my right to gain access to an area. Then you add on that other realms are unlocked throughout the playthrough and the size of the game becomes even more shocking. Hell, there are 2 realms alone that unlock after you beat the story. What other game does that? The answer: many do -- it's called paid DLC. It'll feel weird for a few moments as you realize that God of War, to a certain extent, has given the reins of what you want to go and quest/complete, and there are plenty of times that I spent entire 2-3 hour play sessions exploring and doing side missions. Getting "lost" in the world is its own adventure and a first for God of War which, much like the story, is a mature evolution to set the game back on top of the action/adventure genre.

If you're a fellow graphics whore then these snow FX will blow your damn mind

Crawling out of the past like...

Also new this time around is the switch to Norse mythology. Right off the bat I was already less interested than I was with Greek mythology mainly because A) I knew more about Greek mythology and B) perceived Greek mythology as having more "drama". I'm still fresh to Norse mythology after this game, but it's incredible the amount of teaching that goes on in this game, in the best of ways. Actual stories from Norse legends are explained in full here either by stories told during travel, detailed wood panels hidden throughout the world, the game's quests themselves, or a handful of other methods. You begin to learn that Odin and Thor are a**holes and that many of the gods have the same ego problems as Greek ones did. Where the first games mostly relied on telling Greek mythology through cutscenes, it's clear that there's a lot more core effort put into elaborating on Norse mythology here. And I have to say: it's f*****g cool. The 9 realms are explored, there are more creatures and monsters than you'd ever find in the original games, the weapons are awesome (more on that in a bit), and the mystery of the Norse gods is captivating without being as central as the gods were in recent games. As someone who was highly skeptical of Norse mythology as the direction for God of War, it ends up being clearly the right choice and I can't wait to see how we interact with it in future iterations.

All these new directions become a moot point if the main thing that's come to define God of War isn't up to par though: combat and setpieces. Unfortunately with the latter, comparatively to some of the original trilogies jaw-dropping battles (particularly GoW III), God of War comes up a tad short. I was left wishing there were 2-3 more "big" battle moments and that truly may be the only place this game doesn't deliver quite like it used to.

But combat? Wow.

Looks like art. It's real gameplay. Go ahead, pick your jaw up off the floor.
Also, photo mode FTW...again

NBD. Just getting my ass kicked by a Valkyrie

It's both radically different than the previous games, but yet still very much in the same spirit. It's as if the original trilogy's core gameplay and one of the uber-challenging Dark Souls games had a baby and came out with the perfect blend of fun and challenge. And by God is it gorgeous -- nearly poetic -- to watch. Kratos is outfitted with a new weapon this time: the Leviathan Axe. Immediately it becomes as classic of a weapon as the Blades of Chaos from his earlier life and to say it's "fun" to play with it wold be an understatement. It just feels So. Damn. Good. Much like mjolnir (Thor's hammer) you can throw the axe and retrieve it from anywhere. In and of itself, this action feels, looks, and plays amazingly (though I do secretly wish there was a metallic "clang" that played through the DualShock 4's speakers when Kratos catches it) but battling enemies in this series has never been so satisfying. That's the best word I can think for it. It's still brutal, but the game makes you earn the brutality by beating enemies down using glorious, intricate combos and power moves. Truly, it's what part of makes the game so invigorating and addictive. Even late in the game playthrough you get excited when you hear enemies emerging or see one on the horizon. It's just one more opportunity to etch some poetic justice on the monsters of the Realms (yes Sony, you can use that quote). Even better too is that it's hard. I originally started on Hard mode and got my s**t rocked. Constantly. Switching to normal mode allowed me to actually progress at a reasonable rate but even still I've faced my fair share of challenges. It's rarely frustrating to where I have to take a break (i.e. Rage Quit), but some enemies are just as talented as you are. Valkyries in particular are some of the most significant but satisfying gaming challenges I've faced in my recent gaming years. Beating them is an achievement in and of itself and it all eventually leads to a Queen who I hear is at a whole different level (I'm still not there yet). If the combat was stilted, broken, or even slow this would all be frustrating. But when you know how much ass you can kick, the challenge becomes all the more captivating. I could post a whole review on the combat alone, but rest assured that as you begin to unlock moves and combos it grows into this beautiful, intricate creature that will likely be some of the best you've ever played.

Blood-soaked Kratos. Good to know some things don't change.

A statue of the God of Thunder
provides an ominous environment

Without blowing this up into a longer review than it already is, I'll reiterate my point that every facet of this game is of the highest quality. Somewhat related to combat, the RPG elements of enhancing your weapons and changing your armor and unlocking different moves are perfectly inserted into the game. They aren't overpowering to the point where they redefine the game's genre, but they're welcome as they add for a little more strategy. Plus it's just damn cool to see Kratos in different armor sets. As I'm sure you can tell from the stills I've included, the graphics are possibly the best the PS4 has ever seen. It would be a hard comparison between Uncharted 4 and this game but given that this is "open world" that makes it all the more mind-blowing. The camera, which impressively acts as a "single take" for the whole game, is always focused on Kratos and always returns to him when it chooses to pan elsewhere. It feels intimate and places him, literally, at the center of the game. All performances and mo-cap are some of the industry's best, particularly Kratos himself (Christopher Judge) who gives an award-worthy performance; you'll be calling every small child "BOY!" for the next year. And the music, often a highlight of the original trilogy, is incredible too. Suffice it to say that this game will show off and work your PS4 better than ever before. Got a new 4K TV? Get it some God of War.

The start of an adventure they (and you) will never forget...

As someone who was internally nervous and [now ashamed] less interested than I should have been when the news of this new God of War broke, I can confidently say that it's as good as the series has ever been and probably even better. It's an improvement in nearly every way and now gives us a much more likable, relatable, and mature protagonist. Throw in improved, gorgeous combat, a completely new mythology, the well-implemented evolution to open-world, and an absolute beast of a game technically and you've got an experience that not only begs to be purchased if you have a PS4, but begs you to pick up the system itself if you haven't yet.

CONS

Less "wow" setpieces than previous games. Wish it had a few more "boss" battles that achieved this
A handful of times where Atreus is annoying as a character, but there's good reason for it

PROS

An incredible next step for this series. It's understandable why it took 5 years because they were rebuilding God of War from the ground up
Kratos grows immensely as a character and as a father. There's so much development here that it actually goes as far as to improve him in previous games

The performance by Christopher Judge is award-worthy
Most other performances are strong too

Tells an engrossing tale not like the previous God of War games. Strong themes of family, growth, and fatherhood
Absolutely incredible and addicting combat. Well balanced between fun and challenging with a gorgeous, poetic stream of moves at your disposal
RPG-lite elements are perfectly suited here and not overly forced but add some fun elements to the game
Leviathan Axe throws FTW!
Strong sense of Norse mythology and the game goes to incredible lengths to actually teach you about it. Super interesting and I can't wait to get more
An amazing open world(s) concept that seems to be the gift that just keeps on giving. You will not put this game down anytime soon and it's probably the only game I've played recent years that makes me go "Really?! Another area I haven't been?"
Stunning graphics and effects that are some of the best (if not outright best) the PS4 has ever put out. Prepare to be amazed. Constantly
Poignant and fitting original music
A true example of what it takes sometimes to take a franchise, perhaps one that had stumbled previously, and not only "reboot" it, but create something else better entirely. God of War is an example of a developer challenging everything they had made before in order to make a product that would redefine the brand. Incredible