God of War – A Comprehensive Review

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God of War – A Comprehensive Review

‘God of War’ is undoubtedly one of the best games in our generation attributed to top of the class visuals, satisfying exploration, and a brilliant mature storyline combining epic adventure with a profound combat system for an impressive gaming experience. Released in 2018, God of War elevates the franchise to new levels marked by a new beginning for Kratos, who is portrayed as a fascinating man trying to resolve his sins and protect his child from the curse. The game goes to greater length to depict Kratos (a vengeful god) as a character rather than an instrument of violence.

The game sets a new bar for modern action-adventure games incorporating unique familial drama and awe-inspiring mythological epic adventures based on the Norse mythology. God of War gamers are not only tested on their combat skills but also their ability to solve puzzles and develop tactics to overcome enemies. When not fighting, players are required to be canning enough to find treasure chests and mythological texts hidden in mystifying places. This guide will review God of War looking at several aspects that make the game outstanding.

Plot Summary

Over with his vengeance against the gods of Olympus and having killed most of his folks in the original God of War trilogy, Kratos is now a simple man living a quiet life with his son (Atreus) in the lands of Norse Gods surrounded by monsters. In the harsh, exacting lands of Norse Gods, Kratos must now fight to survive. He acts as a mentor and protector of his son and fights to earn his respect. He hopes to resolve his past mistakes to prevent his dark lineage from being passed on to his son.

Following the death of his second wife (Atreus’s mother), Kratos and his son must now fulfill his late wife’s final wish: that her ashes be carried to the highest peak in the realm blown out. The journey to the peak is quite daunting with Kratos having to fight scary, spirited monsters, which include elves, trolls, vivisecting undead soldiers plus other Greek mythological creatures such as Tatzelwurm and a poison-spitting, tunnel-burrowing walrus-tiger hybrid. Kratos also teaches Atreus how to hunt, kill, and survive despite having no clue to be a parent yet. Nonetheless, he is still not the most caring father and doesn’t know how to be supportive at such a time. He is, however, mindful of bonding with his son in the face of his deep-rooted stoicism. Both are depicted to be more concerned with other’s survival rather than killing enemies. The relationship between Kratos and Atreus is portrayed as awkward, perhaps due to their extreme indifferences causing inevitable misunderstandings. However, with time after several instances of trying and failing, they get used to each other, making a formidable team.

Opening Scene

God of War opens up on a sad note with the death of Kratos’s second wife. Kratos is now depicted as a much more vulnerable demigod battered by his shattered past and now facing a familial dilemma. Most importantly, he is a new dad tasked with protecting his son from an impending curse by dealing with his past secrets. Kratos stands shirtless in the snow, chopping down a tree in silence. While he is calm and meditative, he breathes heavily and with a ragged appearance.

In the opening scenes, God of War feels like a totally different game from the franchise-it’s not like a continuation of the original game. However, as you progress with the gameplay, the God of War distinguishing element comes to life with somewhat familiar gods, wars, dead wives, and missions. The Norse mythology is utterly captivating and brings a new element into the game, giving it a modern touch.

The Journey

Throughout the game, you’ll be on a winding yet linear journey. God of War employs an open-world gameplay where players explore an ample open space featuring plenty of optional spaces to explore. Unlike the last God of War trilogy, which was set almost exclusively in a Greek city motif, God of War features a wide range of vibrant, colorful environments from forests and caves to ruins of destroyed temples and cities.

A notable element of the game is that gamers are offered freedom to explore the different locations in the ancient expansive gaming world. The game’s missions occur in linear zones, with players being given freedom of movement via shortcuts and winding paths to earlier locations.

As you progress with the journey, you will collect keys to unlock different paths in the game. Unlike other games such as the Tomb Raider that leverage this mechanism, God of War still employs the “Metroidvania” structure and integrates these mechanisms into puzzles, which are both optional and mandatory. For instance, it’s compulsory to solve certain puzzles to open doors and chests, and therefore players must utilize their puzzle-solving mindset rather than just combat strategy.

To some level, the God of War journey seems to be spiced with the gristle or Game of Thrones evidenced by a skeuomorphic tabletop map, ice zombies, and a dialogue relating to the history of powerful family legacies.

Gameplay

The gameplay is quite simple and straightforward. The game’s central mission is clear: you are Kratos, the eponymous god of war who has to fight and kill mythical monsters through the world of Norse mythology to fulfill your late wife’s final wish. You’re accompanied by your son, Atreus, who acts as your sidekick. The game isn’t solely focused on combat; Kratos is free to explore the expansive world and even focus on parenting. While exploring the surrounding, you can be lucky enough to land exciting surprises in secret rooms or hidden caverns, which makes the game more interesting. Players who explore the environment are rewarded immensely and have a huge chance of completing the mission.

A change from the God of War trilogy, Kratos has a new weapon, the ice-imbued Leviathan Axe, which is suited for the type of fighting in the game. Wide sweeping attacks have been dropped, and now Kratos has to attack from a short distance. As the norm, Kratos accrues enough experience with time employing new skills plus new combos for better-attacking options.

Atreus fights enemies automatically but still can be given useful commands. You can use him to keep enemies off your back or stun enemies during powerful attacks. As the game progresses, he becomes more effective, becoming more accustomed to combat. As the game progresses, you’ll face larger groups of enemies; therefore, you will need more help – a possible explanation for Atreus’s increased combat abilities.

Game Flaws

As with every game, there are some flaws. One notable flaw is with the armor-based leveling system. The gear level is dependent on the average power of Kratos’s four pieces of armor-chest, gauntlets, waist, and a talisman. The issue with the gear level is that it can operate in disregard to the start and even override then at times. This makes it impossible to defeat enemies in particular situations using two or three gear levels.

Another issue is with the gameplay. Some gamers are concerned that the game spends a lot of tie developing anti-climactic confrontations.

Our Final Thoughts

God of War is indeed an outstanding blockbuster based on a story of an eponymous god and his son who set out to fulfill his wife’s final wish, traversing realms, killing mythical monsters, exerting powers, exploring the boundaries of possibility to achieve their goal. The storyline incorporates power and emotion with an interplay of combat for surreal gaming. The father-son relationship in combat elevates the game to greater heights making it among the top modern, hack-slash games on PS4.