“Everything is different. Try not to dwell on it.”

These are some of the first words that Kratos says to his son, Atreus, in the opening moments of God of War, and while he’s referring to the ever-changing Norse world of Midgard, the developers at Sony Santa Monica could just as easily have been speaking about the franchise.

Kratos, a one-note combustion engine of rage in the original God of War trilogy, has grown up and become a father who’s terrified that he’ll pass his anger on to his son. He can still tear his enemies literally in half – we did that quite a bit in our three hours of hands-on time with the game – but there’s a difference here, an emotional depth and true sense of purpose that was missing from his time scaling Mount Olympus.

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Likewise, God of War’s combat, traversal, and sense of exploration have evolved with the times. Shades of Uncharted, The Last of Us, and even the Dark Souls trilogy show up in interesting and impactful ways, but the phenomenal opening hours feel like so much more than that. Sony Santa Monica has taken the iconic PlayStation franchise and found a way for it to grow up without losing what made it special in the first place.

Everything’s different, but try not to dwell on it, because different can often mean better.

Old Man Kratos

From the second you take control of Kratos in the game’s opening moments (which we won’t spoil here), it’s clear that this is a more thoughtful, tender take on a character who has never been much of either.

The move to Midgard has brought with it a Kratos who is making an effort to be patient, but struggles with keeping his anger beneath the surface. At multiple points in the opening hours of the game, Kratos reaches out a compassionate hand toward his son but then hesitates, a father who truly cares but isn’t yet comfortable showing it. For the first time, a character we’ve only ever known as a literal god feels vulnerable, which makes him the most relatable he’s ever been.

God of War PS4 12 IMAGES

Mechanically, God of War feels much more modern than its predecessors, opting for a minimal HUD instead of flashing combo numbers on screen, and leaning into melee-based combat that’s more reminiscent of Dark Souls than it is God of War. Combat encounters in the first few hours seamlessly teach you the value of being aggressive, using your shield to parry, and strategically prioritizing targets, none of which feels anything like what’s come before.

“ This is a Kratos who feels more well-defined than ever in the story, but more fluid and customizable than ever in gameplay.

Those skills can be further customized with a robust skill tree that lets you upgrade Kratos’ stats and infuse his Leviathan Axe with various runes, plus the ability to purchase armor that changes Kratos’ appearance and can be further upgraded later. This is a Kratos who feels more well-defined than ever in the story, but more fluid and customizable than ever in gameplay.

Like Father, Like Son

As important as Kratos is, the clear center of the story is Atreus, who motivates most of Kratos’ changes and is a pitch perfect foil to his angry father.

In our time with the game, we saw Atreus go from petulant to sullen to paralyzed by fear, and even in just a few hours he’s incredibly endearing. Kratos will do anything to protect him, and as a player, it’s hard not to feel the same way.

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Atreus can perform actions in combat or during exploration, shooting arrows at enemies to distract them, or climbing to higher ground and tossing down ropes for Kratos to climb. He learned various languages from his mother and will often stop to translate runes, moments that make him feel intelligent and useful rather than a burden to escort.

“ The clear center of the story is Atreus, who motivates most of Kratos’ changes and is a pitch perfect foil to his angry father.

enemies that you can’t simply charge at with your axe. One enemy we fought, a revenant who phased in and out of reality, could only be attacked by Kratos after Atreus stunned it with his arrows, one of many useful examples of his usefulness in combat.

As you explore, Atreus’ childlike curiosity and innocence make for an excellent window into a world that feels like danger could be lurking around any corner.

New Realm, Who ‘Dis?

It’s initially jarring how different the look, feel, and tone of the Norse realm of Midgard is from the familiar haunts of Mount Olympus. Snowy mountains and enchanted forests stretch as far as the eye can see, and hide an abundance of puzzles, collectibles, and combat arenas that exist off the main path.

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God of War is a game that rewards your curiosity, patience, and willingness to try something new by constantly dangling a carrot in front of you. Every chest you find, enemy you encounter, and new brutal way in which you dispatch an enemy feeds into the progression system in a really satisfying way. And given how tough and unforgiving the combat can be, you’ll want to upgrade Kratos and Atreus as much as possible.But aside from just working towards a shiny new tunic that raises your defense, the world is full of optional bits of puzzles and lore that help flesh out Midgard’s history, as well as Kratos and Atreus’ backstory. The small slice we played made us incredibly curious to see how God of War deals with the depictions of iconic Norse figures and events that we have in our heads.

“ The final, and perhaps most impressive thing about God of War is the fact that the entire game unfolds in a single, unbroken shot.

Everything is different with God of War this time around, but playing through the opening three hours has solidified the fact that different is exactly what this series needed.

Marty Sliva is a Executive Editor at IGN. A girl he was dating once stepped on his PlayStation 4, and now he no longer owns PT. But don't worry, they broke up. Follow him on Twitter Andrew is IGN's executive editor of news and can't believe how realistic Kratos' nipples look. You can find him rambling about Persona and cute animals on Twitter