“The cycle ends here. We must be better than this.”

-Kratos

“The following is a contributor post by the Z Note Mage.”

I’d never finished any mainline God of War title before God of War came out for the PlayStation 4. I wasn’t waiting in anticipation for years, unlike its passionate fanbase. When the game released, I didn’t even bat an eye and decided to wait for a few months before picking it up.

After beating all the mainline God of War games on my PlayStation 3 and God of War III Remastered on the PS4 I finally loaded up God of War. The moment the first few minutes rolled in, I was hooked. By the end of it all, it became my favorite exclusive on the PlayStation 4.



Visuals: 10/10

I played this game on the base PlayStation 4 model. Aside from my console preparing to take off, this game looks beautiful. From the white strands of hair on Kratos’ beard to the snow-capped mountains of Midgard, this game doesn’t fail to take you deep into its Norse mythology and not show off its beautiful landscapes and creatures.

The design for each and every object in this game is well-detailed. Each realm has its own unique features and the way enemies look depends on the realm you’re currently in. God of War is definitely one of the games in this generation to push the PlayStation 4 to its limits and fully realize the console’s potential. I won’t cover any spoilers but let me just say that there are some stages further on that look absolutely beautiful.

Character models do not disappoint at all. Sometimes you don’t even need a piece of dialogue to know how Atreus, or any character, might be feeling because we’ve come to a point where games can convey emotions through their facial expression or how they move. It’s astounding. God of War takes full advantage of that to convey the story it’s trying to tell.

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Customizing Kratos is a treat. Some of the armor designs look great and are very unique compared with what I’ve seen in other games. There are some that look odd but it depends on your taste. The Leviathan Axe, other than being a blast to use, has its own unique design and never disappoints. With each hit, it becomes stronger. Seeing that happen in real-time makes the combat all the more thrilling – something God of War games have always nailed. Coupled with the one-shot camera technique, there’s never a dull moment.

God of War is a piece of art. It doesn’t fail to bring life into the world you’re in and its characters. The Norse mythology aspect of it gives it an edge and the advantage of being able to take mythical creatures and locations and presenting them in one game. That takes hard work and talent as well – something Sony Santa Monica have got covered.

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Audio: 10/10

One of the many challenges to overcome was to successfully branch out from the Greek mythology the series had comfortably set itself in and bring players into a completely new setting and age. Music plays a big factor in this since we’re all so accustomed to Kratos’ theme and the raging music that defines the Greek era.

God of War manages to make that transition a smooth one, with its music creating an atmosphere that sets the new identity its created for itself in stone while maintaining the aggressiveness and serious tone the series’ previous scores always had. Bear McCreary has managed to activate my goosebumps whenever I hear his music. It blends itself so well into the narrative of God of War. The music itself has its own story to tell as it plays during cutscenes. Whether it’s Kratos swinging his axe and fighting Draugr with his son or a more heartfelt moment, this game doesn’t fail to put you in the moment and help you feel for these characters with its soundtrack.

Coupled with its fantastic music, the sound design for God of War nails the experience of becoming further attached to the world you’re in. Don’t tell me you don’t find the sound the Leviathan Axe makes when it comes back to you satisfying. It’s the small but detailed sounds that add to the experience you’re getting, from the combat to the world-building. What impressed me was the World Serpent’s speech. Its voice is so chilling and larger-than-life. Its audio design makes it that way. I’m trying to find ways to critique some aspects but I can’t find any that affected my play-through of the game. It’s that good.

The voice acting is absolutely top-notch with brilliant performances from everyone in the cast. Changing Kratos’ voice actor was the best creative choice in terms of where they were going. From a narrative perspective, it really reinforced that Kratos isn’t the man he was before. From the way he talks and his tone, he’s really trying to be better. He does have some slip-ups but he wouldn’t be Kratos if he didn’t. Christopher Judge does a great job with Kratos’ character and really adds the emotion to his voice. Sunny Suljic was my favorite out of the cast – that kid is extremely talented. Atreus goes through an arc like his father. The kid nails his scenes and gets us close to his character, even though Atreus can be a brat. That just shows what a good job Sunny did to make us feel that way.

Gameplay: 9/10

This was one aspect of the game a lot of people were worried about – including me when I first saw the gameplay reveal. The entire structure of God of War’s combat was being changed and reworked on from scratch. One thing that affects gameplay is the change in camera angle. You’re now closer to Kratos, tracking behind him from a shoulder perspective, similar to games like The Last of Us. This works because this is a more emotional story that we’re seeing through his perspective, which in turn affects gameplay, making it more close-combat-and-gritty. Using the Leviathan Axe is a pleasure and breath of fresh air after using the blades. It works since we’re with Kratos at a different point in his life. Things have happened. Things change. In this case, change is good!



With the axe and shield at your disposal, you can perform a variety of attacks and synchronize them with your blocks to deal powerful blows at the end of your chain. Approaching the game as a hack-and-slash won’t do at all.

Depending on the difficulty you’re playing, combat will change but I’ll talk about how it plays out on the difficulty I played (Give Me a Challenge).

Dodging is key. Planning your attacks depending on the enemy is crucial. Kratos is slow and sluggish. You can feel the heaviness with each swing of your weapon. That was a great gameplay design choice to add to the narrative. It allows the developers to try something new. The game allows you to use your fists as well. It’s satisfying and necessary at times. Throwing your Leviathan Axe and recalling it back makes you feel like a god. You are one. Do it. Make yourself feel good.

Much like previous God of War games, there’s a leveling system but red orbs aren’t currency in Midgard. Adopting a more RPG approach, you level-up as you journey through Midgard and fight enemies of various types, sizes and shapes. As you fight, you gain experience points to unlock various runic attacks that allow you to use your axe’s more powerful moves. However, to level-up Kratos you need to equip armor you can find at various shops owned by lovely dwarves or in various places around Midgard and the realms. The leveling system allows you to have a lot of fun and take combat from a different approach. You’ll need to strategize for certain enemies. That’s where Atreus comes in to help.



I’m just going to say it right here and now: ATREUS IS NOT USELESS AND YOU DON’T NEED TO BABYSIT HIM.

Okay, now that we’ve addressed the elephant in the room, let’s talk about how the gameplay becomes even richer with the addition of Atreus. He literally can’t die so there’s no need to worry… most of the time. He might get caught by a Draugr or Dark Elf and if you don’t do anything and act like a bad father, he’ll die. Other than that, the kid’s an arrow-shooting machine. He’ll save you when you least expect it. He has his own attacks to unlock and tunics to wear that each have their own buff. You can’t ignore the boy in this game. He’s crucial to your survival. I’m serious.

Delving deeper into gameplay and the world of Midgard, there are puzzles and enemies to encounter. I found the puzzles quite fun, mostly because the interaction between Kratos and Atreus while solving them is captivating. Enemies are quite the challenge. You’ll need to be quick on your feet for some of them. Each enemy has its own combat finisher for Kratos if you manage to stun one of them. Make sure to try it out. There is repetitiveness of enemies like trolls, which act as mini-bosses. I didn’t have a problem with them but seeing the same finisher every time after stunning them did become bit stale. It’s not a problem. The combat makes up for it.



The main highlights in terms of gameplay are the larger-than-life enemies you encounter. I won’t spoil anything about them but they’ll get your adrenaline running. The one-shot camera is a huge plus, which is why I’m giving it a 9/10. There could’ve been variation in mini-bosses instead of facing a different version of the same enemy. It gets pretty stale later on. More finishers would’ve been great; this is something I hope the next game takes on. Transitioning from cutscenes to battle without cuts makes the gameplay feel more alive and pumping, like you’re really fighting against a—

Oops, let me end that segment here.

Narrative: 10/10

The story of God of War absolutely delivers at what it wants to convey to its audience after years of vengeance and bloodshed. A god trying to be a good father who doesn’t want his son to repeat the same mistakes he did.

The narrative for God of War is one of its strongest points. Kratos used to have one dimension to him. At some points, he may have displayed sympathy or even love towards people he cared about but most of the time it was an endless cycle of pursuing the people who stole his life. That was alright. I loved it and the audience loved it but what happens after that? What happens after vengeance, more killing? Is that what the God of War IP was destined to be? Sony Santa Monica realized they had to pave a new path for Kratos. Call it a new coat of paint. This is where the narrative of God of War shines through and delivers. There’s still killing, gore, violence and the good ol’ spartan rage we’ve always loved about God of War but now there’s more to it. Kratos faces a challenge unlike any other: to be a good father and to accept himself for what he’s become.



Before God of War, I saw Kratos as a man who kept too much of himself hidden and only showed the part we cared about: the rage. Rage and hatred defined Kratos. That’s what he was known for. He wasn’t a hero or a villain either. He’d killed innocents on his quest for vengeance, blinded by his hatred for the gods that stole his family.

In this game, Kratos has a second chance. It’s a completely new path for the character to discover more of himself as he journeys, with his son, to the highest peak of the realms to spread his dead wife’s ashes. This journey alone allows the player to see a different side of Kratos as he attempts to form a relationship with his son – but he’s holding back. We can see it through the way he acts, through the pauses in his dialogue and in his eyes. That’s good writing. Show, don’t tell. You could start this game if you’ve not played the previous titles but if you have access to them, I implore that you play the previous titles before jumping into this. While this is a new story for Kratos and a new beginning for the franchise, there are callbacks to the previous games. You come to understand Kratos and his actions better if you’ve played the previous entries. If you can’t play them, watch the cutscenes on YouTube. It’s worth it.



I don’t want to spoil too much of the main story since there are some twists I believe are not worth being spoiled. I’ll talk about a few things unique to this game’s storytelling.

As you journey through Midgard, you’ll find Kratos trying to bond with his son by telling him short stories. It may be while you’re walking down a rocky path in the mountains or while you’re riding a boat together in the Lake of Nine. This dialogue adds much development to characters. You can’t get moments like this in other mediums of entertainment. You feel like you’re part of these conversations because the dialogue is organic and you’re controlling the protagonist. You feel the awkwardness and the amount of effort Kratos is trying to put into bonding with his son. He’s trying. That’s a huge amount of character development.

At the same time, he’s stern, arrogant and an extremely strict father – something Atreus has always seen him as being – but as their journey continues together they’re put into dramatic and life-threatening situations that allow their characters to grow. No amount of screen time is wasted, even when we’re not in a cutscene. Their relationship is constantly growing as we’re playing. That’s one of the aspects of this story: to grow, to bond and to fight together as a family. There are still secrets hidden. Twists are hidden under the floorboards. By Odin’s beard, are they great!

God of War’s story is well-crafted and delivers a dramatic father-son story fit for the franchise that ends with many interesting ways to go. It’s a new beginning.



Themes: 10/10

Fatherhood, loss, coming-of-age, hatred, love and acceptance. God of War’s story has these underlying themes in it and is able to tell of them seamlessly through characters that each have their own conflicts and struggles which make you grow to love them even more. Each character you meet in this story, apart from Kratos and Atreus, have a struggle brewing deep inside them. These are explored through the game and become tied into the plot neatly, as if it already existed. That’s good storytelling.

These are themes I managed to catch, what about you? What themes do you think God of War explored? How did you find its treatment of them?

Challenge: 10/10

Hoo-boy, this game packs a challenge. What difficulty you pick (for my first playthrough, I went with the second hardest difficulty, “Give Me a Challenge”) is what affects your challenge. If you pick any difficulty besides the hardest available (“Give me God of War”), you’re allowed to change your difficulty mode later if it’s getting too much.

Judging from “Give Me a Challenge” mode, the name says it all. As you progress, you’re going to have to start scavenging and exploring areas the game doesn’t tell you about in order to find items that give you an edge. Avoiding fights is a bad thing to do since you lose out on experience points that unlock runic attacks and special moves you perform with your weapons – such as shields, fists and Atreus (yes, he’s a weapon) – which are vital to your survival. Enemies become tougher and have levels that increase as you unlock realms and areas to explore. Spartan Rage, which acts as an awakened mode for Kratos that channels his Spartan energy, can be upgraded and is a huge ace in the hole to use if things are starting to get bleak in your fight.

Combat definitely takes some time getting used to and. The game knows that. You have to use and strengthen your axe to its fullest potential if you want the best chance of not rage-quitting. Parrying takes practice. The game doesn’t hold your hand after the tutorial. From there on out, you’re an exiled god with a child that may grow up to be the next Ghost of Sparta (Ghost of Midgard?) if not taken care of. So stock up. Explore the world. Prepare for the trials ahead. It’s challenging but it’s certainly doable. Practice is key!



Replayability: 9/10

One of the things this game has going for it is its New Game+.

After completing the main storyline, you’re free to roam Midgard and complete side quests that fill in some blanks left in the story. Or you could just go to bed, whichever you wish. The thing about the New Game+ is that you’re allowed to carry over everything you collected in your first save file into a new one. It has stronger enemies and boss battles. You’ll need them.

God of War’s New Game+ update packed more than I anticipated. I heard that, in the game’s first few months of launch, there wasn’t a New Game+ and that fans had to wait for it. It’s clear why they took their time. They put a lot of care into it. Along with being able to carry over your weapons, new in-game items and armor pieces were added. Normally with story-based games, some people say replaying isn’t worth pursuing since you already know what’s going to happen.

I believe God of War’s story has full replayability because it tells a good story giving players opportunity to use “goodies” they collected on their journey through Midgard at the start. The story will always be the same, so replaying immediately after finishing isn’t a promise. You’ll need time to soak everything in.

You’re also allowed to choose your difficulty once you decide to start a New Game+ but if you really want a challenge to balance how buffed up you are you can always choose New Game+’s exclusive difficulty, “Give Me God of War+”.

If you do that without your buffed-up items, you’re a masochist. I respect that.

My Personal Grade: 10/10

I’ve never praised a game this much. I never expected to praise God of War this much, let alone buy it. This game never failed to make feel for its characters and the story. I got goosebumps, shed tears and raged with Kratos as I slashed away at the people who stood in front of my goal. I smiled and felt warm whenever Kratos tried to bond with his son. I grew frustrated when I kept on dying but learned to be better.

I think I’ve said enough.

God of War is a masterpiece, a true gem of a game that comes along rarely. I’m glad to have been able to experience the game that pushed what makes a game and to be able to create something new from a successful IP while still retaining its roots.

Perhaps it’s become something the likes of a god?

Aggregated Score : 9.7

The Z Note Mage is an aspiring screenwriter who longs to write his own animated series and video game. You’d find him either cooped up on his laptop sweating drops of blood on a draft he’s stuck on or immersed in the worlds of entertainment. He also loves apples, pears and running long distances.

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