The unveiling of Kratos’ latest adventure is still on the minds of many. While Sony Santa Monica isn’t giving away too much, they are willing to shed light on the E3 demonstration. In the developer commentary below, Gameplay Engineering Lead Jeet Shroff and Combat Designer Mihir Sheth explain the ideas behind God of War’s reimagining.

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Besides the Earth-shaking reveal of Kratos, one of the demo’s first jarring aspects was the rage meter. In the video, the developers explain the character is slowly learning to suppress his rage around his son. Through the boy, the game will “explore and humanize” Kratos in a way that has yet to be seen. This is surely a response to the character being labelled one-dimensional and over the top.

Shroff and Sheth also discuss the changes in gameplay. There are two styles of combat: melee with the axe and hand-to-hand. The axe will have ranged and up close uses, as seen in the demo, but will also be beneficial outside of combat in exploration and looting. However, what is shown is nothing compared to the wide variety of attacks to be experienced within the game’s full arsenal.

Also of note is the slow-motion wrestling attack versus the troll. According to the devs, and evident in the demo, it’s a result of Kratos’ rage manifested over time and unleashed. It appears to be a cool way of tying together the narrative and the gameplay.

Another awesome reveal is the confirmation of the demonstration’s seamlessness being a part of the full release. Like Uncharted 4 before it, there will be no camera cuts between gameplay and cutscenes. A small touch, but one that undoubtedly takes excessive and tireless effort.

Said effort will be on full display when God of War launches. There is still no release date, but hope is alive for a 2017 launch.

Image: PlayStation