INTRODUCTION

Credits

God of War (which will be refereed to as GOW in this review) is a third-person action-adventure, Greek mythological, hack-and-slash title developed by Sony’s Santa Monica Studio for Sony’s PlayStation gaming system. Ever since the release of first GOW in 2005, it has been a flagship title for the PlayStation brand, spanning over eight titles across multiple PlayStation systems.

2018’s GOW is the first original GOW title released on the PlayStation 4, which is not a remaster or port of past titles. It is also the latest game released after God of War: Ascensions (2013). Not only does the latest installment change the tone of the game with a differnt mythology, but it is also the first time we get to see Kratos take up the role of a father figure. Can the hot-blooded Spartan warrior handle it?

STORY: 9/10

The story of GOW talks place after the events of God of War 3. Greece was completely destroyed in Kratos’ battle against the Olympian Gods and he has migrated to the land of the Vikings and Norse mythology. Over there, he manages to find a place he could call home and even managed to start a family. The story starts at the eve of Kratos’ wife, Faye’s death, leaving behind a son, Atreus who is still unaware of his true nature and it is Kratos’ responsibility to take care-of and teach him the ways of their world while still being haunted by the deeds of his past. Both son and father set out on a journey to fulfill Faye’s last wish which is for her ashes to be scattered from the highest point in all of the nine realms. The journey is made more complicated by the Norse Gods.

I was a bit disappointed with the limited number of Norse gods that made an appearance in the game but the way things end is satisfying enough that it provides a sense of closure while still leaving enough room to work with if Santa Monica Studios ever decides to make another God of War game set in the same world.

Every main titled god of war game has been a personal journey for Kratos with vengeance being the central theme, God of War (2018) takes a different approach that, it is still a personal journey, but instead of vengeance, this journey is about atonement and fulfillment of a loved one's last wish all the while building a bond Kratos had never experienced before, a bond between a father and a son, a bond of unconditional love. This approach is certainly a first for the God of War series and something very few would have believed to have worked as well as it did.

GAMEPLAY: 9.5/10

The gameplay, much like past entires is a third-person action-adventure title with some substantial changes. First and most obvious one being the game structure. The game is set in a semi-open world where objectives are broken into main story missions and sub-objectives or side missions. You can engage in only the story and completely avoid the side-missions if you do choose, but avoiding side-missions risks the chances of acquiring valuable loot and rewards attainable which could help you proceed the campaign more smoothly. As much as the game gives you an option to travel and experience the game world, it is, still at heart, a linear story based game.

Another aspect that’s totally different from past titles is the camera controls. Previous titles opted to go with a fixed camera-angle where the camera was fixed in each area of the game and you would have little to no control over the camera. This method of camera control was replaced with an over-the-shoulder one where the camera can be manipulated by the players themselves. Fixed camera-angles always worked for the God of war series as it always played as a hack and slash title also, where they would try to fill the screen with as many enemies as possible. When being surrounded by such a large number of enemies, a wide-angle view is beneficial as it lets you know if an enemy is behind you or not or when and where to dodge when needed. This advantage is gone when the fixed camera-angles are ditched for a free-form camera. But the developers managed to find a solution for this potential issue; two actually. If you remember, Atreus, Kratos’ son also accompanies him on this journey and he acts as an assistant when it comes to combat. Atreus is a training archer and you can Command him to fire elemental-infused arrows at enemies which not only stuns them, but also at times distracts them. Not only that, but Atreus will also warn you if an enemy is behind you and is about to attack you. Along with Atreus, you also have a sort of ring indicator which warns you about enemies close-by you that are gonna attack by pointing and turning into a deeper red the closer the attacking enemy is to you.

Speaking of attacking enemies, your mode of defense are not your iconic Blades of Chaos, but instead a axe called the Leviathan Axe and a shield. The Leviathan axe is a special axe infused with the ability of frost. This axe makes for a decent supplement for the Blades of Chaos as it is good for close and long-range attacks.

You can upgrade the axe in two ways; one, by visiting the blacksmith and using special materials that you find along your journey. This update improves the physical strength of the axe. Another form of upgrade is to improve the performance of the axe by using Exp points that you gain which unlocks more combos and abilities. The later is also applicable onto other weapons such as the shield and Atreus’ bow.

The shield acts as a defense tool which you should consider mastering as soon as possible as combat will be extremely difficult if you do not learn to block and parry attacks. Aside from these standard weapons, you will find more items to fill your arsenal along the way.

The game also boasts a light RPG mechanic, which is a first for the series as well. You can craft (crafting requires materials which is scattered across the game world) or find Armor parts which you can then equip to your liking. Armor provides Kratos with stat boosts. You can even apply runes onto both your Armor and weapons. Armor runes give you status buffs while Weapon runes give you special attacks. Armor and runes are also ranked from Common to Legendary.

The game also incorporates light puzzle mechanics in between all the frantic combat and exploring much like past entries. Most of the puzzle sections are easy to get-by but what ever is there is pretty creative. Some share small similarities to The Legend of Zelda series. But there are times where the sheer variety is just lacking. Once you solve a puzzle, the next one is bound to be somewhat similar. I should also point out that there are times when the combat can get a bit difficult unless you plan out your strategies first and we can’t stress enough to practice can master parrying.

The entire gameplay is, in short, a major overhaul. You can even call it a modernization to some extent. Does all this work? Most definitely.

VISUALS & PERFORMANCE: 10/10

The game runs at 1080p at 30fps on standard PS4 and the PS4 Pro offers the option to run the game in checkerboard rendered 4K at 30fps. I played the game on a standard PS4 and the game managed to run at a solid 30fps for the most part with seldom dips here and there. The game even manages to maintain its 30fps during hectic combat sequences. On the PS4 Pro, it’s a completely different story. They offer you the option to choose between resolution and performance mode. Resolution mode let’s you play the game in checkerboard rendered 4K at 30fps with few frame-rate drops. Performance mode lets you play the game at a higher frame-rate mode. It seems like the game is targeting a 60fps but often misses to hit the mark.

On the visual stand-point, this game is a technical marvel. This is one of the most breath-taking games available on console right now. Every single asset used in the game screams attention to detail. “Photogenic” is a word which is best used to describe this title because of how the devs used filters to get be a certain pop to the large assortment of areas and scenes. Everything from character details, cloths physics, environmental details, volumetric lighting, character motion and shadow effects is marvelously crafted and executed. The game has no loading screens except for when you die or boot-up the game. This is also the first game that boasts a single-shot experience. Meaning the game does not cut in any moment except for when you die. This makes the game feel like one entire journey with zero interruptions.

AUDIO: 10/10

Full OST of the game

The audio performance is also another marvel which the game manages to achieve. The GOW series always opted to go for a orchestral melody which always heightened the significants the Greek theme the series had always going for it. They’ve managed to repeat the same level of excellence with a touch of Nordic tune this time around which not only sounds great but also helps to elevate the tension in between scenes.

Even the voice work has been done masterfully. With a touch quality not seen in many games except for AAA titles. Every voice actor involved with this game did a magnificent job.

OVERALL SCORE : 38.5/40

STORY  9/10

GAMEPLAY  9.5/10

VISUALS & PERFORMANCE  10/10

AUDIO 10/10

96.25% rate of approval

CONCLUSION

This is without a doubt the best God of War title to date and is certainly a game anyone with a PlayStation 4 system should consider playing. This also acts as a reminder to companies that consider long story based single player experiences to be a dying trend. And for those out there, contemplating of getting a PS4 system or not. Now is the best time to jump on-board and grab one. This game is simply worth it. My love for the series was ignited again after playing this title and can’t wait to see how they intend to proceed with the title.

Official trailer

 Note: All Screenshots of the game were taken during my play session. I review the game when bought and edit the reviews for steemit.  

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