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A Greek god in Odin’s court - why God of War is just so damned good
God of War releases this month (April) and we’ve been slaving over it to deliver you a breakdown of just why this might already be 2018’s Game of the Year. Read on to learn why…
“Disruptive lore”. Remember that phrase, because it might soon hold a regular place in established game-worlds if the critical success alone for God of War is going to be anything to go by (alongside the projected high sales of the PS4 exclusive). And we say this for one specific reason: setting Kratos in Norse mythology had people and media scrambling; labeling the move a marketing one to mask a new IP’s potential failure. “Why does a Greek god need to be in a Viking game?”, people asked. And rightly so. We’ve endured much as the Ghost of Sparta in the Greek Isles, and taking him away from his punching ground just seemed… cheap. But this is no marketing tool, and nor was it a mistake on developer Santa Monica Studios’ part.
Why does a Greek god need to be in a Viking game?”, people asked. And rightly so. We’ve endured much as the Ghost of Sparta in the Greek Isles...
Instead what we’ve been delivered is a game of total completion, in the sense that from the outset these guys and gals knew what they were doing, and knew where they were taking Kratos.
We won’t spoil anymore of the story for you, save to say it’s largely brilliant and hits familiar and unfamiliar beats both at once, and all throughout. What we will do though, is give you a handful of reasons this isn’t only the best God of War ever released, but also one of the best games of the year, even ahead of those yet unreleased.
Even gods don't head towards the light. Or do they?
© SCE
IMITATION, FORM, FLATTERY AND ALL THAT JAZZ
People have already been saying it, and for the younger ones out there it might not actually mean that much, but one of the series this God of War looks most at for design inspiration is the seminal Metroid Prime franchise. Sony fankids -- don’t throw hate at us, because that is a great place to look to for design inspiration. From that series, other great franchises also emerged, such as Darksiders and so to see God of War not only boldly move beyond the fixed-camera action-heavy history it helped define, but to retroactively embrace classic design, with a contemporary storytelling and visual lean is, well, refreshing. Considering the modern game-design landscape. The pedigree here is very strong, and with Kratos on-point, it’s also on-fleek. (Sorry.)
THE TURTLE STILL WON THE RACE, YOU KNOW
One of the biggest big-ups we can give to God of War is in its pacing. With a Metroid-style designed game, character and power progression are essential to driving the player forward. You see a locked part of the environment you can’t reach, but know you’ll be able to get to later, so long as you get some kind of new upgrade to your arsenal. In God of War, this is truth, but it takes a long time for you to have full access to the gated game-world around you. However, this is paced beautifully against the more RPG side of the game’s progression system (which we’ll get to below), so you never feel like you’re being totally locked out of the game’s progression. Coupled with incredible exposition which we’ll also get to shortly, the lengthy journey ahead of you is never rushed and feels full and complete with each step and axe swing you make.
Giants ruled these lands... once
© SCE
IT’S A GREEN AND RED NUMBERS GAME, Y’ALL
Where God of War separates itself from the Metroid Prime series and game-design lean, is in its weapon, armour and combat RPG tilt. And this isn’t lite-on, either. It’s in-depth, meaningful, and offers up a seriously deep level of customisation for players based on how they play. Melee and ranged are key here; how you choose to deal with mobs and crowd-control, whether or not you want to level up faster, or take more advantage of the myriad runes you’ll be adding to your arsenal -- it’s all there for the player-agent taking, but is equally tied to exploration and the loot-collecting gameplay loop that carries the game, alongside story. And yep, that was a mouthful to write, and for you to read, but it also sells the game’s complexity. In previous entries despite an upgrade system, God of War has been a lot like Kratos’ character -- fast, driven and to the point. This God of War reflects a new, more nuanced Kratos in that it’s measured, deep and as mentioned earlier, complex. And it’s better for it.
Where God of War separates itself from the Metroid Prime series and game-design lean, is in its weapon, armour and combat RPG tilt...
MIRRORS AREN’T THE ONLY THINGS THAT REFLECT
This is a hard one to convey, because we’re staying spoiler-free on the story front for this piece. But, growth in God of War isn’t just reflected in weapon, armour and skill upgrades. As you push through the game-world; side-quests, main story et al, conversation and the dynamic between Kratos and his son, Atreus, sells us time. Time spent together, time on a journey, time learning more about one another, time growing in strength and confidence, time becoming accustomed to the world around them, time being wrong. It’s all a big passage of time because, like we mentioned much earlier, the game paces itself perfectly. However, the exposition of this and the growth of the characters beyond numbers is always offered to the player. Not many games of this sandbox manner offer this type of storytelling and proof-of-progress, and it’s never, ever repetitive. A massive kudos needs to be given to the dialogue department at Santa Monica Studios, because how it’s handled here is next-level.
Where did you get your tattoos done?
© SCE
MAKE US PROUD, SON. NEVER FORGET WHO YOU ARE
The biggest initial change you’ll acknowledge with God of War, if you’re God of War alumni, is in the camera. It’s been much talked about, but what you might not know is that as you progress, based on all of the above, so too will your prowess in combat and if there’s one thing, beyond a baritone and stern Kratos the game delivers in historical spades, it’s in combat. In fact, one of our writers, Adam “Griz” Mathew, suggested combat here is “some Dark Souls shit”, and we’re inclined to agree. Enemy types are fun and ever-varying, so being tactically on your toes is important; timing in combat is important. How you progress your weapons, armour and skills is important. And you will face a challenge. For all the toned down aggression in characterisation, and the slowering of pace; the removal of revenge as the motivator, combat in God of War is still truly lit.
CROSS-POLLINATION
And so we arrive at our final point -- a Greek god in Odin’s court. We won’t mention anything about how, or why, but we will tell you this: this works. Kratos’ own history, when sidled up next to an entirely new history (and yes, you will get a history lesson while playing), is a thing of beauty. For all of us who initially scoffed at the idea, maybe we should kind of look at who, and what, Kratos is. He’s a made-up god. He’s not really a part of Greek history, and if memory serves, he basically slaughters all the other (mythically) real gods of Ancient Greece anyway. Because, you know, videogames. And it’s in that realisation, set alongside a new game with new and compelling characters, that it all comes full-circle for the naysayers. And I’ll freely admit -- I was one. But this game is better than it might even have any right to be, but we’re okay with that because as a journey; an experience, God of War is damned near-perfect.
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