GOD OF WAR
Thor he’s a jolly good fellow
Slicing monsters in half is a timeless and oft-used concept, but Santa Monica’s spectacular hack-andslash is a stellar example of making the old feel new again. Devil May Cry, Onimusha and Ray Harryhausen are all clear touchstones, but the melting pot they’re thrown into doesn’t feel lazy and even manages to surpass them. Chaining combos with a fluency few games can match, there is a sense of grand scale that is peerless on PS2, and even tricky puzzles that give the game a captivating ebb and flow. Stitching all together is the undeniably fun Kratos, a man so focused on revenge, nobody is safe from getting a bare-handed dissection in his brooding quest. Alright, the Blades of Hades are still rageinducingly difficult, but it just made getting past them all the more sweeter.
In many ways, this continuation of the series is doing exactly the same thing, just replacing the de rigueur influences with more contemporary ones. Norse mythology replacing Greek might seem like the most important change, but there are other fundamental shifts. The over-the-shoulder camera is the most notable change, positioning Kratos less as an angry speck on the horizon and allowing you to come in intimately close as buries his axe into the Draugr. His son, Atreus, follows in the steps of Ellie; he’s a foil that can help Kratos, and develops the character beyond his machismo.
Creative director Cory Barlog insists this isn’t a mere reboot, but a retooling of the series’ combat and a story, “delving deeper into the emotional journey of Kratos to explore the compelling drama that unfolds when an immortal demigod makes a decision to change.”
Maybe Kratos will never be the same again, but this winter thunderland looks like the perfect place for the angriest man on PlayStation to settle down.