GOD OF WAR
Norse code
released OUT NOW! Format Ps4 Publisher sony
After exhausting (and garrotting) Ancient Greece, Sony’s Santa Monica Studio has wisely turned to Norse mythology to re-energise the iconic God Of War series. The new game brings the series’ violent brand of muscular combat and epic set-piece spectacle to the Nine Realms, and there’s no question this is the freshest entry in the series since surly Spartan Kratos’s Ares-annihilating debut in 2005.
The switch to Nordic myth makes for a spectacular setting filled with astonishing sights. Over the course of 30 hours you witness some of the most impressive scenery on PS4. This is also a far more mature experience than past God Of War titles. In the years since it put out 2012’s God Of War: Ascension, it’s clear the studio has grown dramatically as a storyteller.
While the base plot is simple – Kratos and son Atreus set out to spread their wife/mother’s ashes from the highest peak in Jotunheim – the pair’s fractious, ultimately loving bond fuels a number of quietly moving scenes. The script is far stronger than its predecessors, balancing character building with moments of levity… usually offered up by a severed head. Unfortunately, the move from Zeus-bashing to assaulting Odin’s cronies isn’t entirely successful. Partly thanks to movie special effects genius Ray Harryhausen, Norse mythology simply isn’t as iconic as its Greek equivalent, and stoving in troll heads doesn’t feel as significant as ripping the lone peeper out of a monstrous cyclops’ socket. Tonally, God Of War isn’t wholly comfortable in its skin, either. A pair of bickering dwarves act as comedic foils, but their lines only hit marginally.
Kratos’s six years away from the limelight have been more than worth the wait, however. God Of War has taken cues from recent PlayStation greats, and the lessons it’s learned have been to the series’ benefit. Not only has this franchise reinvented its structure and combat, it has, at long last, made its protagonist a relatable character. While the combat may not be quite as addictive as God Of War III’s, this is arguably the most successful series reinvention since Resident Evil 4. Dave Meikleham
For about a month early in development, dropping Atreus from the game was being considered, due to the expense.
Filled with astonishing sights