PC & console game reviews
THE TECHLIFE TEAM REVIEWS THE LATEST GAMES FOR PC AND CONSOLES, BEGINNING WITH THE RETURN OF KRATOS.
God of War KRATOS IS GREAT AT RAISING HELL, BUT CAN HE RAISE A SON?
IT’S BEEN MANY years since Kratos exacted bloody vengeance on the Gods of Olympus for tricking him into murdering his own family, and he’s changed in quite a dramatic way. The Spartan warrior has left Ancient Greece behind and is now living a peaceful life with new family in the Norse realm of gods and monsters.
But it’s not just the Norse mythology setting that sets the new God of War apart from previous entries in the series — its actionfocused gameplay has been completely deconstructed and reimagined, offering a new over-the-shoulder camera perspective and an axe-based combat system that keeps Kratos mostly grounded. He’s also got a companion along for his latest adventure, with his young son Atreus providing backup with his trusty bow and knife during combat, while also deciphering Norse text and helping out with puzzles. This father and son duo is bound to draw comparisons to Joel and Ellie from Naughty Dog’s 2013 masterpiece, The Last of Us. It displays a maturation of character and tone that helps take the series to new emotional levels, making for a deeper, more satisfying overall experience.
Perhaps inspired by the likes of Dark Souls and Bloodborne, the new combat system’s quick and heavy attacks are mapped to the shoulder buttons, with added functionality, like axethrowing. Aiming at an enemy and pressing square will also cause Atreus to shoot arrows for you — an invaluable tactic later in the game when the bow is powered up with numerous magical abilities. Thankfully, though occasionally tough, the combat is much more accessible than it is in the Souls games; this is still a God of War title at heart.
In stark contrast to the mostly-linear nature of previous God of War games, this iteration takes a page out of the Tomb Raider reboot playbook, giving you a much larger environment to move around in without going all the way into sandbox territory. In true ‘Metroidvania’ fashion, certain areas, items and pathways are initially blocked off to Kratos and son, opening up only after you’ve unlocked the requisite new ability or weapon which allows you to break through previously unbreakable barriers.
The new God of War isn’t just the best game in the series because of its redesigned combat system, updated camera, epic scope and incredible visuals. It reaches incredible new heights because of the inclusion of something that none of the previous titles really had much of — heart.
[ STEPHEN LAMBRECHTS ]