FAMILY AT CORE OF WAR SAGA
TORONTO God of War, out this week exclusively for Sony’s PlayStation 4, is the series’ first title since 2014 and its debut on this generation of consoles. The game opens with series protagonist Kratos, having exacted his vengeance on his father, Zeus, and the other gods of Olympus, trying to live a quiet life as a mortal somewhere in Scandinavia. His wife has recently died, and he and his son Atreus start out on a journey to deliver her ashes to the highest peak in Midgard.
However, the gods in Kratos’s adopted home prove to be as meddlesome and greedy as the Greek deities who previously tormented him. He and Atreus soon find themselves entangled by the machinations of these strange beings, and their once simple quest takes them throughout the nine realms of Norse mythology.
Along the way, the duo are set upon by all manner of foes, from undead Vikings to fierce dragons. While Kratos starts the game with an axe as his main weapon in place of the Blades of Chaos — the bladed chains he left behind at the conclusion of God of War III — combat at its core remains similar. Players can unlock a number of combos Kratos can use with his axe, best administered after dodging or blocking an enemy attack.
At fist Atreus serves as little more than a way to distract enemies, but as his skills in archery increase, so does his usefulness in combat. And therein lies the true conflict for Kratos. Atreus doesn’t know he has the blood of a god, and Kratos wants to keep
it that way. He’s seen how petty and cruel gods can be, and wants no part of that for his son. Kratos does this by keeping a wall up between himself and Atreus, initially offering him little guidance in the art of combat, and coldly ignoring Atreus’s desire for praise.
Kratos wants to bring this wall down, but doesn’t know how. A poignant scene early in the game has Kratos reaching out to comfort Atreus, who is affected after successfully hunting and killing a stag, only to meekly retract his hand at the last second.
The evolution of Kratos from a one-note character bent on vengeance to reluctant father and mentor is the game’s greatest achievement. Kratos wants to succeed at his second chance at fatherhood. But his aloof and detached nature toward Atreus, borne out of a desire to protect his son, often has him on the precipice of messing things up irreparably.
It’s the toughest battle Kratos has ever faced. And it’s one we truly are rooting for him to win.