God of War is easily the frontrunner for Game of the Year
WHAT could have been a by-the-numbers violence-fest has instead been reinvented as a top-notch action, adventure game.
Game Reviews
Don't miss out on the headlines from Game Reviews. Followed categories will be added to My News.
GODS fighting with each other have been a staple of human storytelling ever since the first ape touched a mysterious monolith in Africa or whatever it was that kick started our journey to the present day.
The Greeks, Romans, Egyptians, Indians, and Norse all had particularly kick-ass pantheons full of Gods fighting, feuding, smiting, carnally knowing and generally messing with both each other and humans as well.
The offspring of God and Mortal unions were demigods, and they were basically the original superheroes, able to fish entire countries out of the water, fight mythical beasts, hold up the universe, or — in Dionysus’ case — get riggity-riggity-wrecked and still keep partying on with no ill effects.
As far as game protagonists go, you can’t really go wrong with a Demigod, as Sony know all too well from the success of their God of War franchise — which is enjoying its latest, and outstanding, iteration on PlayStation 4 with the title God of War, developed by Santa Monica Studio.
You are cast as Kratos, a muscular gent with a lumberjack beard, disdain for shirts, and the power to cleave foes in twain with an axe thanks to the whole “being a Demigod” thing.
Having tired of his Clash Of The Titans-inspired lifestyle (see: earlier games in the series) Kratos has retired to a cabin in the woods with his wife Faye and son Atreus. The cabin is in Midgard, which those who know their Norse mythology will know is Odin’s backyard, and he is clearly not too keen on this turn of events, as the game’s events show.
After Faye dies of unspecified causes, Kratos and Atreus cremate her and set out on a quest to fulfil her final wish: Scattering her ashes from the top of the highest peak in the realms.
If this was a straightforward endeavour it would be a very short game, of course — but the fact a mysterious tattooed stranger with an inability to feel pain, superhuman strength and a penchant for fist-fighting shows up a few minutes after the game opens pretty much puts paid to that notion.
Let’s get this out of the way early: God of War is an incredible game. It’s magnificent both visually, mechanically and atmospherically, the story is powerful and relatable, and everything about the game is just top-shelf.
What could have been a by-the-numbers violence-fest has instead been masterfully rendered as a story about father-son relationships, while still featuring all the elements of a top-notch action/adventure game.
Lead designer Rob Davis — originally from Sydney — explained the change in direction from the series’ bombastic origins was brought about by the experiences of the team at Santa Monica Studio.
“More recently a lot of people at the studio have had children of their own — these people who have worked on God of War for a long time are fathers and mothers of their own,” he said.
“In terms of giving Kratos more dimension and more elements, people in the studio could relate to being a father themselves and bringing that experience to Kratos.”
The father-son relationship between Kratos and Atreus is the centrepiece, with Kratos learning how to be a father and understanding his approach to things is not the best or only way, with Atreus learning both how to grow and mature — as well as finding out more about his father’s mysterious past.
“The actor who plays Kratos (Christopher Judge) put it best — how can Kratos learn to be a father when he never had a father figure himself?,” Mr Davis said.
Fans of the PlayStation 4’s other masterpieces The Last of Us and Uncharted 4/The Lost Legacy will recognise some of the mechanics in God of War, particularly around climbing and puzzles, and the tag-team nature of dealing with some puzzles (by hoisting Atreus up so he can let down a chain, for example).
Combat in the game feels suitably weighty, which is especially appropriate given the giant axe Kratos wields. It can be swung about in a traditional manner for melee combat, or thrown like a gigantic tomahawk as a ranged weapon. Brilliantly, it can then be summoned back with the press of a button, often doing additional damage to your enemies as it returns to your hand like a magical Norse boomerang.
The puzzles never cross the line into outright frustrating, the writing combines gravitas and drama with humour and wit at the right moments, and the visuals across the numerous locations you visit are all absolutely stunning.
God of War does almost everything just right, and my only real criticism of the game is that the difficulty jump from the very easy “Give me a story” mode to the next difficultly level is quite marked indeed..
Mr Davis said the game had been in development for about five years, and it clearly shows — the game has been polished brighter and shinier than Kratos’ Leviathan axe.
“Sony has been particularly good about giving the game the time in the cooker and giving it time to iterate,” he said.
“The point on PlayStation is to create exciting new experiences to help push the games industry forward and we’ve had their support every step of the way.
“When we went to make this game, we took all the features of the game apart. We looked at every single piece — not just the father-son relationship, but the combat, the camera angles, etc — and as we were putting it back together, we were learning as we were going.”
I went in with pretty much no expectations and was completely blown away by God of War. It’s an amazing game that does everything perfectly — from the visuals to the comic relief to the combat to the story — and is easily a frontrunner for Game of the Year nods despite it only being April.
God of War is an epic win of titanic proportions and if you’ve got a PlayStation 4 you really must add this to your library with all haste — it’s already (rightfully) secured its place as part of the wider gaming canon.
Originally published as God of War is easily the frontrunner for Game of the Year