INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
It's been many, 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.When we catch up with him in 2018's God of War, SIE Santa Monica Studio's simultaneous continuation and
reset of the beloved PlayStation series, the Spartan warrior has left Ancient Greece behind and is now living a new life with another 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 action-focused 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. Alas, this father-and-son relationship is a complicated one, with Kratos' secrets about his true nature (as well
as Atreus' looming godhood) keeping the two at odds with each other for the majority of their adventure. And when you really break it down,
this iteration of God of War is all about a god learning to be a human and a human learning to be a god.A new beginningThe new game opens
with the Norse funeral of Kratos' late wife, Faye — an event that seems to herald that his brief period of peace is coming to an end
He's now been left to raise Atreus alone.The problem, as we alluded to earlier, is the father and son are not particularly close — both
Kratos and Atreus resent their new living situation, but must journey away from home to carry out Faye's final wish, which is to have her
ashes scattered at the highest peak in all the realms. While he's still the grumpiest guy around, it's safe to say that Kratos is
significantly less full of rage than he was during his time in Ancient Greece — he's no longer prone to killing everything in sight, and
when he does raise his voice, it's usually because Atreus has failed to obey his commands.This father and son duo is bound to draw
comparisons to Joel and Ellie from Naughty Dog's 2013 masterpiece, The Last of Us, with Kratos and Atreus sharing a similar dynamic of the
mournful protector and the innocent child who just might melt his icy heart. Don't get us wrong, though — this is a very good thing
It's a maturation of character and tone that helps take the series to new emotional levels, making for a deeper, more satisfying overall
experience. You better axe somebodyAs Kratos and son prepare to set off on their journey to the highest point in all the realms, they're
paid a visit from an stranger with god-like powers (whose identity is discovered later in the game), who proceeds to give Kratos an
unexpected challenge in the fisticuffs department. After one of the most brutal and cinematic battles of the entire God of War series, it
becomes clear to Kratos that the Norse gods know all about his past as the Ghost of Sparta, and are quite threatened by his god-killing
track record. This puts the Spartan on the defensive — a position he doesn't usually find himself in
All of Kratos' previous adventures placed him in the role of aggressor, seeking vengeance for the wrongs that had been committed against
him, but now his only concerns are carrying out his late wife's dying wish and protecting his son. Thankfully, Kratos has inherited Faye's
hefty Leviathan Axe, a powerful ice-based weapon that can be used in close-quarters combat and thrown for ranged attacks
You'll spend most of the game wielding it, although you do get to play with an alternative fire-based weapon later on.Time to throw
downPerhaps inspired by the likes of Dark Souls and Bloodborne, the new combat system's quick and heavy attacks are mapped to the R1 and R2
shoulder buttons, with added functionality granted while holding the aim button (L2). This will throw your axe at enemies or interactive
puzzle elements throughout the world
At times, that means leaving it wedged in a cog that's keeping a platform raised while you fight with your fists and trusty shield, which is
raised by pressing L1 (hitting that at the right time will deflect an enemy's attack, leaving them open for a counter move)
Pressing the triangle button will return the Leviathan Axe to you in a Mjölnir to Thor-like fashion. Aiming at an enemy and pressing the
square button will cause Atreus to shoot arrows for your — an invaluable tactic later in the game when the bow is powered up with
numerous magical abilities. Like FromSoftware's aforementioned titles, the combat in God of War usually has you locking on to one enemy at
a time by pressing in the right stick (R3) and dodging enemy attacks with well-timed rolls by double-tapping the X button.Thankfully, the
combat, though occasionally tough, is much more accessible than it is in the Souls games; this is still a God of War title at heart
As you level up and upgrade your abilities (spending XP will grant you new attacks, just like previous games in the series), weapons and
armor (applying rune stones will grant you magical attack abilities and spending hacksilver will buy and upgrade Kratos and Atreus' armor,
axe and bow), you become more formidable, able to take on multiple enemies at once. An open-ish worldIn 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. Yes, that does mean there's a fair amount of back-tracking involved throughout the
game's roughly 30-hour length, and that playtime will be further extended if you stray from your mission and start taking on the occasional
side-quest or decide to track down specific items scattered around the different realms.Yes, you read that correctly — this new God of
War journey will take you through multiple Norse realms, each with a distinct look and feel
One in particular ranks among the most beautiful environments we've ever visited in a video game. An encounter with a friendly witch early
in the game grants you a 'Witch Compass' — an invaluable item which will always point you in the direction of your current objective,
meaning you'll never get lost on this epic adventure
This compass becomes especially useful when travelling around to different areas within each realm via canoe. In fact, despite his
generally sour attitude, Kratos makes a number helpful friends throughout the game's campaign
That includes a pair of bickering dwarf brothers, a knowledgable talking head (just go with it) and the previously mentioned witch
Though he's always surly, Kratos is always respectful to his allies, which goes to show how much he's calmed down in the years since the
conclusion of God of War III. Visuals worthy of Odin's approvalWith astonishing art direction and incredibly detailed graphics, God of War
ranks among the very best looking games on the PlayStation 4 — in fact, we'd go as far as to say that it's the prettiest PS4 game since
the visually-astonishing Horizon: Zero Dawn by Guerilla Games. Its immense scope is backed up unrivalled lighting and a remarkable level of
detail in costumes, faces and environments — all of which are dialled up to new heights when played on a PlayStation 4 Pro console. The
PS4 Pro version of God of War offers two graphics modes: one which favors resolution, displaying the game at checkerboard 2160p, and another
which favors performance, lowering the resolution to 1080p but displaying at a framerate that's closer to 60fps (but never actually locking
The one you choose will obviously come down to your personal preference
Camera movement is much, much smoother in performance mode, though the drop in visual detail is noticeable — especially in game where the
level of detail seen at 4K is so high.Of course, HDR is also available for those with TVs that support the format, and we can say that it
definitely adds to the experience, particularly when it comes to lighting and shadows. And the cat's in the cradle and the silver axeOf
course, the best visuals in the world don't mean a lot without a compelling story behind them, and with God of War, creative director Cory
Barlog and his team at Sony Santa Monica have definitely achieved their best narrative to date. Though Kratos can be incredible gruff to
his son, and Atreus can enter into insufferably annoying brat territory from time to time, their relationship provides the anchor to the
whole experience. Even when God of War is at its biggest and most spectacular, you never forget the grieving father and son at the center
There's something incredibly emotionally satisfying about witnessing the unspoken love between Kratos and his son grow over the course of
the adventure. Of course, that's threatened a few times by Atreus' childish behavior, often bringing the pair almost back to square one in
terms of their tolerance of one another, but thankfully, the game has way of always steering things back on course.Verdict: play it nowThe
new God of War isn't just the best game in the series to date because of its redesigned combat system, updated camera, epic scope and
Like its characters, it reaches such incredible new heights because of the inclusion of something that none of previous titles in the series
really had much of — heart. This version of Kratos finally feels like a fully-developed character — one that's less of a
one-dimensional rage monster and more of a deep, thoughtful soul who's still harboring a lot of pain and anguish. With Atreus by his side,
the game gives you a constant hope that Kratos will eventually leave behind the baggage that still haunts him (we mean that literally
— Kratos is visited by ghosts from his past on more than one occasion).Though it was once hate and anger that fueled Kratos' desire to
fight, he now fights out of love, which is a huge departure in tone for the series, turning it into something more powerful, poignant and
unforgettable. oPBZGVxYZRUbpqkHNXyAYX.jpg#
