God of War Impressions

A black Friday sale on the play station store gave me an opportunity to try out 2018 GOTY winner God Of War. I made it through about half the story so far giving me a chance to wade through uncharted waters and explore the type of AAA action only Santa Monica studios can bring with an IP like God of War. Its exiting to say the least. After making it halfway through I doubled back and looked up the game club discussion about it on Game Informers YouTube podcast. This gave me an opportunity to get critical impressions of this amazing new thing I am playing.

The newest installment of God Of War brings you to the lands of Norse Gods and Mythologies. Taking a different spin on Kratos time fighting the Greek gods of the past. With this new setting in mind you also take off on a journey with Atreus's, Kratos son and are set with the task of bringing his mothers ashes to the top of a mountain. The beginning of the game is evenly paced bringing you into the wilds to hunt deer with your son and embark on a quest to train Atreus to see if he be ready for the journey ahead. It takes quite a turn when you return to your cabin and encounter a stranger who delivers a spectacular battle in a way only a God Of War game can bring in its scope. This is a fantastic opening boss to take on and shows you a glimpse into Kratos and his place in the new Norse world your in. Fighter games like God of War deliver a certain type of combat that's exiting and rewarding as to finish before continuing on your quest full of puzzles and climbing and things of that nature. Opening this game we see runes after a while and there are new skill points along with money options to spend in shops unlike games of the franchises past. Scattered about the world I see chest to open which are filled with rewards and relics to help you in combat and can spend on your own time. There are locked chests as well which I am guessing you can retrace your steps and open after you get the correct skills to open said chests.

The combat feels exiting as there are many different ways to approach different battles along with bosses like trolls and ogres as well. This game introduces ax throwing as Kratos skill and he can recall it by simply pressing triangle. The long ranged attacks are opened up even further than simply throwing an ax as Atreus can assist in combat by using his bow. By pressing the square button you can get Atreus to assist you using his bow which comes in handy at times when you need it. After meeting a dwarf on your journey it opens up a shop as to where you can spend your skill points and money and unlock enchantments to further sharpen some of your skills. You can equip new sets of armor and upgrade them along with purchasing outfits for the boy as well. The Dwarf you meet along your path has a brother who owns 50% of the shop. Him you meet later in the game and apparently has known Kratos wife and is the one who gave her that ax that he is using. He was fond of her and offers to clean up and make improvements to the ax after realizing they were friends of hers. There was a funny moment when he appears to be willing to engage in combat against Kratos before realizing this was Atreus's mother.

The main narrative is exiting and is very much a father son journey into the wild lands this world seems to offer. It explores how far Atreus is willing to let go and become a warrior on the journey them two are going to embark upon. Kratos is very much a God but its exiting when you see the witch who warns you that the gods in this realm are not kind to outsiders. Atreus is very much in the dark about what his fathers past is and perhaps even why he is so strong but I am guessing this is a narrative thread that will be explained further in the story. I have remained spoiler free this long and I am waiting to finish the game before getting more details into various concepts the story brings. But anyway its exiting to think about how he will react finding out he is very much a god and what it means for their journey ahead and the others they will face along it.

The moving camera in third person view is exiting as the world feels fairly large and explore-able. That is not to say this is the largest open world game I've ever played or could be even considered an “Open world” but I am exited to see just how far there are side quests that let you go outside the main story arc in general. The fighting is a reward for solving puzzles and environments and is fun once you get past certain battles to see whats next. There is some spectacular graphics in this game and sometimes blends in game maneuvering with the breathtaking cut scenes just ahead of you. Moving forward I cant wait to see if I am battling Thor or taking down Odin? If the gods are involved in the story more then just to add lore to the story. Seeing that this is a god of war game id be thrilled to take down some Norse deities but would settle for Droggers and I seen an achievement about dragons so that seems super chill.

Kratos says boy enough times to make you realize that he is critical on his son in a world that seems out to get them and making a warriors mentality necessary. Some narrative moments that lend to this theme are like when he loses his hunting knife while hunting a wild boar. Kratos then lends him the knife in the garden and makes it clear that he lost it. Be better is the theme Kratos goes for. Around the same time in the meeting of a new friend in the form of a witch is the other thread where she explains to Kratos that the gods wont take nicely to him. Right after that you get to see the world serpent who speaks a language even Atreus cant understand. Atreus seems like a very smart kid who has learned knowledge of the world through his mother and can even read the runes scattered through the world. Then you meet the dwarf for another time by a bridge in a seemingly ancient lost city.

Getting past mid-guard and exploring a different realm makes me exited to see whats left to explore in this amazing game. There are so many different things I like about it and cant really offer critical insights into any negative quality that this game may posses. I am exited to get to the second half of it and cant wait to see where this journey comes to an end. I am enjoying this game immensely so far!

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