The latest God of War title is finally here and what a game it is. The wait was worth it and seeing Kratos once again on an adventure in a new mythology is amazing. Kratos now in Midgard in the Norse Mythology living in a cabin in the woods isolated from everyone else with his son Atreus. It is the same Kratos from past games but a new start for him now as a single father. His wife has past away and her final request is to spread her ashes at the highest peak of the mountain. This personal quest will have him finally step out of his isolation and explore the Norse wildlands with his son.

The story is simple with the main objective being to reach the highest peak of the mountain but the obstacles to reach it there plays out epic with enemies, story twists, gameplay and puzzles that are fun. Watching the characters develop from the beginning to the end is wonderful. Kratos and Atreus will meet characters that help them on their journey and obstacles that will try to stop them. They meet the dwarves brothers that upgrade their armor and their banter is interesting and their request objectives. Another great companion later on in the game is Mimir a head that you will carry throughout the journey who provides great knowledge and interesting Norse stories on the journey. No more talk about the story because it must be experienced to enjoyed it how it was meant to be. There are awesome easter eggs if you played the past trilogy but if you have not it is not required. This game could be played stand alone.

Gameplay is different now thanks to the new camera which is  now tight on the character over the shoulders third person view that bring the fights more personal. Cool rpg elements of upgrading armor and weapons are nice. Leviathan Axe is a badass of a new weapon for Kratos like his past Blade of Chaos. It could be thrown and recall back for greater combat combos. Rumble feedback is nicely done when being recall back and tricks you into an illusion of feeling the  weight of the weapon coming back to your hand. It never gets old throwing it to an enemy and calling it back while it hits enemies on its way back. There are runes to collect too that will add special moves to the weapon as well. Then a skill tree that will add more basic moves that will allow you to do more creative combos.

No more quick time events like how they were done in the past and only require one button press for a quick finisher kill when enemies are stun enough.  Atreus will help in the fight as well and warn you of enemy attacks. He is capable and you press the square button for him to shoot limited arrows to distract the enemy. He translates runes as well since he was born in the Norse world and helps Kratos learn more of the Norse world.

Norse Mythology is brought to life in this game by their version of it. The enemies are creatively design and fun to fight. The exploration of the world is amazing in order to learn more about the Norse world. Characters that are part of the Norse Mythology are brought to life and  the possibilities for future adventures have me excited for more.

Congratulations to Sony Santa Monica and Cory Barlog for releasing the latest God of War release which is a masterpiece of video game achievement. It has great pacing, gameplay is fun, great character developments and the Norse Mythology is brought to life in their vision. Single cut camera shots for the scenes made it more epic and cinematic. Kratos and Atreus journey was simple but the obstacles to reach the objective was fantastic from beginning to end. Emotions were brought throughout the journey and seeing Kratos as a father evolved at the end of the journey was impactful. The banter between Kratos and Atreus during their adventure were always interesting to listen to.

There is more awesome story bits in the game but it is better to experience it yourself going in blind especially for one of the epic moments during the journey. Fans of the series will be amaze by the latest entry and new fans could jump right in. Difficulty is balance and if you want a more challenge there is the choice for it as well. There are still more objectives to complete after the game and I will definitely come back to finish them all. This is an evolution for the series as well for the studio. I am excited for the possibilities for the next journey for Kratos and Atreus especially after that awesome ending. Take a well deserve rest and I will patiently wait for the next adventure.

Questions on the game let me know in the comments below.

 

Rating

For more information on our rating system click here.

Screenshots

Fact Sheet

Title: God of War    Developer: Sony Santa Monica

ESRB Rating:  

Publisher: Sony Interactive Entertainment  Release Date: Apr. 20, 2018  Price: $59.99 Genre: Action-Adventure   Platform: PlayStation 4 Players: 1