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
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
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
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
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
It's a maturation of character and tone that helps take the series to new emotional levels, making for a deeper, more satisfying overall
paid a visit from an stranger with god-like powers (whose identity is discovered later in the game), who proceeds to give Kratos an
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
All of Kratos' previous adventures placed him in the role of aggressor, seeking vengeance for the wrongs that had been committed against
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
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)
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,
nature of previous God of War games, this iteration takes a page out of the Tomb Raider reboot playbook, giving you a much larger
pathways are initially blocked off to Kratos and son, opening up only after you've unlocked the requisite new ability or weapon which allows
game's roughly 30-hour length, and that playtime will be further extended if you stray from your mission and start taking on the
God of War journey will take you through multiple Norse realms, each with a distinct look and feel
meaning you'll never get lost on this epic adventure
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
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
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
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
son, and Atreus can enter into insufferably annoying brat territory from time to time, their relationship provides the anchor to the whole
There's something incredibly emotionally satisfying about witnessing the unspoken love between Kratos and his son grow over the course of
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
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
