God of War (2018, Action/Adventure, Santa Monica Studio/Sony)

The saga enters a new era, coming out on top in the process.

With all of the praise it has received since its release, one may likely think, or at least find that this game may be overrated. Well, it isn't. If you think so then you're simply wrong: this game is as good as most people say it is. 

And why is that?

It's because it refreshes the franchise. Instead of being the seventh installment that recycles the formula started with the very original (nothing wrong with doing it for three main games, if only to improve it with each release), it gives us a new perspective and change of pace. You're closer to Kratos now, playing from an over-the-shoulder, third-person perspective. You're never moved far way from him, even when a massive battle commences. Likewise, cutscenes, all rendered in-game, are closer to the action than they ever were. This is a more intimate entry to the franchise.

The story is also vastly superior.

To summarize the story, here it goes: Kratos has, long since the 3rd entry, exiled himself to a faraway land—the Norwegian wilds. Or, in other words, Midgard. Some time after arriving, he settles down, swearing to never go back to his old, raving lunatic ways. He also meets an enigmatic woman named Faye, and ends up falling in love. They even have a child. That child is named Atreus, in honour of a fellow Spartan who helped keep the others grounded in humanity.

Unfortunately, Faye passes away.

At the start of the game, we see Kratos cutting down a specific type of tree, all marked with yellow handprints. These were handpicked, literally, by Faye, indicating that she knew full-well of her demise. Her passing rocks both Kratos and their son, Atreus, forcing them to look inside themselves and most of all, to forge a bond together. For they are each all that they have left.

In short, this is a game about a father with a sordid past who tries to shape his son into a man—a better man than he ever was. But Atreus is genetically predisposed to the traits that, much to Kratos' horror, defined what he once was, and now hopes to let go of. He has to mentor his son, protect him, teach him humility and boundaries, and especially for him, not to be so afraid of his son. Kratos sees, in some ways anyway, his younger, much more violent and reckless self in Atreus, and throughout the game this terrifies him. 

Faye wanted her ashes to be released atop the highest peak in all the realms. So, knowing that the journey would be harsh and challenging, they set off to fulfill her last wish. Along the way they run into all sorts of oddball characters, borderline-insane antagonists, and a sinister force unseen yet at the center of it all. And all they want is to grant Faye her request.

What you're going to notice right off the heap is that this game is fucking gorgeous. Santa Monica Studio overdid themselves giving us a mesmerizing presentation. You have to wonder just how much work that your PS4 console is putting in to give you this experience. To give you a single hint as to how detailed and photorealistic this game is, you can see the tiniest, most lifelike details on Kratos' face: wrinkles, contours of the face, scars, ruggedness of the skin—it's all there for you to see at any time. The attention to detail not just in Kratos, but pretty much everything else you see AND interact with, that will take your breath away. 

The gameplay is not too far removed from the titles of yesteryear, but it is more deliberately paced and, owing to the closer third-person perspective, has more impact. Fighting enemies has weight and power, and as you earn experience and use that to unlock more fighting moves with the various weapons and your collapsible shield, it only gets more intense as the game goes on. And there's a well-designed gear system at play here: you unlock sets of apparel (chest, arms, waist, and various trinkets) that all grant different bonus traits. These sets can help you hone your play style. And though there clearly are tiers that rank in power, there are still caveats to all of them: do you favor having more hitpoints over defense? Do you want a set to grant bonuses to runic attacks, at the behest of cooldowns which may end up being longer? There are many combinations to consider, and some sets grant truly unique bonus abilities that you just have to discover for yourself.

Now, while you're still as much a god as you were before, if not out of practice a little, in the game proper you're often tested by even the most common enemies. They come in ranks, and with each rank comes greater risks. This keeps you on your toes, even if when you really think about it, Kratos would be laughing at all the nasties that come before him if it weren't for gameplay and story segregation. But that would make for a boring game, wouldn't it? 

There's a strong sense of progression with all of the things you encounter. Enemies and bosses get stronger and more dangerous as you move closer to your end goal. And a very notable foe may keep you glued to your seat as to just how relentless he is for our protagonists throughout the game. 

Oh, did I mention that you have Atreus at your side? 

Yes, Atreus is a supporting character. No, he's not a liability; Atreus was carefully designed to provide aid to Kratos AND look after himself remarkably well. First and foremost, though, is that Atreus is hardly ever at risk of getting hurt, or even killed for that matter. In fact, I'd say that outside of boss battles, he's always at the ready, only affected by the chaotic, ever-changing conditions of the battles you engage in. You can lock onto enemies and order him to fire arrows, of which there are three kinds (two of them take over when you unlock them), in order to stun enemies. Or they can help wittle their health down, too. Of course, there is a slight limitation here: Atreus can't simply spam arrows into your enemies, as there's a cooldown to each attack. That aspect can be upgraded with Atreus-specific gear that you can also unlock.

There are plenty of puzzles and sequences that often require working with Kratos' son in order to solve them. Is there an object that has to be hit with a lightning arrow from Atreus in order to open a door? Does Atreus, who understands the Nordic/Runic language the pair often sees on their journey, have to read aloud an incantation in order to unseat an obstacle? Such occurrences, and more, come into play many times, and they never get old. A lot of imagination went into the puzzles and other obstacles to overcome, and they only get more interesting as the game progresses. Of course, some of these puzzles only require Kratos to solve them.

The world is large, fairly open, but always focused. You can explore a little, for the sake of finding unlockables and new items, and also for gaining resources needed to improve the gear you find. There are various challenges and side-missions to complete, and in my experience, they are all satisfying undertakings. You might even gain some further insight to the lore that is on offer in this fantastic title when you explore as much as you can. The rewards are aplenty, so there's no excuse to not engage in this activity.

It's also a somewhat lengthy experience overall. We're not talking the length of an RPG, but you're going to get your money's worth. And that's NOT including the side-missions. The game is paced well, with set-pieces aplenty but spaced out nicely, making for a well-rounded experience. It's all very cinematic, without taking you too far from the action. Button prompts do return from previous titles, but they're not egregious. If anything, these only complement the action that unfolds. For example, a character named Baldur loves to harass our heroes from time to time, and he always brings with him a harrowing encounter. One such encounter involves Kratos trying to rescue Atreus from Baldur's clutches as they soar through the frigid skies on a dragon, and because Baldur can match Kratos' might blow-for-blow, he'll sometimes be forced to pin the madman down and wail on him in order to buy more time to save his son.

There are a handful of unique, and highly challenging boss fights that are seemingly optional: the Valkyries. While they all look rather similar in appearance, with even their battle areas sharing a common theme, they nonetheless are separate from one another. As in, they scale in difficulty and ability. One after another, each fallen Valkyrie pales in comparison to the next one up the ladder. You might not fight them in the proper sequence at all times, but when you do, you feel the burn getting hotter and hotter as you step up. And then you fight the final Valkyrie, and you're constantly on your toes. Your heart rate skyrockets as you duel against the deadliest enemy in the entire game. And when you finally manage to defeat her, you feel immensely rewarded, like David toppling Goliath. It should be noted that fighting the Valkyries grants you some of the game's most valuable, and effective gear and resources as well; very much worth the high degree of difficulty that these battles afford.

Speaking of his son, this is one of the most engrossing father/son storylines you'll ever experience in a videogame, bar-none. Their interactions and development are so well-written that it's believable, and natural. Kratos starts off rather distant and cold, and harsh, even if he's well-meaning. But over time, he is able to fight off his own insecurities and fears for the boy that naturally, he opens up to Atreus and shows more of the humanity that Kratos is in favor of. We also see a lot of development of Atreus as well; he starts off rather timid and cautious, but over time, he gains lots of confidence—perhaps too much at times, as well as straight-up arrogance and less patience for the world around him, and even, in the most heated of times, his own father. And then he has to learn humility, and to keep a level head, for like Kratos of old, he could get lost in his own anger and power and cause unimaginable damage to all around him.

Let's talk audio: the game has a memorable score, carefully made for this game. It also has some of the best voice-acting you'll hear in the franchise. Gone are the days of Kratos constantly barking like a lunatic; this Kratos is humbled, if not extremely weary, and has a deep, booming voice. In battle, he still roars with fury and determination as he ever did, if only because he just wants himself and his son to get to their destination with as little conflict as possible. There's a lot of funny banter as well with the merchants you meet in the game, especially the dwarf Brok, whose foul-mouth is as sharp as his wit. His brother Sindri is more reserved and timid. A third, very important character named Mimir joins our heroes, albeit unwittingly somewhat, and while his accent is noticeably unlike that befitting the region the game takes place in, he's always a treat to listen to as he is a story-teller type. 

Baldur, the primary threat our heroes face, is one of the best villains I've fought in a video game in quite some time. He's a menace, yes, but there's a reason for his madness. Each battle, and sequence involving him makes for a thrilling time. You'll even learn of his vulnerabilities as a character, for in spite of his invincibility, it comes with a price that has weighed on him over a very long time. Other characters, though not as frequent, nonetheless always contributes to the high quality presentation of the game's story.

And then eventually, with all the hardships our heroes face, and all that they learn about themselves and one another, they come to the destination that Faye had determined. This is when they learn that not everything is what they thought they were: Faye was a frost giant, and Atreus, already known to be half mortal and half god, turns out to be part Giant as well. And Faye may have known more than they realize about their journey. Finally, as Kratos himself learns, Atreus seems destined for something that will change their lives completely down the road.

And then it comes to a satisfying, if not somewhat emotional, end.

Great work, guys. I'm looking forward to the next inevitable installment. Thor, here we come!

A+

The Good:

+ It's a fresh new, if not still familiar, take on the franchise. Sorely needed.

 + The graphics are truly a sight to behold. The scenery porn alone is worth the price of admission

+ Gameplay is always satisfying, from fighting common and less-common enemies, to battling the bosses, and then the harrowing encounters with the Valkyries. 

+ Cutscenes, rendered in-engine, never bore us, always push the story forward, and are often thrilling or emotionally moving.

+ Kratos is much more sympathetic, and being humbled, never grates on the nerves. 

+ Atreus is the additional primary character that the story needs and deserves. He adds so much depth to the franchise alone.

+ While not a true open world per se, the world is still built in a way that allows you to explore for more experiences. And you never feel like the world is too small, either. It feels just right.

+ Everything you hear is perfect for the presentation.
+ The Valkyries serve as a test of all that you learn through the game. If you're up for the challenge, then you're in for quite a ride, even with the lowest-ranking Valkyrie.

+ The new setting opens up many new possibilities

+ We're going to fight Thor and Odin

The Bad:  

- Going through the game, you may be likely to find that it meanders a bit. Sometimes you want the next big set piece of occur.

- Nifilheim, while a really neat area, contains a side-mission that may come off as tedious to some. There are rewards for this activity, however.

- The game ends (no fault of its own this one, because all stories have to end at some time)
- Some bosses seem a bit recycled.
- The Valkyries, progressively so as you fight harder and harder ones, might frustrate you a bit.