After an original trilogy full of blood, God of War attempts to tell a more personal, meaningful tale

The new God of War is fighting a losing battle. The original trilogy gained a following with its excessive violence and vague stories about deception and revenge. While those games were certainly fun, there was never much to dive into beyond what was on screen. Kratos was hardly a compelling character and the stories themselves were paper-thin revenge plots. This new entry promises something more, but never quite figures out what that “something” is.

Whether it’s Star Wars or God of War, rebooting an old franchise is an attempt at finding the right mix of old and new. While the result of Santa Monica Studio’s work isn’t lazy, it certainly doesn’t strike a perfect balance of introducing new features and keeping past highlights. God of War’s strongest asset is its story. It puts Kratos in a narrative that isn’t his. He’s an observer to Atreus’ quest to spread his mother’s ashes as they traverse a hostile world. They’re father and son, but the distance between them is so great at first that I doubted they’d ever speak.

The story forces players to disregard the lessons taught by the original God of War trilogy. Now the game puts meaning behind its violence. Kratos has learned that no good can come from mindless vengeance, and he tries to instill that lesson upon Atreus. He remembers all of the gory excess and thoughtless killings he committed in the past, from beheadings to cutting his way out of Cronos’ stomach.

Kratos starts to see the worst parts of himself in his son’s behavior. When Atreus learns that he’s a demi-god, he grows cocky, treating everyone as if they are nothing. Kratos watches his formerly sweet and innocent son become just like the gods he despises. Midway through the game, Atreus sees the results of his behavior and understands that everything he does carries a consequence. This honor’s the previous games but introduces a new identity to the franchise by acknowledging the gore and excess of the past, and introducing the more nuanced themes of parenthood and honor.

While the story is a leap forward from ankle-deep revenge plots to more dynamic explorations of fatherhood and responsibility, the game’s combat is a sidestep. Kratos’ new weapon, the Leviathan Axe, presents new opportunities for a combination of ranged and melee attacks. But most of the time the enemies crowd around Kratos, removing those opportunities. The ranged enemies provide little threat, so saving them for last is never punished. Despite a new progression system with unlockable combos and abilities, the combat usually devolves into mindless slashing reminiscent of the original trilogy. In a game that wants to make players rethink what they know about the franchise, the developer must jump in with both feet, in gameplay and in story. Unfortunately, that never happens.

Atreus’ implementation to God of War’s combat is surprisingly smooth. Timing his bow-and-arrow attacks just as an enemy is about to swing at Kratos allows for tact that is previously unseen in the series. Though players can’t control him beyond that, Atreus doesn’t require constant attention. Enemies occasionally capture or knock him down, but he’s able to fend for himself. It’s a refreshing take on having a constant companion. He’s also useful out of combat. Most of the game’s puzzles and boss fights are impossible to complete without at least some assistance from Atreus. Most notably during the fight with Hraezlyr, a Norse dragon-esque monster, Atreus’ arrow attack is critical to Kratos’ victory.

The hack ’n’ slash combat works against most of the Draugr, the game’s main enemies, but there are some difficulty spikes in hidden locations around God of War’s map. Players are able to fight the Valkyries of Norse mythology, enemies who provide considerable challenge at first, but eventually become insurmountable with Kratos’ axe and Atreus’ bow. The Valkyries are fast and powerful, and they never stop moving. These difficulty spikes are hard to ignore, and discouraged me from exploring the game’s map in greater detail.

Most of the map is covered by water, and the little islands hold very little beyond a few groups of enemies and simple side missions that involve exploring and talking to ghosts. Each mission feels like a wasted opportunity to further explore the world. All players are left with are vague stories about ship captains and military leaders with a lot of dead Draugr. 

Thankfully God of War spices up the bland missions and combat with spectacular visuals. The detail in every location, enemy and fight is awe-inspiring, especially toward the conclusion, when Kratos and Atreus figuratively and literally reach the highest peak. The shared moment between the two heroes allows players to feel the weight of what they’ve been through together and how they’ve grown as a result. One of the most impressive visuals is when Kratos and Atreus wake the World Serpent, whose movement around the map literally raises and lowers the lake they’re rowing across.

God of War has the potential to be great, but there are too many aspects taken from the original trilogy that don’t fit the shift in style that Santa Monica Studio is clearly going for. Much like Atreus, who wanted to learn and see more about his father. I was left wanting more from this game. The new mechanics, such as throwing and calling-back the Leviathan Axe and Atreus’ bow, and a leveling system are welcome additions, but the gameplay isn’t engaging enough to supplement these additions. God of War tries incredibly hard to change the player’s mind about what a game in this series can be, but only the story gets that attention; the gameplay felt so similar to previous entries that it negated the purpose of the narrative.

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