The Commodore
04-24-2018, 02:43 AM
8
Kratos is back after five years, and now everyone's favorite bloodthirsty god-slayer is back and this time he is bringing along his son, Atreus, for the ride and together the two are ready to tackle the Norse Pantheon. This game debuted on the ps4 on April 20th, 2018, and after playing the game for a few odd hours I felt like posting some of my early thoughts here for the sake of posterity. I must say, after completing the previous games only a few months back it really becomes quite noticeable how many changes went into this game. No longer does Kratos wield his signature blades of chaos, instead the game now has him wielding an axe called Leviathon, which has lended to many of the fights feeling a lot more visceral as you are forced to get up close and person with your foes. Along with the axe comes a more complex upgrade system in the form of two dwarven vendors who you encounter frequently along your journey, I only took a brief look at this upgrade system, but it makes Kratos seem more customizable to your individual playstyle. One of the biggest changes however is the inclusion of a companion, and this takes the form of your son, Atreus. Atreus will assist you in combat with his bow, and he is capable of holding his own for the most part, although I did have times when I needed to step in and lend when a foe had gotten the upperhand and disarmed him. The game's camera is another big change, as no longer is the camera pulled back, instead it is placed directly behind Kratos, which is something I did have a bit of trouble adjusting to, and can make for times when you will misjudge how close an enemy is while fighting a larger mob.
Now as for the setting, I really enjoy how the series has moved away from Greece and taken the action to Midgard, as I feel Norse mythology itself is so rich and the perfect place to have a big expansive action based title, especially when so much of the Nordic culture was focused on battle. The environments are beautifully rendered, to the point where at times I would just pause to take it all in, from the distant mountains to the snow carpeted forests. Per God of War tradition, you also have your larger than life enemies, such as the trolls, but you also have your typical mobs in the form of the undead draugyr. My first real boss encounter also had that same cinematic feel of the previous games, with Kratos having a prolonged battle with a mysterious Norse God who claimed to be sent by Odin himself, which already spelled out future troubles with the Asgardians, but there was little surprise there. With Atreus at your side, the game's story does have a more emotional weight to it, and its the interactions between father and son that have really made the story shine thus far. All in all, the game appears a worthy successor to the God of War franchise, and perhaps the very kind of fresh breath of air the series needed.
I may post my final thoughts and evaluations after completing the game. Ciao! ;)
Kratos is back after five years, and now everyone's favorite bloodthirsty god-slayer is back and this time he is bringing along his son, Atreus, for the ride and together the two are ready to tackle the Norse Pantheon. This game debuted on the ps4 on April 20th, 2018, and after playing the game for a few odd hours I felt like posting some of my early thoughts here for the sake of posterity. I must say, after completing the previous games only a few months back it really becomes quite noticeable how many changes went into this game. No longer does Kratos wield his signature blades of chaos, instead the game now has him wielding an axe called Leviathon, which has lended to many of the fights feeling a lot more visceral as you are forced to get up close and person with your foes. Along with the axe comes a more complex upgrade system in the form of two dwarven vendors who you encounter frequently along your journey, I only took a brief look at this upgrade system, but it makes Kratos seem more customizable to your individual playstyle. One of the biggest changes however is the inclusion of a companion, and this takes the form of your son, Atreus. Atreus will assist you in combat with his bow, and he is capable of holding his own for the most part, although I did have times when I needed to step in and lend when a foe had gotten the upperhand and disarmed him. The game's camera is another big change, as no longer is the camera pulled back, instead it is placed directly behind Kratos, which is something I did have a bit of trouble adjusting to, and can make for times when you will misjudge how close an enemy is while fighting a larger mob.
Now as for the setting, I really enjoy how the series has moved away from Greece and taken the action to Midgard, as I feel Norse mythology itself is so rich and the perfect place to have a big expansive action based title, especially when so much of the Nordic culture was focused on battle. The environments are beautifully rendered, to the point where at times I would just pause to take it all in, from the distant mountains to the snow carpeted forests. Per God of War tradition, you also have your larger than life enemies, such as the trolls, but you also have your typical mobs in the form of the undead draugyr. My first real boss encounter also had that same cinematic feel of the previous games, with Kratos having a prolonged battle with a mysterious Norse God who claimed to be sent by Odin himself, which already spelled out future troubles with the Asgardians, but there was little surprise there. With Atreus at your side, the game's story does have a more emotional weight to it, and its the interactions between father and son that have really made the story shine thus far. All in all, the game appears a worthy successor to the God of War franchise, and perhaps the very kind of fresh breath of air the series needed.
I may post my final thoughts and evaluations after completing the game. Ciao! ;)