PAX Australia 2017 — God of War impressions
The story of Kratos, the protector
With incredible crowds of like-minded gaming enthusiasts and an array of fantastic games to play, PAX Australia was a truly wonderful experience. While I was beyond excited to get the chance to play demos of Detroit: Become Human and Assassin’s Creed Origins, it was quite the surprise to walk past the a large display with Kratos on it and find that the upcoming God of War had been brought to the event. Although it wasn’t playable, Sony did show attendees an exclusive, never-before-seen trailer that was just enough to whet our appetites and get us looking forward to what’s to come.
The God of War series is known for its exploration of Greek mythology, phenomenal hack-and-slash gameplay and ultra-violent protagonist — and mascot — Kratos, the Spartan demigod whose predominantly revenge-fuelled quests see him killing ancient Greek gods and monsters alike. The upcoming new instalment is set to depart quite heavily from what has made it so famous, focusing on Norse mythology and a very different side of Kratos as it focuses on his relationship with his young son. The trailer also showed off the game’s more narrative-driven approach, casting Kratos in the role of protector instead of the rage-fuelled killing machine we’ve seen in previous installments. Although the more subdued approach is exactly what the God of War franchise has needed to keep gamers interested rather than using the same formula over and over, the trailer did serve to reassure us that Kratos will still be hacking, slashing and killing enemies like he’s always done.
Having spent so long watching Kratos seek revenge and retribution against various transgressors, fuelled by hatred, rage and bloodlust, it’s going to be very interesting to see what Sony’s Santa Monica Studio has in store for the somewhat-reformed warrior and his son. The franchise looks set to do nothing but benefit from taking a different approach, but one can only hope to see enough of the fast and furious content that made God of War’s name in the first place. It’s safe to say that I — as well as everyone else who stopped to watch the trailer — am more than excited to see what happens when the game is released early next year.
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