My Thoughts on God of War
I finally finished the game last night, so here’s what I think
Note: Some spoilers for God of War will follow below. If you’d rather avoid those, then avoid this post.
Last night, well over a month after its release, I finished the story section of God of War. I rarely write video game reviews in the traditional sense, and this post won’t follow the format of one. However, it will give my thoughts on what is surely 2018’s best game so far.
In short, I loved God of War. I’m not sure where it will fall in the pantheon (pun intended) of my favorite games, but it’s already in the top five, and edging awfully close to some previous favorites like Uncharted and The Last of Us. The story, gameplay, and overall design are all phenomenal, and they combine to make this a game to play at all costs. There are a few games that may challenge it later in the year, but this is easily 2018’s best release to date.
Gameplay
Given the amount of game design devoted to each, I think it’s fair to split this post between gameplay and story. To start, the actual act of playing God of War is extremely fun. The combat is fantastic, as many have noted, and never feels stale. There is a great amount of enemy variety, multiple different strategies players can take to defeat these enemies, and each moment feels tightly designed and flawless executed. The difficulty levels also allow players to find a degree of challenge that makes the game fun, but fair.
It would be impossible to talk about the moment-to-moment action without mentioning the graphics, which are also fantastic. Sony has a long history of releasing beautiful games. Just this generation, Uncharted 4 and Horizon Zero Dawn made waves with beautiful environments and character models. With respect to these two games, God of War is a step above even their lofty standards. I played this game on a base PS4 (I have no intention of upgrading until the next generation, at least), and I was consistently blown away by how good the game looks. This goes beyond photorealism and graphic counts, too — the Norse world that Kratos and Atreus explore and fight in has a beautiful art style that shines at every opportunity.
Playing this game, I constantly kept thinking of The Last of Us, Breath of the Wild, and Horizon Zero Dawn. The first of these three is an obvious example, given the two-player focus and the storytelling directions. The second two, though, are a little more surprising. God of War isn’t an open-world experience in the same way that these Nintendo and Guerrilla Games titles are, but the way that the world of Midgard and its surrounding environs welcomes, entices, and challenges players has undeniable similarities to these two. God of War is in good company with these three games, and it matches them in nearly every area.
Story
Having never played a God of War title before this one, I was skeptical of Kratos and his adventures. I had no interest in the previous three games, but the promise of a more mature story drew me in and convinced me to play this entry. The story is smart, well-written, and emotionally powerful, and tops nearly every other video game story that has been written. It’s not perfect by any means, but the level to which it builds up its characters and plays out the themes of retribution, vengeance, and regret.
The game’s smartest decision is not to whitewash Kratos’ earlier exploits. At one critical juncture in the game, he is forced to convey his moral failings to Atreus. “I killed many who were deserving,” he says, “and many who were not.” Even the most powerful moment of the game, when Kratos kills Baldur (the central villain), isn’t presented as a morally right decision. Players may agree with it, or they may see it as more evidence of Kratos’ depravity. In any case, it’s clear that Kratos’ legacy of bloodshed will follow him to his grave.
Kratos still seeks redemption through his son, Atreus, and this relationship gives the story purpose and poignance. The supporting cast is also tremendous. There aren’t an abundance of secondary characters in the game, but the ones who do exist have their own complex motivations and storylines. Uncovering their motivations, and finding their often-twisted pasts, adds depth and vibrance to God of War’s world.
Balduer and Freya are particularly well-written characters. Baldur comes across as an intriguing villain as soon as he appears on screen. He’s genuinely terrifying, and his scrawny-yet-impervious brand muscularity is a perfect complement to Kratos’ bulky force. The way the game reveals that Freya cursed Baldur with an inability to feel anything at all adds depth to his character, but doesn’t excuse him. If anything, it makes his character even more tragic, as it’s clear that Baldur has no desire for anything but vengeance. Freya’s love and regret as a mother is also powerful — she’s willing to die if it will bring her son even a measure of comfort.
At the end of the narrative though, it’s Atreus who steals the show. His character begins as a thoughtful, perceptive child. As he discovers his true identity as a god, he turns into perhaps the most bratty, immature person imaginable. It’s a credit to the game’s writers that I legitimately hated him for a memorable one-hour stretch in the second half of the game. When things circle back around, and Atreus turns back into a sympathetic character, it all happens with the emotional weight that only good storytelling can provide. I’ve read several critiques of this game’s story online recently, but this is still one of the best video game narratives in recent memory.
The final product
Games often have excellent gameplay or story, and sometimes both to varying degrees. Games that have truly amazing stories are rare, and games that can provide an enjoyable playing experience from start to finish are the same way. It’s extremely rare to find a game that excels so much at both halves of this equation. When I’m fighting a horde of monsters or a massive ogre in God of War, it has a narrative weight that is missing from so many other games. The Last of Us has the same successful marriage of story and gameplay, and it’s why that game ranks as my favorite.
I finished this game wanting more, one of the best measure’s of a project’s quality. I know there are more games in the pipeline, most likely, and director Cory Barlog still has more stories to tell. I don’t really have any desire to go back and play the previous God of War games, so I’ll have to wait until the next entry to go back into Kratos’ and Atreus’ world. Of course, I’ll probably replay this one several times before that happens, anyway.
