God of War is a third-person action game set in a rich world of Norse mythology.  You play as Kratos, a son of Zeus who has sought to escape his past in Midgard, where he has settled and started a family.  When his wife dies, Kratos and Atreus must fulfill her final wish and take a journey to spread her ashes from the highest peak in all the realms.  The journey proves much more difficult than expected, however, for the lands are increasingly strewn with dangerous monsters, undead Draugr, and other obstacles.  Even the Norse gods have taken notice, and they are not happy about Kratos’ presence in their realms.  But Kratos is a god, after all, and you, the player, will have all his power at your disposal.  Take in hand the Leviathan axe, wield powerful runic abilities, craft armor, and more to fight your way to victory.

The graphics are excellent, with an even higher graphics option for the PS4 Pro, and the world design is stunning.  Each environment is carefully designed to evoke a harsh Norse wilderness, rocky and sparse, with pervasive ruins from several races present in the game.  The Midgard realm is centered by the Lake of Nine, which is the central hub of the map and contains the opulent Tyr’s Temple.  Six of the nine realms of Norse mythology are accessible in the game, and each has its own style loosely based on the myths.

The gameplay itself is compelling.  The combat system feels powerful while still challenging, and you can equip powerful runic attacks on your weapons.  Experience earned through combat and side quests can be used to upgrade your runic powers and unlock new combat potential.  Atreus is also invaluable in combat situations.  You can order him to fire arrows to weaken, stun, or shock your enemies, and his bow can be equipped with special runic summons that will call spectral animals to fight by your side.  When you are in real trouble, activate Spartan Rage to switch to devastating bare-handed attacks that restore health with every strike.  There are several boss fights of epic proportions during the course of the story, plenty of side quests, and even some optional challenge bosses.

I enjoyed the combat, the story, the side quests, the characters, the environments, and especially the relationship between Kratos and Atreus, which is driven by Kratos’ gruff nature as he is torn between forgetting his past and protecting his son.  This reluctance to face the truth forces Kratos into some difficult situations, and the relationship between father and son is enjoyable to watch as it unfolds throughout the game.

The only thing I regret is that I can’t see more of the realms.  Only six out of nine are accessible in the game, one of those only briefly, and two are side challenge areas not present in the main story.  I truly love the design of each realm, and I wish I could see and explore more.  The fast travel system is, also, a little inconvenient to some players, since you have to reach a travel gate before you can access the system, and those are sometimes hard to reach, especially when exploring remote areas of the map.  I personally had no problem with that, though.

Overall, God of War is an excellent game with a great story to tell.  Even though the game was rather long, I was sad that it stopped where it did and would gladly follow the story of Kratos and Atreus further.  I would heartily recommend this game to anyone who enjoys mythology or simply a good action game.

-Cuthalion42

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