Review

10 Feb

Starting a new adventure in the God of War series you can typically expect 2 things, a journey of incredible carnage and a few dead Gods. God of War (2018) is no exception to that rule but instead brings an incredible new view for the series and its future. Years after killing the Olympians we rejoin Kratos in the Norse Lands where sadly he has recently lost his wife, Faye, and is left to protect and raise their young son, Atreus. The typical God of War story of revenge is absent here as it wouldn’t suit the new Kratos we are introduced to. Instead of Terrence Carson helming the role as in past games, we are introduced to Christopher Judge who does an incredible job of voicing and creating a new Kratos who is much more relatable and likable this time around and is complemented when combining his performance with Sunny Suljic’s Atreus.

I speak as someone who has played some of the original God of War games and was a great fan of Terrence Carson’s performance of Kratos. Without the actor’s incredible characterization of Kratos, he wouldn’t be the character we all know today. Christopher Judge does an excellent job of taking the reins over from Carson and makes the role of Kratos his own which in a lot of ways was easier due to the storytelling decisions made by Santa Monica Veteran and God of War writer Cory Barlog’s excellent direction. Thanks to Barlog’s direction and Judge’s performance we are now introduced to a Kratos who unlike in previous games you can root for without regretting any of his actions. Barlog, a long-time God of War developer, is placed in charge of the game’s story, among other things, and it could not be in safer hands as he does what not many could have: Turn a genocidal murderer with anger issues into a struggling father who is afraid his son will end up like him which makes the adventure they share so rewarding and exciting.

Kratos and Atreus set off on a personal quest, to spread Faye’s ashes at the tallest peak in all the realms. A difficult task on its own but for Kratos and Atreus, it is even more difficult as this journey will require the two of them to trust and learn from one another which is easier said than done. Kratos armed with the knowledge of his years is a stern, disciplined, and reserved man whereas Atreus is the polar opposite: eager, brash, and kind-hearted, and each has lessons that they can teach the other if they can accept the lessons taught. Roaming through the realms that you’re allowed to travel you learn that much like the Greek world, the Norse world isn’t any better. You would think after all he’s been through the threats we come across would be no problem for the former God of War but it has become obvious to us that Kratos is holding back to teach his son proper control. While enemies are an obvious encounter on this journey we also get to meet several new characters who help us along in fun and useful ways.

Getting involved in a brand-new mythology is something that seemed initially off-putting due to how well our main character might have struggled to fit in. While Kratos is not exactly someone who can be surprised I was under the impression that he could have a type of tunnel vision in how he deals with encounters, both dangerous and harmless. While his skills as a warrior have hardly dulled it was fun to see how he would have to deal with different types of creatures. Creatures like the Draugr and Hellwalkers are simple enough to eliminate on their own but enemies like the Revenant would be impossible to take down without the inclusion of Atreus. Seeing Kratos become enveloped in the Norse world and its wide hosts of people and monsters is something that is done incredibly as is done with the introduction of Jörmungandr but he is just the start of the incredible Mythos that you are introduced to.

Every character introduced in this new adventure is neither filler nor uninteresting, complimented by the amazing world we find ourselves in. As well as an interesting villain who we’ll talk about later, the friends we make along this journey are some of the most useful and interesting we’ve seen in a God of War game. Yes, that’s right, I said friends. If you are familiar with the past God of War games then making friends is not exactly Kratos’ strongest attribute. What can you say about a man who typically kills everyone and anyone who gets in his way? However, this time around we are treated to a Kratos who, although untrusting and dismissive of these new faces is convinced into helping them thanks to his son which is the farthest thing from bad.

The blacksmith brothers Brok and Sindri provide us with several quests and a shop for us to upgrade our armor and weapons but above all that they also provide a suitable lens for how Kratos and Atreus view their relationship and determine their actions. Kratos being weary of the dwarves' requests is always entertaining and the only reason he pays any mind is because of Atreus’ curiosity and the opportunities to impart some valuable and interesting lessons. What makes these quests and the lessons they teach more interesting is seeing how Kratos can imbue his knowledge on his son through his past experiences and the wisdom he has gathered. The Vanir Goddess, Freya helps to improve Kratos’ ability to trust again and to depend on others which is incredibly new and difficult for Kratos and their friendship is one of the cornerstone marks of the game's storytelling. Speaking of the side quests it is very easy for the quests of a video game to turn into filler but thanks to the writer's love for the series we are treated to quests that help tell us a story that helps to build upon the world and its former inhabitants.

While Kratos and Atreus’ journey is an epic one it is only made all the more enjoyable and insightful with the inclusion of Mimir who is bought to life by Alistair Duncan. Quickly introduced as the Smartest Man Alive and someone who has fallen from Odin’s graces he joins us on his travels as a head-on Kratos’ belt. When we’re casually enjoying a stroll or a boat ride in Midgard he manages to pop in some useful storytelling that makes those trips all the worthwhile. Mimir even makes finding all the collectibles in the game even more worthwhile as he can expand upon all the incredible stories that we find throughout the world. He also proves to be the breakout character for the series, helping to act as a foil for Kratos and Atreus’ conversations and helps them both to see their respective growth. He’s also there to help act as a moral compass for the titular duo who are trying to make their way in this gruesome world.

Any God of War story is futile without a compelling villain that the players can hate but this time around the main antagonist is a very likable character in the sense that he’s written extremely well. Back in the day Players are used to villains such as Zeus and Ares who many if not, all players hated with a passion and it was always incredible to fight against. The villain of this game, the God Baldur, proves to be emotionally complex. Introduced to us as “The Stranger” at the start of the game we are introduced to an incredibly fun boss fight which shows us that Kratos clearly hasn’t lost a step but is still holding back. This would not be the only encounter as we come across the invulnerable God multiple times before finally putting an end to him in an incredible spectacle.

Verdict

The game’s ability to reflect on Kratos’ actions from his past and turn his mistakes into wisdom and do better to teach his young son is an incredible hallmark for the series and any video game story. Watching this fallen God learn and try to better himself while also ensuring his son does not repeat his mistakes is truly a spectacle to watch, and I mean that in a good way. The fact that we are also given other incredible tales through the course of the main game’s story and other characters while not being distracted by them is also an incredible feat that not many video game writers are able to achieve. Following Kratos and Atreus on their epic quest has been one of the greatest pleasures of 2018 as their adventure is one of the most inspiring and compelling in recent years. Watching this man who was once a genocidal murderer confront the mistakes of his past while also choosing to open himself more to his young son marks an incredible growth for the character and one that can only be improved upon in the future. God of war is a masterclass in storytelling that never fails to lose the player’s interest in the best ways and challenges the player’s past and future perception of Kratos and even Atreus at every turn by throwing them in an epic tale that was not only mesmerizing and incredible to take part in but one that fails in getting old.

Main Narrative - The main story of God of War is virtually perfect. Reintroducing Kratos as a man trying to do right by his son as well as the introduction of his young son Atreus, who is trying to gorw with his father and the beautiful Norse world as the backdrop made for one of the best stories of the Generation - 10/10
Characters - As well as Kratos and Atreus, we are introduced to a limited but fully developed set of characters that don’t drag down the story and even make it much more memorable, Mimir being one of these characters - 10/10
Side Narratives - Where most video game side quests are too numerous and repetitive, God of War’s instead makes a point of creating a completely separate Narrative that manages to tell it’s own incredibly dense and memorable stories that impact Kratos and Atreus - 10/10
Environmental and Collectible Storytelling Each collectible in the game helps tell a storytelling whole and continues to build upon the new world of God of War. The Jotnar shrines highlight the cruelty of the Norse Gods while lore markers help tell the story of the environments Kratos and Atreus explore - 10/10