It’s been a long time coming, but after completing the retrospectives on the original 3 games and taking my time with the latest release, I’m finally ready to give the new God of War a review. Releasing to nearly universal critical acclaim, God of War 2018 is both a reboot and a continuation of the previous titles, with a fatherly and reserved Kratos going on an adventure in the world of Norse mythology.

So, did the games journalists get it right? Is this the pinnacle of what God of War can aspire to be in the modern gaming scene? I’ll do my best to let you know while keeping this as spoiler-free as possible, but I will be discussing some basic story and combat information, so if you want to go in completely blind… why are you even here? Alright, let’s get on with the review and take a look at the reimagining of, God of War.

The game begins with Kratos, an old and stoic man, having settled down in the countryside with his son, Atreus and the boy’s mother Faye. The game begins with Faye’s funeral and we’re told she requested Kratos and Atreus journey to the top of the tallest mountain in the realms to spread her ashes, which the two come to realize is a much more arduous task than they previously thought..

Initially Kratos is hesitant, not thinking Atreus is ready for the trip, but upon being found and attacked by a strange man with incredible strength, he decides they have no choice. Father and son set out on a long journey involving fierce monsters, deadly travellers, and a lot of bonding.

While I won’t spoil much else from here I will say the story as a whole is fantastic. An incredible tale of a man dealing with his past misdeeds and his current responsibilities and the bond between a father and son. 

It takes numerous unexpected turns that add to both the tension and emotion of nearly every scene. Things take a while to set up, but once they do the adventure that takes place is an unforgettable journey that’s sure to be celebrated and analyzed for years to come.

The one thing I didn’t expect however, is just how funny this game is. I’d honestly put it up there with the likes of Portal 2 in terms of how often the game made me either chuckle or straight up laugh out loud. 

Sure, not all the jokes hit, and some aspects such as a ridiculously foul-mouthed dwarf come off as more juvenile than clever or actually funny, but for the most part this game fires on all cylinders at all times. There are flaws here and there, but they’re so minor that they can be completely overlooked in the grand scheme of things.

...Eeeeexcept for one small issue. See, Atreus suffers from what I like to call Ellie syndrome. He’s an AI partner that has a tendency to break immersion every now and again. However, unlike Ellie in The Last of Us who tends to avoid combat and only break immersion while stealthing around, Atreus is a bit more troubled.

This is because he actually participates in combat by firing arrows and jumping on enemies to open them up for attack. The problem is that every once in a while the boy is knocked out of commission only to recover a few seconds later.

Normally this would be fine as having his death mean the failure of a mission would be frustrating, but in a world this brutal the fact that this small child is repeatedly knocked out rather than killed makes for a pretty ridiculous situation that, while not completely immersion breaking does come off as a huge oversight, particularly since this is a magical world where a simple spell could have explained everything.

That said, this is still one of the best narratives I’ve experienced in a game, up there with The Last of Us and Portal 2. It perfectly balances comedy, action, and drama with pretty great pacing to boot. It takes some time to start up, but once it does, the adventure becomes one that’s sure to hit home.

This is aided by some of the best character writing I’ve ever seen in a game. See, Kratos has settled down quite a bit since his days of old. While it’s not completely clear how long it’s been since the death of Olympus, enough time seems to have passed to allow the former god of war to cool down and embrace a more patient approach to life.

Realizing that his blind rage caused many of his problems before, he now takes a more calm and measured approach to things like raising his son and interacting with others. While this may seem like a drastic change of character and probably could have used more proof of how much time it took for Kratos to make this change, his mannerisms still have that rough exterior that players have come to expect.

Although it does get a little ridiculous at times, such as when tasked with picking a bunch of flowers for medicine. Seriously, Kratos in this game is more patient than my real life father, but my personal issues aside, the game remains grounded and never allows the player to forget Kratos’s horrific past. And for anyone concerned about the game lacking the brutality seen in previous entries… This game delivers.

The transition Atreus makes over the course of the game is also fantastic. He begins as a hot headed boy, resentful of his father and mourning the loss of his mother, but by the end he becomes a character of his own. 

It’s these two characters that really bring this game to life and make the story feel truly unique, which is why many of the best sequences in the game simply involve Kratos and his son rowing across the world in their boat and talking, expanding on their characters, relating to one another, and learning about each other’s perspectives.

The side characters are wonderful too. Rather than kill everything in sight like in previous entries, Kratos has learned the useful skill of talking. With this powerful new ability, he’s able to develop relationships with entertaining characters such as the mysterious witch of the woods, the wise and hilarious tree man Mimir, and the quarrelling dwarven brothers Brok and Sindri.

All of the characters are made interesting with compelling writing and layer upon layers of character development, subtle as it may be. What brings them to life however, is the stellar voice acting.

Christopher Judge takes on the role of Kratos this time around and plays the part masterfully. While Terrence Carson will be missed, Judge pulls of a fantastic range of emotions and portrays an old and dejected Kratos to a tee in both voice and motion capture.

Along with him, Sunny Suljic (sorry if I mispronounced that) plays his son Atreus. And while the introduction of a child companion was a huge risk, with a mountain of potential for the constant questions to become irritating, Atreus instead becomes one of the most well-rounded and engaging characters in all of gaming.

Danielle Bisutti as Freya, Jeremy Davies as Baldur, and my personal favorite Alastair Duncan as Mimir all give fantastic performances as well, really bringing this Norse world to life. And while there are missteps here and there, the switch from a solitary quest for revenge to an adventure with help from companions really paid off in the end.

Visually, the game is, well... look at it. The realistic graphics are only enhanced by an incredible art style that masterfully utilizes lighting, colors, and animations to create what is hands down one of the best looking games ever released, if not the best.

The textures are complex, the shading is magnificent and the amount of work put into each and every character model is ridiculous. The camera is also pulled much closer to Kratos now, allowing players to see every little detail and the particle effects really sell the majesty and beauty of this world, which is only made better by the lack of any kind of a camera cut or loading screen in the entire game.

There are visual hiccups here and there such as pop in and frame skips, particularly on the standard PS4, but these are exceedingly rare and hardly noticeable. What’s more irritating is the excessive motion blur applied to the turning camera.

While the game has the option to turn it off, it just leads to a janky animation rather than a clearer picture, which is pretty disappointing. While none of these issues are game breaking, this one in particular is definitely worth pointing out, as there were times my eyes began to hurt every now and again until I got used to it.

Lastly, the yellow markers indicating climbable walls are so 2008 that it hurts. While acceptable back in the day in order to make these spots stand out in the newly realistic environments, nowadays these are just cheesy and immersion breaking, making for the only true disappointment in the visual style.

The music however, is nearly flawless. Combining the old operatic style with a scandinavian influence, each song fits its scene perfectly. Dramatic moments are tense, action sequences are exciting, and the lack of music during the more calm or comedic sections keep the game from becoming silly while placing more emphasis on the true focal points.

So narratively and presentation-wise, the game is masterful in its execution, but none of that matters if the game isn’t engaging to play. The gameplay’s received a major overhaul from the rest of the series. And it all starts with the combat.

Fighting in this game is much slower than in previous entries. Think Dark Souls more than Devil May Cry. Kratos has a new axe and each swing is heavy and truly makes you feel the weight of your attacks. There’s still the options for light and heavy attacks, but this time around there’s also the ability to throw the weapon at incoming opponents. 

The axe also deals frost damage, meaning when certain enemies are hit in their weak spots they’ll either stagger or freeze in place, opening them up for attack. And if a throw misses, Kratos can always recall the axe with a simple button press in one of the most satisfying animations I’ve ever seen.

When the axe isn’t equipped, Kratos also has a set of bare handed techniques that deal less damage, but inflict more stun effect, potentially leading to one of the many brutal and entertaining finishers present in the game.

Special moves can be unlocked by applying runes to the weapon, one heavy and one light. They’re really varied in terms of casting time, recharge time, and attack type, but there’s enough of a difference between them to encourage experimentation until players to find the attack that best suits their playstyle.

This powerful weapon grants versatility to the combat, allowing the player a choice between an up close and personal approach or a more conservative strategy from a distance. It’s a fantastic weapon that works well for the entirety of the game.

The other new weapon comes in the form of a four foot tall young boy with anger issues. Atreus is able to fire arrows at enemies while running around the battlefield and eventually gains the ability to summon various spirit animals as well. 

The arrows don’t always hit the target you’d like, but for the most part they do an excellent job of dealing minor damage while also distracting some enemies who will proceed to shift their focus to the kid, leaving them open to an attack from Kratos.

The spartan also comes equipped with his classic rage meter, and upon defeating enough enemies to fill it up, he’s able to go full on beast mode and absolutely destroy smaller enemies in a single hit and stagger just about anyone else. It’s an empowering ability that reminds us that this is still the god we’ve come to know and love.

While the combat mechanics alone would be fun enough, the game also keeps players constantly on their toes with a massive roster of enemies big and small. Unlike in previous games, here the opponents come in smaller numbers, but are much more deadly.

While the game does fall into the same trap as the first God of War, with the majority of enemies being either simple Draugrs or draugrs with a slight modification, the combat variety takes over to keep things engaging. 

Plus, after the first third of the game, Draugrs take a backseat and are mostly replaced by different enemy types that test the player’s combat skill as well as their ability to adapt to unique situations. Different enemies will require baiting, blocking, or utilizing Atreus’s arrows among a bunch of other techniques in order to win a given fight.

But that’s just the issue- the first third of the game. The first 5 to 10 hours are incredibly repetitive, without the most basic abilities such as parry counters and reflecting projectiles that should have persisted from the previous games. 

Without these, most fights boil down to running around and throwing the axe over and over until the game gives you more freedom and health to experiment with different combat mechanics a bit more. I just wish those opportunities and abilities existed from the start.

When combat is finished, players can upgrade their abilities, armor, and weaponry at the shop and in the menu. This whole RPG aspect is new for the series and once again, the start of the game feels bogged down due to needing to purchase basic abilities first and the fact that you don’t want to waste XP on armour knowing that better pieces can simply be purchased later instead.

The abilities themselves are hit and miss. Many are superfluous or (as I’ve stated before) should have been unlock at the beginning of the game, but others are genuinely fun and useful, such as adding stun damage to Atreus’s arrows or throwing a huge boulder in spartan rage mode. Overall, I’d say the system is fairly typical.

When you’re not tearing apart monsters limb from limb, players will be spending much of their time solving puzzles. These can be part of the main missions required to progress or tied to a chest containing some loot. 

Most of the progression-tied puzzles are incredibly simple. They won’t leave most players scratching their heads, but will lead to quite a few, “Ah-hah!” moments that provide a small amount of gratification. Plus the puzzles leading to additional chests and treasures are typically more challenging.

The downside is just how many of these puzzles involve using the axe or other unlocked abilities to come to an overly simple solution. They’re still fun and some, such as using the boat to travel around an island and hit a switch, use the game’s mechanics in creative ways , but there’s only so many times I can flip a switch or break a glowing pot before the schtick gets a bit old.

On top of that, many feel more like fetch quests or basic tasks of “bring this thing to this other thing and then it’ll all work.” While most are well designed, I do think it’s important to note when the game obviously just funnels players into a straight path to complete an objective, particularly considering how open it is otherwise.

This leads me to the final part of the game, exploring. At its core, God of War is a 3D metroidvania-style game. There are the linear missions, but along the way you’ll find hidden chests or inaccessible areas that can be opened up by returning later on with new abilities. 

Once players begin to venture from the beaten path they’ll discover a world filled with secrets, side quests, hidden treasure, and mini bosses galore. It’s a rewarding experience that, despite the linear nature of each area explored, is sure to inspire and adventurous spirit in anyone who plays.

Unfortunately once again, it does take about 5 to 10 hours for the world to truly open up, and maybe even longer before players will feel comfortable to go off on their own and explore. This mainly has to do with the lack of fast travel for the first half of the game or so, with it only allowing player one way travel back to the center of the map. It’s pretty disappointing and sure to be an annoyance on repeat playthroughs.

However, with the main story being incredibly fun on its own and this leaving the opportunity for post-game exploration completely viable and sometimes even more fun than the main quest, it all works out in the end. Particularly with the incredibly challenging post-game Valkyrie bosses. It all comes together, even if it takes its time doing so.

So that’s the brand new take on God of War and honestly I’m conflicted. The biggest downside to the game as a whole is the pacing. Not only does it take 5 to 10 hours for the game to truly realize its potential, but even simple things such as climbing, fast travelling, and exploring take far too long to accomplish, slowing everything so much down that, while only mildly annoying the first time around, is sure to bog down repeat playthroughs.

It starts off at around an 8, but by the time the world opens up, combat becomes clear and more accessible, and the loot and unlockable abilities become worth searching for the game ends on an easy 10 out of 10 status. 

It’s a spectacular game with a few faults, but an adventure that anyone can and should enjoy at least once. And boy oh BOI! is it exciting, which is why God of War 2018 gets a 9 out of 10 and a spot on the MightyNifty must play games list.

If the game doesn’t completely resonate with you at first, give it just a bit of time to show you how great of an experience it can be. Getting to the actual adventure may take time, but it’s well worth the wait. And I’m excited to see what the future holds for this series when it doesn’t need to introduce everyone to a new world and playstyle, but I guess we’ll have to wait to find out.

That being said I hope you enjoyed this review. If you did, be sure to like and subscribe to see more mighty reviews, dissections, and other gaming content. And as always, have a mighty nifty day today!