I’ve tried many hobbies in my life but the one constant has been gaming. I have been fortunate enough to have enough time to play many of the classics that have spanned the years past, but even with a concerted effort to sample as much as possible; I’ve still missed a few. These days, especially with the indie gaming space being so prolific, it is even more difficult to keep up. One series that I, unfortunately, missed in its entirety was the God of War games that made their home on Playstation.

In the latest game of this epic saga, simply titled God of War, you once again set forward as Kratos. As I explained in my opening; I am no expert on this series but from afar they looked primarily like action games with epic boss encounters as a signature feature. In an ideal world, I would go back and replay a few of these games to get a flavour of where the series is coming from. Alas, I still feel like I have missed too much to start going back now. Yet, when I saw the trailers in 2019 for the new God of War game, I knew I would have to give it a go. As far as I can gather from the previous games, Kratos basically killed all the gods in his realm: including his old man Zeus. As well as ruining Christmas, this seems to have spurred him to move on to new pastures. There is, of course, a lot more history to this Spartan warrior and if you do fancy brushing up on his bloody history; there is a decent summary of the previous games here.

This Kratos is an older being, his fire has been tempered by love, loss and the responsibility of becoming a father (again). As any Dad will attest, once you have children they tend to mess with your alone time and test you in ways you never see coming. Yet he is still a formidable warrior who can still topple mountainous creatures that make the mistake of crossing him.

The game opens with a sombre note; Kratos’s partner Faye has just passed and he must now care for his young son Atreus. It is clear from the offset that Kratos has been having trouble letting go of his past and up until now has been emotionally distant from Atreus. In an attempt to leave his old life behind; Kratos and his family now live in the realm of the Nordic Gods. After an unexpected visit from Baldur (son of Odin and Freya), Kratos and Atreus embark on a journey to take Faye's ashes to the highest mountain and beyond. So yes, there is a new emotional core to this God of War game but that doesn’t mean the combat has lost any of its teeth. 

Anger Management 

After a brief tutorial section (which is excellent) you start out with the Leviathan Axe which acts as your main weapon. Like Thor’s hammer, this devastating wood chopper can be hurled at your foes and then pulled back at will. From the off, you will have a range of attacks that require specific inputs. In addition to the axe, you can also employ Kratos’s weathered hands to punch the life out of enemies or just rip them in half. Even your Spartan shield can be used both as a defensive and offensive option. As you make your way through the game, new attacks and techniques can be unlocked which develop the already fantastic set of death-dealing moves. 

On the original PS4 launch the visuals and animations in this game were absolutely top tier. Kratos can move fast when he wants to but he mostly moves like he resents the player mithering him with their petty needs. Each of his attacks are fluid, powerful and flow into each other like liquid rage. There is also a wonderful sense of impact on your targets as you rend flesh from bone in some of the most graphic death animations I've ever seen. As well as many human-sized enemies you will also encounter beasts many times the size of Kratos. While some of these fights seem to initially border on the ridiculous, you then witness the awesome strength Kratos has at his disposal. 

As you move through each section of the game there will be some light exploration and puzzle-solving to be had. There is also a degree of backtracking once you have gained the means to open previously bared passages. This is handled really well and later in the game a portal system will unlock. As you dispatch enemies and smash chests you will gather resources that can be converted into new armour and weapon upgrades. I found the upgrade system to be just about perfect for this style of game. There are enough sets to make gathering relevant and each one can be upgraded significantly. Of course, the best materials will be found from the toughest enemies or from areas found later in the game. There are also runes (of course there are) that improve armour or add new abilities to your weapons. I loved how the two Dwarven blacksmiths Brok and Sindri are woven into the games upgrade system. These two estranged brothers are a fantastic addition to the cast and are never too far away.

God Complex

God of War is not an open-world game and many of its sections will take Kratos and Atreus down a linear path. This is where the wonderful world-building does its thing because the many locations you visit never feel like game levels but real lived in places. Once you reach the lake and World Serpent you will start to see the structure of the challenge ahead of you. As the gigantic serpent shifts so too does the water level and access to new areas. This central hub also gives the player a degree of agency over which part of the quest to take on next. 

The first time you clap your eyes on the World Serpent you can’t help but gawk in awe at this magnificent sight. There are many monuments in this game that will impress, just by the sheer scale of what the developers have created. Even in the first few hours of the game, you will happen across a stunning vista as you leave your home as Kratos and Atreus consider the journey ahead. You will spend a fairly decent chunk of time in the rowing boat, exploring the shores of the Lake and the rivers leading to it. I love how Atreus takes these opportunities to quiz his cornered father and the mysteries of their existence. 

Father and Son

I found the story in this God of War a decent enough yarn that is both heartfelt and well delivered through the various characters you meet. There is, of course, a deeply emotional story beat that serves as an overarching quest to honour your wife’s dying wish. However, as the quest progresses it becomes clear that the relationship between Kratos and his son has been neglected. Initially, Kratos sees Atreus as a burden and writes him off as too weak to even make the journey. The attack from Baldur however, forces Kratos’s hand and they embark on the journey in spite of his reservations. Seeing Atreus develop over the game and how this affects Kratos is definitely one of the highlights for me. While Kratos has killed more beings than smallpox, he is also wise in the ways of the world and does not tolerate fools gladly. 

Having Atreus as a companion is a perfect juxtaposition as he is optimistic, trusting and seeks the approval of Kratos in everything he does. As they progress together this dynamic changes in some very interesting ways but that is all I will say for the sake of spoilers. Atreus can also aid you in combat in various ways, starting simply with attacks from his bow. His own understanding of combat also develops in time, much to the quiet approval of Kratos, which makes his contribution vital in some situations. Like Kratos, Atreus also has armour, weapon and skill upgrades which are excellent although more limited than his fathers. 

Where Atreus does surpass his father is his knowledge of ancient languages and history; which he gleaned from his brilliant mother of course. It’s obvious that Kratos finds this frustrating at first, being bested by a situation that he cannot triumph over with brute force. ‘Boy, what does this say?’ You can imagine a modern-day conversation like this where a son explains TikTok to his tech-illiterate patients.

Is it PC?

So I have played the 2018 version of God of War twice in its entirety: once on the base PS4 and another with the glorious PS5 version. Unfortunately, I did not receive a code for the PC version so I have not had a chance to reach the conclusion on PC yet. However, as the content within is identical after playing a good ten hours I have decided to release my PC review early. I just wanted to stress this was the case but on completing the PC version I will update my review if so required.

So God of War will be the last game I review on my old rig as the new one should arrive just in time to review Dying Light 2 in February. So given the impressive visuals, I had some trepidation when booting up God of War for the first time. However, I am pleased to say that God of War is a fantastic PC port that runs great, even on my older system. With an i7, 16GB of Ram and a 2070 Super at 1440p, I managed to run the game well with settings on high. With DLSS turned onto quality mode I was managing to get around sixty frames per second with the odd dip into the fifties when it got really hectic on screen. There are plenty of options in the graphics department and there is (as always) a very helpful Digital Foundry performance review here.

For first-person action games, I would always go for mouse and keyboard; but third-person games can be tricky to decide on. While I loved Death Stranding on PC, the duel sense controller on PS5 is an absolute must and elevates the experience so much with the adaptive triggers. Yet with games like Shadow of Mordor, I far prefer the precise mouse input for fast turns and instant mouselook. I would say for me God of War a controller is preferable: partly because I have played it twice on console but also the vibration makes using the axe feel more impactful. 

The voice acting in God of War is superb, right from the very first second to the last spoken word. Christopher Judge makes the room shake as his growl just demands attention. Atreus is voiced by Sunny Suljic, who like Baldurs actor Jeremy Davies; looks very much like their digital characters. The beautiful Danielle Bisutti is also like a mirror image of Freya, who she plays with much passion and care. The star of the show for me was Alastair Duncan who plays Mirir’s head and spends most of his game time dangling from Kratos’s backside. With a wonderfully memorable musical score that brings the whole thing together, the sound in this game is as good as it gets. 

Summary

In the last few years, we have seen Sony warming to the idea of porting their exclusives to PC and this is a very good thing. Many in the industry have been wondering for years why they took so long because assuming the ports were good, it was obvious PC gamers would be all over these games. It was unfortunate that Horizon Zero Dawn landed in a less than ideal state, but that has now been fixed and we have since seen the Death Stranding port polished to a fine sheen. It would seem that God of War is the best port yet from Sony and I expect sales to be significant. It leads to the conclusion, it is not if but when will we see a port of the amazingly good (I’m not sorry) 2018 Spider-Man game.

If like me you have never played a God of War game then this is the perfect time to jump into this soft reboot and get aquatinted with Kratos. PlayStation owners are chomping at the bit for the next instalment of the series later this year and Ragnorok should be another sure-fire hit. However, for now, God of War on PC is the talk of the town as it is by far the best version of an already incredible game.