In the opening scene of God of War, Kratos, the god-killing rage monster, chops down a tree in silence. Standing shirtless in the snow, he breathes heavily and focuses on making solitary, deliberate strikes. He is calm, pensive, ragged — a little worse for wear. He is immediately recognizable, but also clearly not the man you may have known.Kratos’ new disposition in that moment summarizes the new God of War. Though it comes from the same studio, Sony Santa Monica, the PlayStation 4 exclusive reboot makes sweeping changes to the franchise. The game focuses more heavily on narrative, employs a structure more akin to Metroidvania-inspired open world games like Tomb Raider and Horizon: Zero Dawn, and trades in its combo-heavy hacking and slashing for more tactical combat that can move fast or slow, but doesn’t allow care-free button mashing.
Brutal and emotional, 'God of War' is everything a blockbuster game should be