God of War: Norse Mythology Review

God of War is an excellent composition of interrelated parts, purposeful in design and shadow, which pays off in unexpected ways in both the gameplay and the story. Set in a new world inspired by norse mythology and starring well-known but well-reimagined characters, God of War's God of War of Greek Water saga is a non-stop whirlwind. It's all framed by one continuous camera shot that never cuts or takes focus from the heart of it all: kratos' relationship with his young son, atreus. But the story also includes an indelible supporting cast, a beautiful world that's consistently rewarding to explore, and incredibly satisfying combat.

Review

If you have played the previous games in the series of seven of them, counting two psp games and mobile games, you know that kratos lived a long life of loss, glory, and many god killings in ancient greece. While that history certainly informs who he is today, the characters we meet here have embarked on a new chapter, having found love, family and full beards in this world of norse mythology. But he was still a stranger to this place, and forced to rely on his barely related son to decipher the language and guide him when the swing of his ax or the imprint of his boots on an undead foe wouldn't do any deceiving. That relationship, and how it evolves and changes over the course of the story, is one of God of War's best qualities. Here were two people with different personalities, one of them young and innocent, the other old and blood-soaked when they came, both mourning the same woman in different ways. Kratos loves his son but is cold at first. He seems disillusioned by his lack of skills and stomach for combat, referring to him mostly as "Boy," and rarely makes eye or physical contact with him. (He will, of course, unhesitatingly beat the life of anyone who threatens his son, which seems to be the only way he knows how to express affection. Kratos' uncertainty about how to relate to the boy he seeks to turn into a survived and yet the fear of maybe becoming like him was awesome to watch.

Their dichotomy plays out with churning, realistic moments throughout the story. I'm surprised by how often I see myself in well-worn Kratos and Atreus shoes. I've told important people in my own life some of the things they said to each other, and I've thought (but was too afraid to speak out loud) to many others, making God of War relationships feel real and very honest. Other games have tackled parent-child relationships, but I can't remember the father-daughter dynamic so that it was successfully developed and used to create fantastic adventures. This depth and complexity is something completely new to Kratos, and the new God of War transforms it from the previous game's flat embodiment of the bloodthirsty warrior cliché to someone who can stand side by side with some of my favorite protagonists in recent media. He is now voiced by Stargate SG-1's powerful baritone, Christopher Judge, who can say so much with a single word or snort. He gives the long-running character stoic dialogue both gravitas and an intimidating feel you can hear as he grapples with his son's needs, internal fears and pain and, of course, the elements and monsters trying to stop him from reaching his peak.

New world

Kratos is no longer an adventure in mainland Greece, but plunges into Norse mythology with Atreus. Sony Santa Monica of course has a tough job to make sure that the settings you get end up different from what you found in the past. So far, they've managed to do it. The Scandinavian area, which is home to great viking-class fighters, does have an architectural and world approach that is different from what we know from Greece before. My friend will now have an adventure in a place with wild nature that looks more beautiful, with high and snowy mountains that are ready to welcome whatever my friend prepares for him. You also have to deal with different types of monsters, as well as ruins that take the form of a unique civilization. Especially considering that Norse mythology is not only about Midgard. there is another world with a different taste that is ready to welcome the action of Kratos and Atreus, more than just a cold, snowy place with a strong mystical aura.

The interesting thing, is the timeline of the story itself. Kratos was not in the middle of a period of pure and peaceful Norse mythology when God of War started. He entered into a world where the races in Norse mythology itself, had shared a dark past through various wars. So, you will find the remnants of the conflict, scattered over the world that you are exploring. The three main races here are the Aesir, Vanir and Giants who have shared so many conflicts and deaths that show this clearly through the rubble of Midgard. Stories and stories of how they try to kill each other are also thrown through the fairy tale of a character named Mimir, or just from information that you find through your explorations. Seeing how their tracks had clearly been left in Midgard produced an even, more admirable sight. Using the performance offered by the Playstation 4, Sony Santa Monica does produce a product through the detail side, it does look stunning. When the cut-scene occurs, the details of characters like Kratos and Atreus, from the curves of muscles, blood, injuries, facial expressions, to small things like beards are full of detail. However, when it comes to visual presentation, one additional feature that we think has succeeded in producing a more epic combat sensation is the environmental destruction effect that is now available. Available to fight in a field that contains small trees or squares, for example, intense battles involving enemies or you being thrown here and there will destroy the object, sometimes even creating particle effects such as falling snow.

Art of War

And there are many battles. Even though Kratos only kills to survive now, he still does it with a flair for brutality. The stun-kill animation can be downright gruesome and downright bone-chilling. (Although, since there's only one per enemy type, they do get a bit repetitive to watch.) While God of War as a whole is more emotionally complex and layered, its excellent combat undoubtedly brings forward the blood-soaked traditions of the series. the. Kratos' signature weapon that this time out is the Leviathan Ax, which is one of the best weapons I've ever used in the latest game. It starts off with simple light and heavy attacks but can be upgraded and given new abilities along your journey. It's a lot of fun slashing and slicing through hordes of enemies, but I rarely enjoy weapons more than when the ax flies through the air.

The best trick is that, when cast, Leviathan acts exactly like Thor's hammer, Mjlonir, as depicted in the Marvel movies. The ax will whip back into your hands with a tap of the triangle button, cutting down any enemies in its path, both coming and going. It's also filled with the power of ice that can freeze individual targets while it's placed within them, allowing you to disable one the moment you hit his friends with Kratos' near-deadly fist. The sense of throwing and remembering the Leviathan Ax is So. cursing. Satisfying. The first time I learned I could do this, I slashed enemies through the head and then spent 10 minutes just throwing the ax and remembering it in the woods, noticing and appreciating the small difference in the time it took to return from greater distances. The loud, reverberating noise made, paired with a precise rumble in the controller, made his return to Kratos' outstretched hand feel good even hundreds or thousands of throws later.

Finding the right combination of slicing, throwing, assist from Atreus, and parrying with Kratos' retention shield turns every battle into a timing gory ballet - and that's before you start unlocking special attacks, like a streak of ice shooting out of an ax or Atreus' Wolf Patronus-esque. can call for battle. Although I quickly found my favorite, certain scenarios required me to alter my abilities by mixing enemies with invulnerability and weakness. I skipped a few options early in the game, as options were limited by what you could afford to unlock with XP, but by the second half I had more than enough to unlock everything I wanted in time for the most brutal of battles. I feel compelled to experiment. In the end, I'll be maxing out every skill tree, including Kratos' wrath returning from the God's ability which gives Buddy a temporary boost to damage via a flaming fist. However, those upgrades don't make the battles super easy - I still find challenges to the end, and beyond in my post-game endeavors.

Beauty in Detail Design

I have boldly said "wow" and sighed at the beauty of the God of War. The texture of the grassy hills in the distance felt surreal, the light dance dazzled from the more shimmering surface, and every wrinkled monster I had thrown conveyed such a sense of rottenness to instill terror in me. Even the sky looks almost photo-realistic. And while the beautiful scenery wowed me, the little details in Kratos and Atreus took my breath away. The fur and leather of their clothing moves in a very natural way, and is so detailed that it looks almost authentic. I would find myself trying on new armor just to marvel at how Kratos' outfit behaved.

All of this beauty comes at a cost, however, and it means God of War runs at or around 30 frames per second instead of the 60 frames that makes the action game feel a lot smoother. That said, the world and its inhabitants mostly worked out well for me, apart from the occasional framerate dip when swinging the camera over complex scenes or around in the midst of tight combat, or when in Pro's "Favor Resolution" mode, which maintain a higher resolution at the expense of dropping a few frames here and there. The "Favor Favor Performance" mode noticeably goes up the framerate, but not to the 60 fps in my time with it. But the occasional problem in my game never hampered my progress or markedly took me out of the experience on either the regular PS4 or PS4 Pro. Beyond seeing Kratos' pores in more detail than you might expect, that higher fidelity also affects the performances of Hakim as Kratos and Sunny Suljic as Atreus because it allows them to convey so much with their faces. The subtle movement of Kratos' eyebrows, or the changes in Atreus' journey when he's feeling down is very alive.

Text and Subtitles

God of war can be said to be one of the most perfect games that the author has played, both in terms of story, gameplay, graphics and sound. There is one thing that bothers the writer in this game, the small subtitles and subtitles. Almost all the text in the game is too small in size, so it becomes a separate homework for the author to read it. Especially for reading subtitles written directly on the screen, without a dialog box. So sometimes if the cutscene is too bright, we can be sure the writer or reader will stare at the screen to read it.

Conclusion

A rarity full of risks that pays off sweetly, it seems that there is no more appropriate sentence to explain what Sony Santa Monica has to offer in this latest God of War series. You may think that they have gone crazy because of the significant changes to so many elements that have defined the franchise itself for generations. But once you try it yourself, enjoy the changes that this has to offer, you will fall in love. that it's clear these changes are well thought out, refined with more new features, content, and mechanics, and then wrapped up in a story line that will keep you hooked from start to finish. Combined with a cool OST and mythological fairy tales ready to steal your heart, there's no reason not to fall in love with God of War, regardless of whether you're a fan or a newcomer to the game who made this series premiere.