God of War Review - A Real Masterpiece or a Dull Movie? (Topic)

Kratos in the previous parts perpetrated reprisals against the Greek celestials and now in the new God of War took up the Olympus of the gaming industry. Critics never stop praising the game, creating an incredible hype around the new part about the adventures of the god of war. Is God of War really worthy of all the accolades he gets? Unconditional 10 out of 10 and one of the best games of our time?

Find out the answers to all these questions in our God of War review.

Papa Kratos is back

All fans of the series, including our editorial staff, were expecting Kratos' return, but with open skepticism. The most questionable concept was the concept of "dad and son", similar to which we saw in Last of Us. Although Kratos is not alien to the standard human weaknesses, such moments were always erased against the background of a meat grinder, which the god of war created with enviable determination.

We have already talked about how brutally Kratos dealt with enemies, so the sudden appearance of his son caused fear. Will Kratos turn into a caring dad and an exemplary family man? Fortunately, all our fears about the plot in God of War have not been confirmed.

The relationship between Kratos and Atreus can hardly be called idyllic. In the first hours of the game, we practically do not hear the father call his son by name or look into his eyes. Of course, Kratos refrains from the belt, but his methods of education, as they say, are Spartan, not for nothing he was a general of the Spartan army. However, character development is one of the main gems of the game. It's really interesting to watch Kratos trying to mold a real warrior out of an agreeable son.

I would also like to mention the direction. God of War 2018 clearly shows that the lines between games and cinematography have been completely erased. Considerable merit here is the camera work. From the start menu to the end credits, the entire game is filmed in one take, providing a level of immersion never before seen in games. Well, as befits any cinematic work - the acting is also at a decent level, including the voice acting of God of War in USA.

The Legend of Kratos

The gameplay of the project has also undergone numerous changes relative to the previous parts of the series. Most of all, the game resembles familiar adventure projects like The Legend of Thelda or the Arkham series. That is, the player is provided with an open world, new locations in which will open up as God of War progresses. If you wish, you can always return to previously cleared lands to find hidden secrets and complete additional quests.

Unfortunately, the open world reveals a standard disadvantage for games of this genre - over and over again you have to visit previously opened locations. For example, you see a riddle, but you don't know how to solve it. You can beat around the bush for hours, rack your brains, but in most cases we advise you not to stop and go further along the plot. Over time, Atreus and Kratos will have access to new abilities that will allow them to get into previously closed places on the map.

God of RPG

The developers, long before the release date of God of War, said that it would take up to 40 hours to complete the entire game. And to be fair, Santa Monica even downplayed the scale of the game. Even after 50 hours of wandering the Scandinavian worlds, you still have something to do. For example, pumping the abilities of characters and even forging them with armor and weapons. Now Kratos' adventures resemble a real RPG with six levels of leveling: four for Kratos and two for Atreus.

Of course, the leveling system was in the previous parts of the series, but its impact on the gameplay was minimal, here you can completely change the combat mechanics of the game. The developers have provided a rich customization system that allows you to shape the Kratos of your dreams.

Runestones for improving ammunition and armor elements add not only passive, but also active bonuses, such as new abilities and attacks. If you wish, you can turn Kratos' trusty ax into a laser weapon and carry out combo attacks with Atreus.

And if at the minimum level of difficulty you can ignore the troubles with pumping with a daring smirk, saying: "What can happen to me, I'm the god of war!", then starting from the second difficulty level, problems can begin. Even a standard draugr, bringing back memories of Dark Souls, can finish off a player with a couple of hits.

Another thing that makes God of War akin to the Souls series is the control layout and the concept of the combat system. Since the enemies hit painfully, you need to memorize the timings and choose the best moment to strike, remembering to dodge, block or counterattack the foe's attacks. In general, thanks to variable leveling and a variety of enemies, every battle in God of War is like a game of chess at reactive speeds.

You need to carefully think over the behavior of enemies, take into account their type, number and change the style of play on the go. And as the cherry on the cake - great tactile sensations from fighting. Each time the ax strikes an enemy carcass, the gamepad vibrates, which makes it even better to get used to the role of Kratos.

So in the end, 10 out of 10?

After reading our review, you can naturally notice that the game does not offer anything new for the gaming industry, and you will be absolutely right. Yes, God of War is a compilation of all the ideas that can be found in other games in recent years, and where is the masterpiece then? It's simple: the new part about Kratos' adventures took all the usual mechanics and brought them to a new level unattainable for other games.

For all the emotions that Kratos' adventures give, for the creativity with which the developers approached the battles with bosses and the creation of numerous puzzles, for the God of War graphics on PS4, leaving behind any PC-exclusives - the game deserves the maximum rating.

Of course, there is something to find fault with, for example, for the open ending, the need to return to previously open locations ... but I absolutely do not want to do this. Santa Monica gave us a first-class solo adventure, which is a real rarity in our time dominated by loot boxes, the same type of "Battle Royale" and Open-world games.

If you are not yet sure whether or not to take the PS4 for the sake of the new God of War, then we advise you to read our material, where we tell about all the known facts about God of War.

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The Topic of Article: God of War Review - A Real Masterpiece or a Dull Movie?.
Author: Jake Pinkman