Game: God of War
Initial Release Date: April 20, 2019
Publisher: Sony Interactive Entertainment, Capcom, Sony Pictures
Genre: Action-Adventure, RPG, and Hack and Slash
Platforms: Playstation 4
Why We’re Playing It: Unless you’ve been stuck under a gaming rock for the last decade, you’ve no doubt heard of the “God of War” franchise. We figured with Father’s Day just being celebrated, now is the perfect time to review the story and adventures of Kratos and Atreus, son of Kratos. There is plenty of bloodshed and battles, but at the heart of this game is the relationship between father and son.
What It’s All About: Kratos’ wife/Atreus’ mother has passed. After cremating her, they seek out to fulfill her final wish that her ashes be brought to the highest peak in the realm. A simple enough task, right? Wrong! Of course, witches, gods, monsters and demons get in the way during the journey to the top of the mountain. While on your path, you navigate not only a perilous journey but a difficult bond between father and son.
That’s Worth A Power-Up!: This is very much a hack and slash game, and you’re going to be immersed in heavy battle, but there’s also an RPG at the center of this gaming lollipop. You gain XP, pick what weapons, skills and abilities you use. The RPG elements feels a little bit like playing one of those New eso templar builds in “Elder Scrolls”, but only a little bit. “God of War” lives up to its predecessors and the combat and gameplay feel just like that the iconic series always had, rarely taking whole pages from “Skyrim”‘s books as other new games have. Your weapon now has slots that you can equip. with enchantments, which you can also level up, increasing your weapon strength as a whole. The strategy of this game is a rabbit hole, and you can delve as deep as you want into the RPG aspects associated with “God of War.”
Bonus Level: This game is gorgeous! Bob Ross himself couldn’t have painted a more vibrant environment to cover with the blood of your enemies. Just take a moment to take it all in between battles, because the graphics are just mind blowing. If the beautiful scenery were an advertisement for a time share, we would be sold! But, you know, maybe less monsters in real life would be nice for resale value. We also have to tip our hat to the seamless transitions between full motion video to actual gameplay. No more queuing the full motion video, then waiting on a blank screen for it load, then reload when you go back to gameplay. From the time you hit start until the end, you’re immersed in Kratos’ world, stopping only for food, bathroom and work…hopefully! Maybe you should just plan ahead and use those vacation days and spend some quality father/son time within “God of War.”
And that’s why this game is a certified quarter muncher!