MINOR SPOILERS BELOW
I’m disappointed in myself thinking that I was over God of War. I’ve only ever played the main three games and I figured the new one would continue to follow suit as Kratos continued to kill all the gods we know. Don’t get me wrong, I thoroughly enjoyed the first three, but I was never excited when they talked about the new God of War on PS4. I didn’t really follow any of the hype and I almost passed on the title completely. Then after a long day of day drinking with a fellow gamer friend of mine he convinced me to buy it.
As stated earlier I have only played the main three. It was honestly stupid fun at first but by the end of God of War 3, I was over Kratos trying to kill Zeus and all the Gods that came in his way. I believe that is where my unexcitement of the new GoW came from. I figured it would be the same thing all over again. Welp, I’m a proud to say I was way wrong!
This is a story of Kratos that is no longer excited with how angry he has been throughout the series. He is now more level-headed, hiding from his past in the realm of Midgard. He has also started a new family and seems to be trying to live a semi-normal life. The story begins when the mother of his son Atreus passes away and her goal once she passed, was to take and dump her ashes on the highest mountain peak. Atreus and Kratos haven’t had much time together since Kratos was always out trying to get supplies for the family to survive as Fey, Kratos’ new lover and possible wife, and Atreus we’re together training and bonding.
As soon as the ashes of Atreus’ mother are taken and put away for safekeeping, one of the most memorable and emotional journeys begins. This is unlike anything that I have ever witnessed in a video game. The latest edition of GoW gave me the complete package of an amazing story that drives you to keep playing, along with some of the best combat I have ever experienced.
The battles in GoW could be quite challenging. Every time I ended up on top it was the same satisfaction I had hunting monsters in Monster Hunter. You have to be smart and couldn’t always go in guns blazing. Each enemy had a niche of their own the made them tricky and learning how to tackle each battle as the game went on was super exciting. What was even more surprising to me was the fact that I never got tired of using the main weapon, the Leviathan Axe. Throughout the whole game you upgrade the axe along with his abilities which constantly evolved the way you used the axed. Yes, there is another main weapon you get later on, but I felt that it came a bit late and still wasn’t as fun as the axe. The story is a blast to play through but the real fun happens after you complete the main story line.
The endgame Valkyries are the true test of skill in GoW. Totally optional, totally a pain in the ass; but also totally worth it. Each Valkyrie has her own ablilities which means you had to adapt differently in each battle. Then to cap it all off, the queen ( the last one you kill) had the best of all the other Valkyrie’s abilities combined. This battle honestly almost made me break my controller. I won’t admit how many times I had to face her but when I came out on top and earned my platinum trophy, I did not turn my PlayStation back on for a few days. With the blood sweat and tears I put in to kill her I needed a mental break, but damn was it fun.
God of War will be a game that is praised for years to come. It’s an experience gamers won’t soon forget. This is something you MUST experience if you own a PS4.
OVERALL GRADE:
5/5 Stars
~El Sanchino
