The new God of War is a chapter that completely rewrites the canons of the saga: to do so, it adds to the game formula a series of interesting news, mixing a frantic and brutal combat system with a solid adventure and explorative component.
The result, as you can read in this analysis is resounding: Santa Monica has given life to a true masterpiece, destined to set new standards in the action-adventure genre. Given the amount of difference that separates this episode from its predecessors, we decided to propose a list that summarizes, in short, all the distinctive features of production. Sharpen your ax, and get ready for a trip that you will not forget so easily.
The plot of the game is much more intimate and profound than in the past. And it is narrated with greater intensity.
The main campaign lasts about twenty hours. While, to complete the game in its interests, including all secondary activities, it will take more than 40 hours.
The combat system has undergone significant changes. Now the camera is placed behind the protagonist, thus limiting the field of vision, but has not lost a shred of its spectacularity.
The progression system is very stratified and allows you to effectively develop the combat system, which evolves during the advancement and makes the battles more tactical and elaborate. We can upgrade weapons and unlock new skills.
The armor has special slots in which if we insert the spells, it gives us the opportunity to change the statistics and the functionality of some attacks.
The spell system has been replaced by runic attacks (heavy and light), which are spectacular and have ferocious special moves. Atreus can equip an evocation, that works like a spell, exploiting the attacks of one of many guided animals.
The boss fights are not present in large numbers and – except for the first and last clash – they are less satisfactory than those of the previous episodes.
The linearity of the previous chapters has given way to exploration: the God of War world for PlayStation 4 is larger, composed of micro areas in which we move freely in search of resources and side-quests. We can travel through the nine kingdoms of Norse mythology, and two of these are completely optional.
The end game content is stimulating and well implemented, able to entertain us for several hours even after the credits.
The work is a veritable encyclopedia of Nordic mythology: the Santa Monica boys have digitized the Scandinavian legends to perfection, reinterpreting them and reworking them at will. This God of War then relates to the myth in a much more complete (and complex) way than ever before.
Technically the game is truly majestic, with a powerful visual rendering, and on the console scene it knows few equals. On the PS4 base, however, there are some frame rate drops. On the enhanced version (PS4 Pro) we can select the Framerate mode, which has a fluidity around 40/50 fps.
These are the cornerstones of the new, extraordinary exclusive title of Sony. Santa Monica has had the courage to overturn the playful foundations of the series, creating an epic action-adventure: a sparkling reboot for our war god.
