Not too long ago I beat God of War for PS4 or God of war 4 as it's often called. I am a God of War veteran so to speak as I've beaten all the major games...even the ones for PSP. I like a lot about this new direction the series took in 2018. Let's get into it.
The game is set in ancient Norway in the realm of Midgar. The setting is a breath of fresh air. This means new settings and new enemies. Also Kratos has a son that accompanies with you most of the time named Atreus. Atreus is an archer and he launches them with a single press of a button but later on in the game he will do more by himself in combat. The relationship between father and son is a major theme of this game. Our anti hero Kratos is more subdued than he's ever been here and tries to teach his son the right way to do things.
I found the game's revised combat and over the shoulder camera angle to be nice but it took some getting used to. Enemies will frequently get behind you forcing you to quickly turn around. Luckily there is a button to do that but I rarely used it. Kratos uses the Leviathan Axe which can be tossed and then magically comes back to him like Thor's hammer. It's really cool as it has freezing properties. This is especially useful in puzzles as you frequently freeze gears and such to progress.
Graphically this is one of the best looking games I've ever seen. Also the game doesn't really load unless you die which is really impressive. The game has a lot of RPG elements to it like armor and unlocking different moves etc. For the most part I liked the changes to the God of War formula but I found it to be somewhat too complex. I spent a good amount of time changing and upgrading armor when I just wanted to get on with the story.
The story is really good as you journey to the highest point in the realm to spread Atreus's mother's ashes. There are twists and turns in the story. It wasn't really that predictable and I liked that. The enemies were great but there wasn't really that wide of a variety. You often fight the same enemies but just slight variations of them like in Zelda Breath of the Wild. The bosses are also usually the same Trolls or what have you. There are a few fights tho which are truly fantasists and challenging like a 2 on 2 duel with the sons of Thor. Also you technically fight the final boss 3 different times and the 1st and last fight are terrific. I haven't fought any of the post game bosses i.e. the Valkeryies at the time of this review.
The game's pacing is really good. Some puzzles did seem really tough as in without a guide Idk how you'd figure that out kinda tough. Spoiler alert: At a later point in the game you do get your blades of chaos back and they are used in a new way in this game and I love it. They can harness energy for a certain period of time and transfer it to something. They also have a fire property which works well with your Axe which has ice properties.
All in all this is a very good game. It's long, its tough, and its fun. I don't really think its the best God of War tho. That honor to me still goes to God of War III, which just felt so satisfying to play. This is a great game however. If you haven't played it I recommend you pick it up.
Verdict: 9.75