At E3 2016, it was announced that everyone’s favourite demi-god would be returning to head up a new entry into the God of War series. Showing off an impressive gameplay trailer, Sony revealed not only that the new game looks bloody amazing but also that there are many aspects that will be different than its predecessors .
While the trailer showed us many of the new things we can expect from the sequel, it also left us asking a lot of questions as well. Kratos – now sporting a sexy beard – has packed his bags, moved to Scandinavia and fathered a son, but how exactly did he survive the end of God of War 3, why Scandinavia and who the hell is the mother?
There are many questions left to be answered, but here are a few of the things that we do know so far.
Don’t Call it a Comeback!
Rather than opting to introduce a new protagonist, Santa Monica Studio has brought back the big bald bastard we all know and love. In this outing, Kratos makes his comeback, proving that the post-credits scene from God of War 3 –which displayed a trail of blood leading away from the blade on which Kratos had been impaled– was more than just a naughty little tease.
However, many years have passed since Kratos took his vengeance against the Olympian gods and this game will depict an older and more reserved version of the character than fans will be used to. The landscape has changed dramatically from that in which Kratos has grown accustomed and a new challenge – the like we have never seen him tackle before – lies before him.
One major change with the character is Kratos’ new weapon of choice. The double-chained blades that we are used to seeing Kratos wield have been retired following the climax of God of War 3 and have been replaced with a magical battle axe that can be infused with elemental power.
Daddy Issues
Well slap my thigh and call me Charlie, it would appear that our little Kratos has finally grown up. At some point during the period between the end of God of War 3 and this game, Kratos has fathered a son (Atreus), meaning that the Spartan badass will need to change his ways in order to raise the boy right – no more rage induced benders for you, big K.
Kratos’ little sprog is set to play a more prominent role than just a plot device, though. Although players will predominantly play as Kratos, there will be times when they assume passive control of his offspring, with a single button dedicated to him when the context calls for it – presumably, Kratos will present his son with the shit jobs like most good fathers do. Atreus will also get involved when any aggro kicks off, acting as a distraction for the weaker enemies while Daddy lays the smackdown on the stronger ones.
Nothing has been revealed as to the identity of the mother, but let’s face it, considering the amount of females Kratos has bedded throughout the series, the list is literally endless.
Don’t Spend Those Points All at Once
Although the previous entries in the series all featured light role-playing elements – spending points to upgrade weapons and abilities – it would appear that the RPG elements of this title will go even deeper.
During the E3 demo shown last year, Kratos and his young son were hunting a deer. After Atreus spots some deer tracks, some text popped up displaying the message ‘Knowledge Gained Tracking +25’. Following this, Kratos helped the boy aim at and shoot the stag which prompted the message ‘Knowledge Gained Archery +50’ to be displayed.
These messages suggest that by carrying out these actions, the player will receive points, which increase various skills and abilities. While it’s not clear which character is actually leveling up, it is safe to assume that it is Atreus who is acquiring the points. Considering that Kratos is the one doing the teaching, it would be safe to assume that he is already pretty proficient at firing a bow.
Greek Mythology is so 2010
The God of war series will no longer be based on Greek Mythology (that Trojan has been flogged to death) but will instead be based on Norse Mythology with Kratos being a stranger in a strange land. Santa Monica had considered Egyptian Mythology as well but decided to go the Scandinavian route because they wanted to give the setting a more isolated feel.
While it may seem odd that Kratos – a Greek Mythological figure – now finds himself exploring Norse Mythology, Creative director Cory Barlog stated that the different culture’s belief systems coexisted, but they were ‘separated by geography’. Therefore it would appear that following his mic drop and the end of the third game, Kratos traveled from Greece to Norway to seek a new challenge.
The developers also confirmed that this game predates the Vikings era and is set during the time in which the Norse gods walked the Earth and at certain points through the game, the players will be able to visit some of the nine realms of Norse mythology.
I Know Kung Fu
Kratos’ weapons are not the only change when it comes to his ability to fight. As well as sporting his new battle axe, which he can also throw at his enemies and recall to his hand much like Marvel’s Thor, Kratos can also take on enemies using his fists, beating his adversaries to a bloody pulp when the time calls for it.
As previously mentioned, the player can also call Atreus into the battle and as Atreus levels up, one can assume that his worth in battle will also become much more valuable.
As with the previous games, Kratos can also use his rage to good effect, with the rage being built up on a meter, following a series of successful strikes against enemies during a fight. In the E3 trailer, Kratos used the stored rage to fuel a rage enthused attack on a troll – beating the troll senseless with multiple strikes to the face.
The Bigger They Are and all That
The big boss battles that you know and love will be making a return in the new game – although we are yet to learn whether the battles will feature quick time events like in the past titles. The boss battles are a staple of the God of War franchise and game director Cory Balrog has confirmed that not only are more are on the way but that they will also be more epic in scale.
In last year’s E3 trailer, we got a glimpse of Kratos facing off with a large troll and also a dragon was seen flying overhead at the climax of the trailer. But if the previous games are anything to go by, we can expect to see Kratos taking on much more titanic foes, not to mention the Norse Gods such as Loki, Odin and Thor. No, not Chris Hemsworth, before you ask.
God of War: Isolation
Sony has confirmed that there will be no multiplayer mode in the upcoming God of War game, so any fans out there who were hoping to band together to create a god squad are set to be disappointed.
Only once before has multiplayer been featured in a God of War game. God of War: Ascension, released in 2012, included a multiplayer mode that was largely criticised for lacking depth and having a weird narrative tie-in to the main story. Rather than learn from these criticisms and offering an improved multiplayer experience, Santa Monica has obviously chosen to leave out the game mode all together and instead focus their time resources on the main story.
God of War will be exclusive to Playstation 4
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