God of War 4

God of War 4 brings us back to popular character Kratos, and focuses on his relationship with his son, Atreus. In this newest installment of the series, Kratos and Atreus are going together to spread the ashes of Faye, husband and mother of the duo.

As you can imagine, the son of Zeus isn’t the greatest at being a parent, and the story is full family tensions as well as action and adventure during the game. It’s not an overwhelming story, but it is good enough to keep you there while you are playing.

New Weapons

In the original God of War and follow up games, the main weapon has been the Swords of Chaos. These are swords permanently chained to his arms, and while he might use other weapons during the game, these are the ones you remember.

In God of War 4, this has been changed to the Leviathan Axe. This Axe is a solid swinging Axe that makes a thud when it lands in a victim, and another when it is recalled to your hand. If you’re playing with a controller, the controller makes a satisfying vibration when the weapon is recalled.

More expansive

Most God of War games are linear in nature, but this game is different. While it isn’t quite open world, it does branch out with options that grow wider with each choice you make. The hub-style allows the developers to create something amazing—they can show you other realms, and give rich detail in one area, all while hiding something from you around the corner.

This really works in terms of the raw beauty of the game. The graphics and designs are show stopping. As an example. It’s not just beautifully rendered graphics, but how those graphics are presented. In one show stopping example, every time you make significant quest progress in the game, the level of the lake surrounding the area changes. It’s a lot like Tomb Raider 3 in the mechanics of how the world opens up. It’s not complete freedom, but it’s also not a single, linear path with no other way to move forward.

Boss Fights Equal to past God of Wars

God of War 4 has made a huge effort in improving the environment, and a respectable effort on story. The only area where it matches rather than exceeds past God of War games is in the boss fights. These boss fights are still great, but they’re not better than God of War 3’s Cronus fight as an example. You will still be wowed by the spectacular fight, but you won’t be able to compare it to past fights and call it better.

Pros:

• Spectacular Environment
• More freedom of movement
• Amazing graphics
• Epic battle scenes

Cons:

• Story isn’t as earth shaking as the rest of the game

God of War 4 is the fourth game in the mainline God of War series, and the eighth overall installment in the franchise. This third-person action title was developed by Sony's Santa Monica Studio, who have been lovingly crafting the God of War world since the days of the PlayStation 2. Set in an entirely new mythological world, God of War 4 offers an experience that is unique from the rest of the series. It offers a tantalizing mystery set in a beautiful and dangerous world, rich with playable content and fun surprises. Not only is the gameplay fun and exciting, but the story is riveting and heartfelt, resulting in one of the strongest PlayStation games ever made.

Main Features

• Extensive single-player campaign
• Upgradable weapons and armor
• Cutting edge graphics and storytelling

Story

A large portion of God of War 4's story is a mystery, slowly revealing itself to the player as they progress. Taking place an unknown amount of time after God of War III, this tale once again sees Kratos, a divine but now aged warrior, embarking on a perilous journey packed with violence.

However, instead of being set in the world of Greek mythology, God of War 4 inexplicable takes place in the lands of Norse lore. After the death of his wife Faye, Kratos and his son Atreus set out to carry her ashes to the top of a nearby mountain. Shortly after their journey begins, Kratos is attacked by a mysterious enemy, sent by the powerful god Odin. Fearing for his son's safety and eager to deliver Faye's ashes to the mountain, the pair set off into the wilds of Midgard where uncertainty awaits.

Gameplay

Although God of War 4 maintains the third-person action genre of its predecessors, there's a lot about the game that is notably different. Instead of wielding Kratos' iconic blades, you'll utilize his new Leviathan Axe, which can be thrown and then magically pulled back to his hand. You'll use the axe in both combat and exploration, cleaving through enemies' skulls and solving environmental puzzles respectively. Combat generally feels more complex than before, offering a variety of distinct moves and abilities over hack 'n slash attacks. You can upgrade both your Leviathan Axe and other armor by befriending various blacksmiths on your adventure, as well as upgrade Kratos' skills with gold and treasure you find along the way. Atreus is also useful during battle, as his archery skill can be used to inflict ranged pain on enemies.

God of War 4 is also highly cinematic, both in terms of combat encounters and general pacing. The entire game plays out as one continuous camera shot, only cutting away to black when you fall in battle. This gives the game an exceptional level of immersion and scale, which makes the massive boss fights all the more enjoyable. Not only is Kratos' adventure tons of fun, it's one of the best looking games of the modern age. Even if you're not wowed by the combat mechanics, you'll surely enjoy the inventive camera tricks and bombastic boss fights.

Conclusion

Whether you've completed the previous games or not, God of War 4 is a must-play for any fan of action games, cinematic adventures, or Norse mythology. Besides the memorable and emotionally effective story, the map is packed with extra missions and bosses to fight, giving you dozens of hours of action-packed gameplay.

The world of Midgard is both incredibly deadly and gorgeous to behold, represented beautifully by the great art design. There are plenty of fun callbacks and fan-service moments for longtime fans of the franchise, but God of War 4 is just as rewarding for newcomers. If you haven't had the pleasure before, you should absolutely check out God of War 4, as it's easily one of the best games of the generation.

Pros

• Awesome boss fights
• Addictive upgrade system
• Highly cinematic narrative

Cons

• Lack of plot closure
• Puzzles can be frustrating