God of War Reinvents Itself to Tell a Tale of Forgiveness

Publisher: Sony Interactive Entertainment / Developer: SIE Santa Monica Studio / Platform: Playstation / Release Date: April 20, 2018 Let’s be honest. The original God of War games prided themselves on action, violence, and over-the-top set pieces over anything else. Who could forget Kratos tearing off the head of Helios or battling atop a Titan? He stormed his way through Greek mythology like a one-man army and we loved every minute of it. However, there was always a reason for the violence. A story of tragedy, betrayal, and vengeance that drove Kratos to ultimately kill everything in his path. It’s a tale that is well told, but all very surface level and nothing is ever fully fleshed out. Kratos’ original journey is largely to provide the players with the brutality they crave rather than to dig deep into the character. There was a special appeal to the bloody extravaganza that was the original God of War games. They were truly a spectacle to behold as Kratos carved a path of vengeance through the gods of Olympus – no enemy too tall, no obstacle too daring. However, it was during God of War: Ascension that I realized that Kratos’ current journey of vengeance had run its course. It was the last game to stretch a story with no more reveals and the gameplay, while satisfying, felt all too familiar. There was nothing left to tell. Or so we thought. Enter the newest addition to the series, which is simply titled God of War. Not quite a reboot but a fresh new start that reinvents …