Synonyms

Single-player game; Action adventure game

Definitions

Single-Player Game = a game that is designed for single-player mode where only one player is expected throughout the entire gameplay

Action Adventure Game = a game that combines core elements from both action game and adventure game genres

Introduction

God of War is an action-adventure game franchise developed by Santa Monica Studios and published by Sony Interactive Entertainment that owns the game studios. This article is about the 2018 God of War in the franchise that was released for PlayStation on April 20th, 2018 (Goldfarb 2018). Following the life of Kratos and how he went from being just a demigod, the son of Zeus, to the god of war in Norse mythology. It is a solo, story-focused game that follows a father and his son on a journey across the nine realms.

Gameplay and Story

God of War (2018) is a single-player third-person action adventure game. A god named Kratos and his son Atreus embark on a mission to spread Kratos’ wife’s (Atreus’ mother’s) ashes on the highest peak of all the nine realms of Norse Mythology. Kratos must come to terms with the loss of his wife while also learn how to transition from the finely tuned instrument of war he once was to a caring father for his son. Kratos struggles in deciding whether or not to tell Atreus of Kratos’ goodlihood and what that means for Atreus. Eventually, Kratos will be forced to make this difficult decision if he wants to mend Atreus and make him whole.

The game consists mainly of dialogue, actions (fighting), and puzzles. The main weapons in the game consist of Kratos’ Leviathan Axe—an axe from Norse mythology that is primarily a cold or ice weapon, and Kratos’ Blades of Chaos—twin Greek blades both linked to chains connecting to both of Kratos’ arms as a fire weapon. Both the ice and fire weapons are essential for some of the puzzles as well as the fighting because enemies often have a certain damage type: they are either resistant or not. Kratos also has a guardian shield given to him by his wife before her passing. The shield can be used for both offense and defense. Finally, Atreus wields a Talon Bow that can shoot regular arrows, light elemental arrows, or electric elemental arrows. This weapon is important for both combat and puzzle solving.

Gameplay Mechanics

God of War (2018) introduces many new mechanics including new combat mechanics, puzzles, and a system for equipping gear, equipping abilities, and upgrading the gear and abilities (Hornshaw 2021). The combat mechanics involve Kratos using his axe, blades, and shield to fight various enemies. Combat also involves Kratos commanding Atreus to fire his bow at enemies using specialized ammo. The types of weapons the player uses mostly depends on the player’s preference as well as the types of enemies. For example, some enemies are immune to Kratos’ axe because it is an icy weapon, so the player must switch to either the shield or the blades to defeat the enemy. If an enemy is immune to the axe, it will usually be more effective to use the blades to defeat the enemy since the blades have the fire damage type.

Unlike previous games in the God of War franchise, Kratos has an armor that can be collected, crafted, and upgraded. These upgrades allow the player to increase Kratos’ stats and make him more effective in combat. The upgrades can also be used on Kratos’ main weapons to make them stronger while also changing their appearance as player upgrades the weapons. In addition to selecting the type of armor Kratos wears, higher-quality armor pieces provide additional bonuses for the player to exploit. The type of armor the player equips also influences six stats that apply to Kratos. Kratos’ stats are strength (damage from standard attacks), runic (elemental and special attacks), defense (reduces damage taken), vitality (increases maximum health), luck (increases chance perks, experience, and money), and cooldown (reduces recharge time of special attacks).

The player also has access to several abilities that may be used along with the weapons. Kratos’ axe and blades both can be equipped with up to two abilities each that can be described as a “special move.” These abilities can be used as a powerful attack that has a much more significant cooldown than Kratos’ basic attacks. In addition to these abilities, Kratos can also have another ability not linked to his weapons but can provide a buff to Kratos. For example, one of these abilities resets the cooldowns of all his other abilities. The player can also give Atreus an ability to use as well where Atreus will summon an elemental animal or animals to attack enemies. The type of animal and the number of animals depend on the ability selected for Atreus (IGN 2018).

Playable Characters

The only playable character in this game is Kratos. Kratos is a former demigod/spartan warrior who eventually became a god by killing the former Greek god of war, Ares. While Kratos is the only character the player can directly control (such as movement, attacks, combos, etc.), Atreus can be indirectly controlled by the player. Kratos wields two main weapons, the Leviathan Axe and the Blades of Chaos. Atreus utilizes a bow. The player is not able to force Atreus to move to certain places, but the player can make Atreus fire an arrow at a target or an area by looking at the target or area and pressing the button or key corresponding with Atreus’ shoot action. Atreus will then fire an arrow at the target.

Reception

God of War (2018) has sold about 19.5 million copies as of August 2021. This figure comes from sales for PlayStation consoles alone, as this was before the game was released for PC (Stockdale 2021).

Conclusion

The main enjoyment players receive from God of War is the amazing and thrilling story, combat and leveling systems, the mythology lessons, and the experience of conversing and/or fighting the many Norse mythological creatures and gods (Moore 2022). This title is particularly appealing to those who enjoy a good story and mythology.

Cross-References