[UPDATE] Now that the game is finally launched, I can now blabber all I want about the game, but of course with a spoiler warning. I’m still not going to reveal every inch of details of the game because I loved it too much to spoil for you guys (I’m the kind of guy). Nonetheless, we have some spoiler videos included for you if you don’t mind. But I’m going to leave this giant note right below:

SPOILER ALERT!

KRATOS GETS ANOTHER WEAPON! WHAT!?

More details further below…follow the signs…

God of War is around the corner and we are glad to get a hands-on experience of Santa Monica Studio’s latest creation on the PlayStation 4 Pro. We were excited to have experienced a new side of Kratos and journey along with his son, Atreus, in the Nordic woodlands. The atmosphere and the environment has changed a lot compared to the previous God of War titles. Now that we’ve experienced it, we’d like to give our two cents on what we’ve experienced in the game so far.

The Combat

If you guys think that Kratos has become fragile and rigid due to his age, he’s still a badass and can give a powerful swing. The way he moves and fights is different now due to his current weapon of choice. It’d be really weird to fight like he did back in the days with the Leviathan Axe. Nonetheless, the Leviathan Axe is a really great weapon which gives a weighty feel on each swing.

Combos may not be as complex as his dual chained swords, but he still has plenty of tricks up Kratos’ bandaged sleeves. There are light attacks and heavy attacks which can be mashed accordingly to form your own combos or fight your way. With the Leviathan Axe’s ability to freeze enemies, you can kick them and break them after.

Check out our short combat compilation below:

Of course, it wouldn’t be Kratos without his signature finisher moves. There are countless ways to kill an enemy and finishers are different from time to time. However there’s no need to button mash mindlessly now as certain enemies with with higher difficulty can block your attacks. So there are instances where you’ll need to fight strategically to defeat your enemies.

Atreus, is not just your son, he’s also a good bait. Not in a bad way, but he’s very reliable when you’re fighting against more than one enemy. He will help you distract the others while you focus on the one you’re fighting. You can direct him to attack the one you want him to distract as well. As you progress further, Atreus can even take on an enemy with his own combos later by upgrading and unlocking his skill tree.

While we were wondering about Kratos’ passive aggressive stance in his combat, we were also glad to know that he still has his rage. Being a father is difficult, and to further carry that fatherly figure guiding his son to be the man he aspired to be, those pent-up emotions are not healthy. Thus that’s the time when we discovered Kratos still has the ability to use his Spartan Rage. During his Spartan Rage, he will slowly regenerate his health, take reduced damage and withstand enemy knockback attacks. Also he’ll only be able to use his fists. Nothing a fist can’t solve right?

[UPDATE] I see you noticed the gigantic bolded heads-up before so here’s a video to tease:

[Spoiler Alert] As seen above, the revelation of the Chaos Blades is one thing. The real question here is what is he using it for. Since he already has the Leviathan Axe which is insanely useful due to the freezing skills, the Chaos Blades on the other hand are awesome as usual with its handy trick to close the gap by pulling enemies to you in a battle (just like the good ‘ol days).

You can swing it around and do a heavy attack which will slam onto the ground which we are all familiar of if you’ve played the previous God of War titles. With Chaos Fire emitted from the blades, he requires them for a mission to save his child. Now, here’s where I’ll stop because well… you’ll know when the time comes.

The Journey

Instead of a linear quest to defeat someone or something, this time it’s a journey between father and son. Throughout their journey, there are obstacles of course. They have to fight their way through enemies, climbing up certain walls to get to the other side and puzzle solving. Just like previous God of War titles, puzzles will require some thinking and your weapon’s ability to solve them.

Along the way, you’ll also be able to explore and be visually stunned by the Nordic region’s beautiful landscapes. There will also be tons of creatures and Norse mythology bits you’ll discover along the way which Atreus will record and take down notes (isn’t that cute). Thanks to his mom for teaching him the Nordic language, he was able to decipher some of the symbols that were etched on walls while Kratos listens intently to his son.

[UPDATE – SPOILER ALERT] With puzzles out of the way, their journey is not an easy one. What’s a journey without some blood and gore ‘eh?

Check out the video below for some of the important bosses that you will need to face in the game:

The bosses in there are important because they play a role in unraveling the mysteries of their journey. Now I’m not going to talk about why they have to kill these bosses because that would spoil the story of the game which I do not intend to. Just take it as, “whatever that stands in the way of Kratos, Kratos kills”, in their journey to scatter Atreus’ mother’s ashes up in the mountains.

However, don’t you think it’s cool with the way he’s seen killing those bosses? Those who think Kratos has gotten soft just because he’s a father and has a son now would think twice after seeing how he’s toppling giants, AGAIN. Being known as a god killer back in the days, he’s not rusty at all. He’s still as badass as ever if I’m allowed to say it here. All in all, you’ll encounter these bosses in your journey and I would like to give a fair warning to those who are not ready with equipment upgrades or collecting enough IDUNN Apples to increase your health pool.

The Lore

Now things get interesting in the lore of the current God of War. We all know that the game is a continuation from the last God of War title, however this also marks the beginning of a whole new lore for Kratos. With the appearance of a son, the lore is also deeply tied to the Norse mythology. Because the appearance of Atreus being Kratos’ son was a huge mystery to all of us, we will not spoil any of it here to keep the game interesting for fans.

The story will unfold itself as you progress further into the game. One important note that you might have seen is when Kratos and Atreus were on a boat from the trailers that were released. During their journey in that boat, there will be a lot of back stories uncovered. Because if you’re not fishing on a boat, you’ll pretty much start a conversation between each other to explain what has been happening.

Final Verdict

So far we’ve really enjoyed the game A LOT. The father and son is a great combo when it comes to fighting. Listening to their conversations is cute and interesting at the same time. Though Kratos don’t talk much because he’s a man of few words, but Atreus is unlike him at all. He’s knowledgeable of the Nordic myths and he talks more than his father. There are times we see Kratos being uncomfortable acting as a father though, we knew Kratos was a father since the very beginning but we’ve never seen Kratos act the way he is now.

Overall, we can’t let you guys in on too much info for your enjoyment later when the game is officially released on the PlayStation 4 this 20th April 2018. However we will still give it a score which reflects how awesome this game is! We’ll update this review again when the game is officially released as soon as possible.

[UPDATE] Kratos has been alone for years now and he has the time to reflect on his past and actions to be who he is now. He’s come from a long journey and he is now doing the duties that he had missed as a father now more than ever. He has left the road of vengeance and now he’s on the road to become a father and a good god. Training and guiding his son, Atreus, to be the god he wants him to be. I stand by calling it the Game of the Year 2018 now, and I believe in a very bright future ahead for Atreus and more adventures to come in this father and son journey.

PS: Stay tuned for an update on our site for a “Predictions” video of the information we’ve gathered soon.

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