God Of War GOTY Prospect, Solving One Of Gaming’s Greatest Hang-ups

However, for those living on the West Coast, you’ll be able to play God of War on April 19 at 9:00PM PT. Do that. Every time.

From Santa Monica Studio and creative director Cory Barlog comes a new beginning for one of gaming’s most recognizable icons.

Combat in the game has also undergone a significant revision.

The team has been ruthless in cutting away the series’ baggage.

I love the look of Poseidon in God of War III. Norse mythology takes over, which is fortunately wild and violent enough to draw fresh ideas and characters from. The reality is – it’s fine. The player-controlled character travels through various worlds, defeating the PS all-stars along the way until they encounter Polygon Man – the main antagonist. I’m not sure I’d want to put this private moment online, but that makes Barlog even more of an endearing personality. He mainly attacks with his bow and arrows when you tap Square, targeting whatever enemy is in the centre of the screen. To teach his son how to survive in such a world, Kratos must let-go of the rage that had consumed him for many years and embrace his newfound role as a father and mentor.

He tells Newsbeat: “It’s a maturity in the industry, a maturity in gamers and games makers”.

In terms of the gameplay, there are more of the RPG elements previously seen in the franchise. While activated, Kratos has access to a special move set that can actually be upgraded via the appropriate segment of the skill tree.

Over seven games and 13 years, Kratos has done a lot to make the prospect of him holding this hammer terrifying.

The combat was historically the focus of the series, and still remains so.

Once Kratos gets back into killing things, you’re offered a variety of ways to slay monsters. Sony is particularly sensitive about story spoilers, and it would be a shame to reveal too much anyway, but the revelation of Kratos’ identity is at the heart of the story. Without some sort of mythology, a God of War game couldn’t really be God of War, so this shift feels right at home. When you level up and get your points, you may be tempted to upgrade Atreus first, but don’t be mislead. The first few hours or so into the game and I had already forgotten about my Nintendo Switch and Xbox One.

This isn’t just a new generation continuation of the God of War games of old, it’s a new direction for the franchise with Norse myths, more narrative and a more fatherly Kratos.

At its dirty heart, God of War still all about relieving your enemies of their bowels and spines in a Grand Guignol hack and slash-fest, with acrobatic displays of savagery and intense, fast-paced boss battles.