REVIEW : God of War (PS4/ PS4 Pro)
Sony Santa Monica is a brave developer who worked against the saying of if it is not broken don’t fix it and changed the entire formula of God of War. And What a change it is, the most brilliant soft relaunch a game has ever seen.
God of War is simply superb and offers a world which is detailed and beautiful to an extent that you will be lost in it. The Relationship shown between Kratos and Atreus is among the best relationships shown in a videogame. Also, the combat system has been totally revamped and now it is more satisfying and engaging.
Kratos in previous games was represented as angry, rage driven character. God of War expands on his character in ways unimaginable by old players of the series. This story provides depth and adds to the persona that is Kratos.
Kratos has left Sparta after all the destruction he did to seek a peaceful and quitter life. God of War begins with the funeral of Kratos’ Wife and the story follows Kratos and his son Atreus, who seek to lay ashes of her at the largest peak in all the realms.
The game shows inner conflict in Kratos as he tries to mentor Atreus throughout the journey. While Atreus does most of the dialogues, often offering hints to the players, its Kratos knowledgeable input which helps.
Kratos has hidden his past from everyone even his own son. This results in internal struggle which is shown through the stand out cinematography, Kratos is shown as stern and harsh man and this conflict leads to his son feeling unwanted.
God of War now is far slower than previous games. The story takes its own time to unfold and with wonderful pacing, it is an amazing ride to go through the story.
The visuals of God of War are just stand out with Jaw Dropping detail present all across the board. During the cut scenes the facial expressions are presented with amazing detail. Also, the transition between gameplay and cut scene is seamless, so there will be instances when controls have been returned to you but you are just standing there admiring the beauty.
Move from Greek to Norse mythology provides the developer new source material to work with and Sony Santa Monica have made the most use of it, introducing wonderful characters and creatures.
You will be taking lot of screenshots during the course of the story of the vibrant and colorful scenes painted throughout the game which look stunning in 4K HDR on PS4 Pro.
God of War on PS4 Pro offers two modes, one performance and the other resolution. Performance mode runs the game in 1080P with unlocked framerate which is closer to 60FPS most of the time and Resolution mode runs the game in 4K checkerboard which is locked at 30FPS but suffers from frame rate drops. The smooth gameplay of performance mode truly standouts during combat but game looks exceptionally stunning in 4K mode. To game allows you to switch between the two modes easily, so you can enjoy both the modes.
God of War completely lacks loading screen, plus the game is a single camera shot which never cut. This makes game more immersive and provides it a cinematic feel.
Combat is complex and similar to dark souls but it is so much better than the previous games. There are many more buttons to press now, so you have to memorize the buttons. Every hit now has a weight and combat feels lot more satisfying.
The new camera position is not over the shoulder and is much closer to action than ever before. Kratos now has a threat meter HUD which informs the player of incoming hit or nearby enemies.
You can use light and heavy attacks with R1 and R2 respectively, plus a shield to defend yourself. Well timed blocks can provide an opportunity for counter but taking too many hits will leave you open. Atreus is essential part of any battle, hitting the enemies with arrows at the command of a button and saving you multiple times during the course of the game.
Every battle is now not solved with hack and slash instead involves lot of strategy and dodging to outwit your opponent. Each victory feels satisfying and loss does not make you feel you cannot defeat opponent but inspires you to try something else.
Upgrade tree adds so much depth to the game and the ability to unlock new armor and customize Kratos is just brilliant. Every piece of kit has different stats and offer something different, so you have to mix and match to get the best build of Kratos.
The stats include strength, defense, runic, cooldown, luck and vitality. There are three pieces for armor; chest, bracers and waist. Any new piece will improve 2 or 3 stats so you have to decide which stats you want to max out or just make Kratos an all-rounder.
The Boss fights are still there but slightly different. The large-scale set pieces are less but the close-range combat is so satisfying. All he boss were simply stunning and will leave you wanting for more.
God of War takes around 25 to 30 hours to beat the main story ignoring the side quests. This is quite a meaty length for a God of War Game. You can backtrack to previous areas if you missed something which makes the map feel more connected and unlike stages from past games. Throughout the 30 or 40 hours you will spend in the game, there is not dull moment, the game will keep you hooked.
The side missions offer great rewards like runes or special attack and even large amount of XP, so they are totally worth your time.
REVIEW: Attack of the Earthlings (PC/ Steam)
