Major details about God of War have been released during E3, and many of them revolve around the gameplay elements seen in the trailer shown at Sony's conference.
The new God of War is no longer set in Greek Mythology, but now has a Norse slant to it. This choice was deliberate, according to God of War creative director Cory Balrog. He and his team wanted to start from scratch with the new God of War, so they chose what is called the "pre-migration era" where the Norse Gods walked among men.
Another part of the story is how Kratos is a fish out of water this time; his young son speaks and understands ancient Norse, which the troll that the duo were fighting in the trailer was also speaking in. This will add another layer to the character, and allow God of War to focus on the relationship dynamic between Kratos and his child throughout the game. "This game is about Kratos teaching his son how to be a god, and his son teaching Kratos how to be human again.” stated Balrog.
Balrog noted that Kratos here is not exactly the same Kratos seen in the original God of War. While his power and ferocity are still intact, his world view has shifted as the character has grown older, which Balrog has likened to himself in some respects- being one of the few people to work on the original God of War, and the PS4 version now. The new voice of Kratos, Christopher Judge, also talked about how this is the "role of a lifetime" because of the added layers to Kratos' character, and how he struggles to accept his new role in life; being a father.
This relationship ties into gameplay mechanics as well, as a whole button is dedicated to interacting and giving instructions to Kratos' son. This will help Kratos in combat, as well as help the player solve puzzles. We also see it tie into other mechanics, such as Kratos' rage meter rising when scolding his son for mistakes or failures, or by gaining knowledge so that his own son can become a more capable, dependable fighter in his own right, seeing the knowledge Kratos knows passed on to his son over time.
Other gameplay info was also discussed, such as the axe shown in the trailer has a history all to its own, and will be the new main weapon for God of War, due to the new flow and control schemes of the gameplay on the PS4. Balrog stated that the game will incorporate more role-playing elements and progression than the other titles, although action-oriented combat and quick time events will still be present. Finally, the world itself will be completely seamless, meaning no loading screens interspaced between the entire game, without static cameras to contend with.
The new God of War does not have an announced release date, but is being developed exclusively for the PS4. Remember, you can find more of our E3 coverage at our E3 2016 Coverage Hub.
So what do you think of the new God of War? Leave your comments below.
