God of War Review: Popular RPG Game Is on PC and It’s Better Than Ever
The legendary Ghost of Sparta returns as the Nine Realms’ best dad. The question is, is it worth going back for another trip up the mountain?
Ever since its release in 2018 on PlayStation 4, God of War has met with critical acclaim across the world. This masterpiece found a place for itself on countless “best of” lists and was chosen as the “Game of the Year” in Game Awards 2018. Now, nearly 4 years later, it’s arriving on PC and didn’t lose its glory even a little bit. You may be asking yourself the question, is it worth coming back for another trip up the mountain? The answer is definitely yes!
Story
His fight against the Olympian gods long behind him, the legendary Ghost of Sparta has started a new chapter in his life and left his Greek mythological roots behind. Now, in the world of Norse mythology, he must fight to find a place for himself and his son. While the previous games inform us about who Kratos is; the character that we see here has found love, family, and is no longer filled with rage, at least not as much.
The journey starts in an unexpectedly quiet moment when Kratos and Atreus are gathering firewood in a forest. Later, it becomes clear that this small act actually serves a grim purpose. Kratos and Atreus are going through the loss of Kratos’ wife, whose final wish was for her ashes to be scattered at the highest peak in the nine realms. However, just as you can guess, the path is never easy and countless threats are waiting this father and son on their journey. This quest not only introduces the Norse realm and its new monsters and gods, but also helps us observe Kratos and Atreus’ relationship and how it evolves over the course of the game.
God of War carefully reforges the hack and slash action into an action and adventure mix that makes you think about fatherhood, family, sacrifice, and the urge to protect your loved ones. This aspect of the game shows how powerful the narrative is and it also combines well with the action sequences that God of War series is best known for.
Even though Kratos loves his son, he is cold to him at first and calls him mostly “Boy”. While Kratos learns how to be a father, he also teaches his son to be a warrior, but this also comes at a price. Kratos’ fear of his son becoming like him, his struggle to control his anger, and his pain transforms him from being the embodiment of the bloodthirsty warrior into a complex character who is in a constant battle not only with the monsters, but also himself. No matter how much Kratos changed, his wrath still can be seen when he is fighting ferocious monsters, or sometimes even when he is talking to his son. The father-son dynamic, Kratos’ internal fears, and complexity brings a depth to the game which makes the narrative all the more powerful, realistic, and intriguing.
This newly found complexity and depth is emphasized even more by Kratos’ voice actor Christopher Judge, who manages to say so much with just a single word or even a grunt. Christopher Judge gives the character such an incredible presence and an intimidating manner that you just can’t help but give Kratos your full attention throughout the entire game.
Gameplay
God of War’s new over-the-shoulder camera angle brings you closer to the action than ever before and it never cuts away, unless you die. This brings you an intimate view and also makes the fights more intense and epic. This camera angle also makes the beautiful locations of the Norse realm shine through more.
God of War is known for its action sequences and epic combat. Even though we see a more different Kratos than the previous games showed, there are still plenty of immensely satisfying combats. You can also be sure that when he fights, he still does so with a sense of brutality and nothing less could be expected from the “slayer of gods”.
The Leviathan Axe which is infused with ice magic allows Kratos to freeze his enemies and is the perfect tool for destruction. As the game progresses, you can give new abilities to the axe and upgrade it with runes which provides you with a lot of different play styles to destroy mythological foes like dark elves, wulvers, and draugrs. If you don’t want to use the axe, you can always count on Spartan Rage for powerful bare-handed attacks. Atreus also helps you along the journey by stunning the enemies with arrows that leave them vulnerable so Kratos can take over to perform the finishing moves. His skill tree and armor can also be upgraded along the course of the game which makes him an important companion in the game.
While the game isn’t strictly open-world, there are a lot of side-quests to complete and a lot of places available to be explored outside of the main story. These quests also include puzzles where Atreus’ importance is more apparent. You must work together as a team to stand against whatever comes your way. After all, this is what a son and father must do, right?
How Well Does God of War Run On PC?
The gorgeous world of the Norse realm and breathtakingly beautiful locations are even better on PC with improved visuals. The texture and beauty of the details make the graphics look even more real. The monsters convey a feeling of terror in you with realistic graphics and the lake, hills and surrounding places looks like you could touch it yourself. You can experience 4K visuals at 60 fps, a similar level of performance as the PS5, which will make this action game feel much more smoother. With the customisable controls, you can choose to play the game with a keyboard and a mouse or a controller. Some of the other upgrades include unlocked framerates, ultrawide support, and PC exclusive technologies such as Nvidia DLSS that provides a better performance overall.
Is God of War Worth Playing?
When epic combat, musical score that highlights the action, and powerful narrative meet, high quality experiences are inevitable. God of War certainly delivers all of these and takes you on an unforgettable ride. With its carefully built world, amazing locations and improved graphics, God of War dazzles with its beauty. Every aspect of the game such as the story, action and gameplay complement one another and forms a masterpiece. Performance-wise, God of War is an example to be followed for other companies that seek to bring their games to PC. Simply put, God of War is truly incredible.
Get your Steam game key from Voidu now and make an epic comeback with Kratos!
