One of the more fun and fascinating games to hit the market has been the God of War franchise. At its core, it’s your typical hack-and-slash video games with gratuitous violence. At times the franchise has lacked excitement in storytelling but never depth of the story. The central plot of taking down the Greek gods is often outshined by the journey along the way. The extensive use of mythology throughout the game has made for fascinating visuals and even more fun boss battles.
So what comes next in the franchise?
2018’s God of War will be, of sorts, a reset for Kratos. The shifting from the Greek gods into new realms of Norse mythology will expand past the characters we’ve come accustomed to. This presents a challenge of course in storytelling and continuity. Seemingly at the end of God of War III Kratos was left for dead leaving the next game with a huge whole to fill in the story before even breaking into a new one.
Taking place years after the events of God of War III, the next installment focuses on a familiar Kratos but much different. In latest trailers, our favorite Spartan appears to have a much calmer demeanor. Gone are the fits of rage, replaced with solemn soft-spoken wisdom that comes with age. Which leads us to ask one question:
Is Kratos finally atoning for his sins?
With God of War, Kratos isn’t the only hero the game presents. The latest installment sees Kratos raising his son, Atreus, and what appears to be his journey to become a warrior. In each gameplay trailer we see Kratos mentoring his child through the ways of a troubled world, but will he be the successor to the franchise or is the story setting up their usual dark plot twist?
With the newest game to be released in “Early 2018”, excitement for the Playstation exclusive is growing. After the E3 trailer (shown above), fans can’t wait to get their hands on it. While the overall story seems to be shifting from the gameplay we know and love, the slash ‘em up style violence is still front and center. Gone are the days of combo counters, but the more refined direct attacks seems to be taking Kratos along a whole new journey. Santa Monica Studio seems to have plans for a more than one sequel to the game moving forward. However, most of that will depend on how well they transition from the older style to the new. Will they have the same success with their latest title? Find out early 2018.