God of War - the continuation of the adventures of Kratos in the slasher genre with a third-person view. Events unfold in the mountainous snowy terrain of Scandinavia, where local gods do not like strangers. Therefore, as soon as they find Kratos, they attack in large numbers. The action of the game moves between the main character of the series and his son. Kratos teaches his son to be not a boy, but a warrior, unable to show pity and compassion. They have to get out of Scandinavia, meeting on the way not only enemies, but also all sorts of allies. Kratos will be able to use the huge ax "Leviathan", as well as a special shield that can withstand even the most powerful blows. In addition, the son of Kratos named Atreus will have a bow, and therefore this character will be able to destroy opponents from a long distance.

Genre and gameplay

Released in 2018, the third-person action game God of War restarted the series, while continuing the events of previous games. Sony Santa Monica painlessly introduced new story ideas and new enemies, created from scratch game process and redesigned the cards, thanks to the fact that Kratos moved to Scandinavia, where he got a family and a son named Atreus.

God of War played a role in positive changes new engine, which significantly improved the overall quality of graphics, offering naturalistic animation of models and colorful effects, as well as support for 4K resolution. The project is made only for PS4 and is single-player, but in photo mode, you can take a screenshot or selfie at any time to share on social networks.

Welcome to Scandinavia

Many years have passed since revenge on the gods of Olympus. Kratos lives as a hermit in the land of snow-capped mountains and deep valleys with coniferous forests and cold lakes, appeasing his Spartan anger. The fearless Scandinavian gods walk the earth, not suspecting that the son of Zeus lives next to them, who cut out all the Greek gods.

When filling game world the developers were inspired by various stories, myths and legends, transferring the pantheon of Scandinavian gods, monsters and huge monsters, as well as locations: the player will visit part of the nine worlds of Scandinavian mythology. This is reflected in the design of the levels - they have become larger and much more spacious, with secret passages and secret areas, but it's still not an open world.

Plot and characters

The scenario of God of War is straightforward and contains no forks or plot twists, the first playthrough will reveal all the details of the story. But, unlike the previous parts, the plot is carefully worked out and has become an important part of the game: the scriptwriters designate the intrigue and keep it until the very end, give rise to many questions at the beginning and give answers in a dosed manner, constantly holding the player's attention.

Years of seclusion benefited Kratos - now he is not a soulless machine for revenge, he has a logical way of thinking, and his character has become softer, because he is a father, not always caring, but responsible for his child. The appearance of Atreya did not make the story the snotty adventure about "teenage problems" that films and games of recent years abound.

On the contrary, the plot of God of War raises the themes of the relationship between fathers and children, the difficulties of establishing contact with a child, the difficulties of education, Kratos' attitude to certain things. Also, the script reveals the emotions of the characters, shows the progression of the characters. Instead of quantity, the developers focused on developing the stories of father and son, interesting details and important nuances.

Gameplay

From a dynamic slasher with QTE moments, God of War has become a measured action game in which you need to think about battle tactics, and not just hit the button. The gameplay offers various options for striking combinations with the use of weapons, shields, rolls and dodges.

Kratos' new weapon - the Leviathan ax - has a different swing and impact physics than previous blades, and magical property allows Kratos to return the ax to his hand after being thrown. The weapon's freezing effect is constantly applied in combat, allowing it to shatter enemies or strike an area with a wave of ice. Atreus also contributes to the destruction of monsters, using a bow and different types arrows suitable for various combat situations. You can give him commands.

Just like in a real RPG, in God of War you can equip your heroes with different ammunition with ever higher parameters, upgrade your weapons and unlock new abilities. Only story walkthrough God of War will take at least 20 hours, finding all the secrets and solving quests will take almost 60.

Important features:

• Many unforgettable moments;
• Secondary characters complement the plot with their life story and cool quests;
• A new combat system that seamlessly combines hand-to-hand combat, melee and ranged weapons, and abilities.

Game tested onPS4

Liters of blood, kilometers of spilled guts and the destruction of the gods in a variety of ways - this is how we knew the God of War series. There were no special plot revelations, and they still laugh at the Spartan who finally went out of rage. But it's hard to get out of your head a huge number of epic moments in each of the releases. Another thing is the current Kratos - after the brutal massacre of the Olympians, the warrior moved to the northern lands, matured seriously, managed to settle down and is desperately trying to become a simple person.

⇡ Emotions for the sake of emotions

Following the hero, the presentation of the plot also changed dramatically. Modern God of War is long conversations while crossing snowy cliffs; these are attempts to tell a fairy tale to your son Atreus while you are crossing a large lake in a boat and admiring the most beautiful views; it eternal problem communication between fathers and children, especially if the child is raised by the mother, and the terrible gloomy uncle comes home late at night and disappears again early in the morning. There is no longer a place for battles, so they have receded not even into the background, but into the background.

Project manager Cory Barlog often mentioned in interviews that the main theme will be the family, and Kratos is very similar to himself, always sitting at work and not devoting enough time to his child. The idea is good, the implementation is quite up to par, but it is somewhat alarming when in the plot in general everyone actors there are some problems with relatives.

Kratos is not very successful in raising his son, the blacksmith brothers Brock and Sindri had a fight and do not even want to talk to each other, among the gods - the consequences of excessive concern for the child. All these family affairs stick out so much and they are so often poked with their noses that sometimes you want to say: “Yes, I understand, I understand what the game is about, stop reminding me already.”

By the way, according to the “divine” content, God of War most of all resembles the very first game in the series. Looks like he's saving the best for later. Aces - a minimum, and the most interesting are mentioned only in passing. However, this is not to say that the developers treated Scandinavian mythology badly. On the contrary, the project is permeated with legends and tales of the North from and to, and they are told with great love. If earlier you mainly had to communicate with characters using sharp blades and always run to KILL someone, now you can slowly explore the area, and at the same time learn more about this or that aspect of the world. Comparisons between Tyr and Kratos are especially interesting. Both are gods of war, but, let's say, with different approaches to their position.

Although there are several questions about the motivation of the main actors. Previously, the Spartan wanted to destroy everyone - trite, but at least it is clear what motivated him and why he had to overcome himself. Now the warrior carries the ashes of his wife to the highest point peace and-and-and-and-and again shreds, cuts, dismembers. Not on an industrial scale, but still. Almost nothing is told about the woman herself, therefore, I personally, as a player, had no reason to worry about Kratos and his “heavy burden”. It has nothing to do with her. Apparently, the hero needed to be sent on an “emotional adventure with his son” ™, but how is not so important.

The Scandinavian guys are also great and clung to the Spartan simply because. Although no, not quite like that - in the final they will say about their true goal, but it looks more like an excuse. You can think that I'm picking on the little things, but, sorry, the new God of War presents itself as a story adventure, and not as a bloody slasher in the manner of the previous parts. If so, then the demand is corresponding. Especially when the time for passing the main campaign without additional tasks exceeds 20 hours, and there is almost no sense in what is happening outside of family problems.

But from a graphical point of view, the events are shown wonderfully thanks to one damn entertaining idea. The tech department needs a monument because these guys miraculously managed to use the camera without changing plans. From the first frame to the final! And it works great. In God of War, there is only one cameraman, which does not prevent him from snatching spectacular angles and showing any scene from the best point. Cutscenes flow seamlessly into gameplay and back again without any additional downloads or texture issues. Add to this Big world(more precisely, several worlds, the mythology is Scandinavian) - the result is stunning. And all this, I repeat, without changing plans and downloads! Nobody has done this yet, and it is unlikely that in the coming years someone will be able to repeat this in another project of a comparable scale.

Therefore, if the cinematic component is primarily important for you, then I think there is not much point in reading the review further. The latest PS4 exclusive sets the bar so high that other studios can only look down on it sadly. However, games are not only graphics, staging and attempts (albeit successful ones) to compete with films. Prefer gameplay beautiful picture? Then let's move on.

⇡ Little by little from everywhere

The gameplay of God of War 2018 is a polished Darksiders with a huge budget and beautiful northern landscapes. Seriously, for the entire time of the passage, I could not get rid of the thought that I was playing in the continuation of a completely different series. Feelings are similar, the structure of the world and tasks is about the same, the battles are more of a burden than fun. Why, you need to throw red objects at obstacles that explode when you shoot at them. Unless in adventures you rely not only on yourself, but also on your son, who is able to stun and delay enemies.

The traditional problem for God of War with the combat part, when the whole game can be completed with one combination of blows, has not gone away. Yes, the mechanics have been radically reworked, turning the game into an action role-playing game with pumping, equipment, various elemental damage, protection from it, and health bars over enemies. But why was it necessary to fence so many things, if for two dozen hours you can simply throw up the enemy and chop him, helpless, with an ax until he dies? It is especially amusing to clamp three or four reptiles in the corner and mock them. True, when there are more enemies, another problem comes out.

For greater cinematography, developers use a camera close to the hero, as in most modern survival horror and third-person shooters. This arrangement works well for exploring the surroundings and exploration, but it performs disgustingly during fast-paced action. In "surhors" zombies are slow, so an extra couple of seconds to turn in the right direction is not critical. In God of War, you need to run like crazy from one end of the arena to the other. Firstly, there is no normal view of the battlefield, you don’t understand who is where and where the shells come from. Secondly, the devil knows what is happening behind your back, there are no eyes on the back of your head, and there are no rear-view mirrors either.

The game, of course, indicates with indicators the danger from behind, but they do little to help the cause - if only because they are simply invisible behind a hail of special effects and running around. Therefore, with a large concentration of enemies, you often catch ninja pokes in the back, from which you cannot escape. If you roll blindly, there is a considerable chance of stumbling upon your own son, a wall or some other obstacle that you simply didn’t see, and hit you in the head again. When playing on normal difficulty, you can still put up with this, since your health is enough. If you increase the difficulty, you will definitely have a lot of unpleasant and annoying problems. You can remember where the camera also hung close to the heroine, but there were tiny arenas, and a few opponents quite fit into the field of view.

And what happened to the bosses? The God of War series has always surprised with spectacular and bloody battles with huge opponents, but apparently times are different now. Therefore, the vast majority of serious rivals are ... the same trolls in different colors. One will deal damage with ice, and the other with fire, but this does not change the essence of the battle. Everyone has one set of tricks, everyone needs 5-10 minutes to chop in the legs, lazily rolling from me-e-e-e-slow lunges. The developers did not hide that they were inspired by the Souls series, but they failed to make the battles interesting and varied, especially for such a long game.

With the role-playing system, it turned out about the same as in, and other games, to which equipment and pumping were screwed on the principle of “whatever it is”. Weapons and armor can be upgraded both with a banal increase in performance, and with special runes that add special effects. Only the game does not motivate to use all this variety and experiment - opponents are defeated even without searching for materials for "epic" items. Know for yourself, strengthen the ax if possible, increase your strength, spitting on other parameters, roll over in time (into the wall!) - and there will be no problems.

God of War 2018 release has absorbed everything that has appeared in the gaming industry over the past few years. There is an unreasonably long passage, a huge map with a billion meaningless "collections" is also in place. Moreover, with parodies of riddles from the category of "find and break three jugs." Role system does not save boring battles, which are exacerbated by problems with the camera.

But from a technical point of view, the project is a masterpiece. Using one camera with one continuous shot is unlikely to become popular, as it is too complicated to implement, but how cool everything looks in dynamics! You never cease to be surprised at a bold decision until the very end, and some staged moments, especially at the end, will make you scream with delight. For someone, the transcendent level of cinematography and emphasis on emotions is enough to give God of War (2018) the title of “game of the generation”, and someone will not be able to close their eyes to the monotonous process, the absence of normal opponents and the constant poking their nose into the family theme. Kratos has changed. And he had to do it in order to survive, but along the way he lost something special, becoming "one of". Whether that's good or bad is up to you.

Advantages:

• chic graphics, multiplied by a breathtaking setting;
• careful attitude to northern mythology, which is very interestingly woven into Kratos. If you are familiar with her, then the ending will surely tell you more than the rest;
• well-organized world - it is very difficult to get lost, but you will also have to look for secrets.

Flaws:

• the camera in battles works disgustingly;
• too many family problems. Everyone and everyone;
• pumping and equipment are present only nominally. If you want, you can bury yourself, but there is no particular motivation to delve into it;
• instead of memorable bosses - the same trolls of different colors;
• the combat system still relies on two or three simple but effective combinations. The rest - at a very great desire or if you accidentally hit a key.

Graphics	Masterpiece technical performance, and not even in terms of "naked" graphics. No, no one has played this game yet! The camera does not change plans and constantly follows the hero, which is equally surprising and impressive both in the first minutes and after three dozen hours.
Sound	Remember the powerful battle motif of God of War? There is nothing even remotely like him in the sequel. Music is not remembered and plays in the background. But the actors did a good job with the roles, and the eternally gloomy Kratos can bark in such a way that he will frighten not only his son, but also you.
Single player game	A good action-adventure that may well get bored somewhere in the middle due to a too stretched plot. Also, the combat system does not motivate experimentation. Exploration turned out better, but on the condition that you like to collect dozens of different treasures.
Collective game	Not provided.
General impression	An ingenious project in technical and cinematic terms, stretched over two or even three dozen story hours. Due to the huge duration and immutability of the process, you can get tired of the game faster than you get to the final.

God of War (2018)

Video:

I know there are no perfect games, but damn it, the new GoV for me came as close to this mark as it can be. Last time such emotions evoked in me, perhaps, the third Witcher. When I played the battle with a stranger at the end of the first big story task (whoever played it will understand) - it was just pure delight, I sat with a smile from ear to ear, and the sensations were like they had just rolled off a rollercoaster.
I have a good pc, and for a long time I hesitated to buy a ps4, although the list of games that I wanted to play grew and grew (Bloodborn, Uncharted, Last of us, HZD, even Kojima's upcoming Death Stranding). GoW was the last straw for me, I bought the console and have no regrets. The game is amazing and deserves all the praise it garners from critics and players alike. 10/10 does not mean perfect, but it means that minor flaws simply dissolve against the background of its merits.

The game dragged on so that it was difficult to break away. This hasn't happened in a long time. Usually I can play for a couple of hours and then quit indefinite time... But not at this time.

Made with love, the world is a pleasure to explore. Scandinavian mythology, which I love very much, is presented perfectly, and "variations on a theme" pleased me. The locations are beautiful and detailed, with the exception of a couple, more on that below. The same goes for the staging and cut-scenes, which were breathtaking. The story itself is captivating and just interesting to watch the relationship of Kratos with his son.

The gameplay is peppy: fights, exploration, riddles - all this pleases and does not bother you until the very end.

Combat is complex and varied, weapons and strikes are well felt. Despite the fact that Kratos runs with one ax for more than half the game, combining his attacks with throws, shield and fists is a pleasure!

Of the shortcomings, I note two main points:
Firstly, I didn’t have enough epic boss fights and, in fact, the diversity of the bosses themselves. Hope it gets better in the future.
Secondly, a couple of locations, let's say, are much inferior in volume and content to the main one - Midgard and two plot ones. I won't spoil it, but you'll see for yourself.

In general, at the moment, for me this is the game of the year. I had a hell of a good time, and I wish you all the same!

The handle of an ax in a strong callused palm, a bristling beard and a burning icy look from under gloomy eyelids. Kratos has changed, he has become different. And that's exactly how I like him. "God of War" has evolved from a slasher, of which there are many, into a full-fledged game with interesting plot. Good graphics, music, elaborate world inspired by Scandinavian mythology and crazy playability are only one side of the coin. The main thing is the story of father and son, a subtle tie of their complex relationship. The script is written in an adult way and for adults. Yes, the enemies here are not too diverse and the camera sometimes dances somersaults around us, but we will forgive the creators, because Kratos and Atreus are not dumb extras, but living characters of the game we already love and its future sequels.

I've been playing for 16 years now, so a lot of games have become boring, in particular, many action rpgs. The problem of this genre is that the wrapper is constantly changing, but the mechanics, techniques, etc. are standing in place. Alas, GoW was no exception. This is an amazing game, with great graphics, bright characters, excellent combat system and interesting pumping. But she, like other games of this genre, alas, did not bring anything new with her. Therefore, I put 7.5. I advise everyone to play it, as it is a great example of how to make games according to a generally accepted template.

By far the best to come out this year.
This game is difficult to compare with something specific, because it successfully combines many mechanics from different games.

Studio sony santa monica competently approached the creation of the game world, abandoning the idea of ​​a huge open card. Here the world is not linear, and at any moment of the game you can return to any point in it (except when the impossibility of returning is due to the plot). The locations are really interesting to study, since the developers tried to stuff the levels with all sorts of useful and interesting loot.

Combat in the game has become more difficult. Now it will not work, having learned one combination, to go through the whole game, each opponent has his own vulnerabilities and strengths, and you have to use the entire arsenal of skills available to Kratos and his son.

Lore is also on top, it will be interesting to study it in this game even for those who are very familiar with Scandinavian mythology. The story itself grabs you and holds you until the very end. Character development and unexpected plot twists contribute to this.

For me personally, there was only one drawback in the game - there were not enough unique story bosses.

In general, I sincerely sympathize with the spiteful critics who give this game low marks, because they will never be able to play this masterpiece.

GameMAG

God of War takes everything to the next level, from boss fights to world structure to storytelling that never leaves your attention. Even collecting collectibles feels like a fun puzzle quest rather than a dull chore. Of course, the authors borrowed solutions and elements from other well-known games, but at the same time added their own ideas. And if you haven't bought a PlayStation 4 Pro with a 4K TV yet...

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Special Games Club

This is a strong improvement of the little-changing series from the very first part, which brings new depths of gameplay and plot in a completely new Scandinavian setting, no less interesting than ancient Greek mythology. The writers have done a great job. Seemingly simple at first glance, the plot tells a simple story, but all the events in it have their own response and will lead to serious consequences in the future both within the framework of God of War ’18 itself and in the parts that come after it...

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Game Awards

Without a doubt, God of War 4 is a new level for the series: from battles and their staging, ending with a story that, despite the gaps, does not want to let go of its player's attention. After all, even collecting all sorts of collectibles is not a simple and dull routine. It remains to wait for the sequel, which is definitely not far off. Decent adventure.

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[email protected]

The new God of War can be both a spectacular adventure and a serious challenge - it all depends on how difficult the player decides to make it for himself. This applies not only to battles - even the most tricky puzzles are optional here. The game offers an interesting combat system, but will not scare away those who are alien to action games like Bayonetta with their hyperbolic, absurd world and non-stop fights. There is enough here to occupy yourself for more than a dozen hours.

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IGN Russia

The new God of War is radically different from the previous parts in the depth of the story, more thoughtful gameplay and the melancholy atmosphere of Scandinavian myths. But at the same time, the game retained the epic elements of what is happening typical for the series and ... it's still the same Kratos, only with a reasonable mindset and a loving heart. This "God of War" is a reference action game and the best illustration of how a person changes in his life path. Spartan's New Adventure...

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Maximum Games

In God of War (2018), the developers focused entirely on the history of the world and storytelling, built on the relationship of father and son. It turned out, in some way, an emotional simulator of a parent, which many will appreciate, but those who are in real life already become a father. For whom it is an exciting adventure, the moments of which are deeply embedded in the memory, and for whom it is an instructive story that tenaciously grabs the soul. Everyone will find something for themselves.

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goha

After passing the new God of War leaves the feeling that everything for the series is yet to come and we watched the epic prequel, which will inevitably be followed by a whole galaxy of cool games that continue and develop the story. Doubt it will not work. And although the game does not have enough groundwork to reach a solid 10, it gets its honest 9. We can only hope that the next part of God of War will be even better, but for now we have a serious contender for this year's game...

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plugged in

There are several claims to be made against the 2018 God of War. Fans of the already classic parts of the series will complain about the lack of platforming and QTE, while the rest will complain about the slow pace of the narrative in places and under-role elements, as well as the ending, which leaves many questions behind. Yes, this is not an ideal game, but it is an example of how video games should be made - with soul and with the goal of conveying some idea to the controller holding it.

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gotVG

As you already understand, this is another laudatory review of God of War. During the passage, I did not find any bad words about the game, in addition to those that I have already named. The combat mechanics have problems, I didn't like the camera. But oddly enough, it almost did not spoil the overall impression of the game. God of War is a huge hit and a game worth buying a PlayStation 4 for. Until The Last of Us: Part II comes out, the guys at Santa Monica could take the crown for themselves. They deserve it.

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Shazoo

God of War can hardly be called a breakthrough in the genre, but it allows you to take a fresh look at a familiar series. Corey Barlog and the team at Santa Monica Studios presented the amazing and engaging story of the bearded Kratos and his son in northern mythology, showed the direction for the series to go forward, and hinted at a sequel. Numerous battles with all sorts of enemies do not bother, constantly cause difficulties and require concentration and a thoughtful approach...

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kanobu

God of War is a very pleasant, tactile game when it comes to fighting. There are disgustingly boring and monotonous opponents, but even hacking them is cool for tens of hours. The game can show incredibly cool, spectacular battles. A real combat dance, in which every movement is verified and not a single opportunity is missed. But only if you yourself want it - do not be too lazy to remember all the tricks, strikes, combinations and subtleties. And it's not that easy, trust me...

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gambling addiction

God of War, just like Kratos himself is covered in scars, is full of flaws. Sometimes very small, sometimes huge, like a wound from the blade of Olympus on the stomach. For its franchise, the current God of War is a landmark stage in its evolution. The developers took a serious risk, radically changing the order of things. The formula was refreshed, prepared surprises and allowed the player to feel like a pioneer again, to see, feel and do something unusual.

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Zone of Games

About a year ago I wrote about Horizon: Zero Dawn, and now it's rather strange for me to realize that Aloy is a much more interesting hero than the new Kratos. And the world that she opened for herself, more interesting than the worlds from God of War. And the characters - for all their cardboard - are at least no worse. But with all the shortcomings, Horizon had a powerful trump card - a well-developed, innovative universe with a rich background. Alas, God of War did not have such a trump card.