The left shows information for Kratos, such as his health and what runic attacks are equipped. The in-game HUD can be seen in the bottom left and right corners. A GIF showing Kratos throwing the Leviathan Axe to magically freeze an enemy draugr in place, allowing Kratos to easily attack it. Among the many side quests, players can free the imprisoned dragons Fáfnir, Otr, and Reginn- dwarves who were turned into dragons-in addition to battling one called Hræzlyr, a story-based boss battle. Valkyries appear as optional secret boss battles throughout the six playable locations. Throughout the game, players battle Norse mythological foes, like dark elves, wulvers, and draugrs, as well as Gullveig and the revenants, beings warped by seiðr magic, among many others. Unlike previous games, which allowed players to jump freely at anytime, jumping can now only be done at designated areas, such as at a rock face or ledge. Swimming, an ability in previous games, was cut players instead use a boat to traverse bodies of water. Regarding the level structure, creative director Cory Barlog said 'it's open, but it is not an open world.' Due to its openness, a fast travel feature is unlocked later in the game. Although the previous main installment, Ascension (2013), introduced multiplayer to the series, this installment is single-player-only. Cinematographically, the game is presented in a continuous shot, with no camera cuts or loading screens. It features an over-the-shoulder free camera, a departure from the previous installments, which featured a fixed cinematic camera (with the exception of 2007's two-dimensional side-scroller Betrayal). God of War is a third-person action-adventure video game. A sequel, God of War Ragnarök, was released in November 2022 for the PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 to similar acclaim. A novelization was released in August 2018, followed by a prequel comic series that began publication in November 2018 and concluded in June 2021, while a live action television series is currently in development for Amazon Prime Video. The game also performed well commercially, selling over 5 million units within a month of its release and 23 million units sold by November 2022, making it one of the best-selling PlayStation 4 games and the best-selling game in the series. It is considered an example of video games as an art form, was named Game of the Year by numerous media outlets and award shows, and has been cited as among the greatest video games ever made. Many reviewers felt it had successfully revitalized the series without losing the core identity of its predecessors.

God of War received universal acclaim for its story, world design, art direction, music, graphics, combat system, and characters, in particular the dynamic between Kratos and Atreus. Three days before God of War 's release, a smartphone companion app called Mímir's Vision was made available, providing additional information about the game's Norse setting. A separate short text-based game, A Call from the Wilds, was released in February 2018 through Facebook Messenger and follows Atreus on his first adventure. The majority of the original game's development team worked on God of War and designed it to be accessible and grounded. The game also includes role-playing video game elements, and Kratos' son, Atreus, provides assistance in combat. God of War also uses an over-the-shoulder free camera, with the game in one shot, as opposed to the fixed cinematic camera of the previous entries. Along their journey, they come into conflict with monsters and gods of the Norse world.ĭescribed by creative director Cory Barlog as a reimagining of the franchise, a major gameplay change is that Kratos makes prominent use of a magical battle axe instead of his signature double-chained blades. Kratos keeps his troubled past a secret from Atreus, who is unaware of his divine nature. Following the death of Kratos' second wife, Faye (Atreus' mother), the two embark on a journey to fulfill her request that her ashes be spread at the highest peak of the nine realms. For the first time in the series, there are two protagonists: Kratos, the former Greek God of War who remains the only playable character, and his young son, Atreus.

Unlike previous games, which were loosely based on Greek mythology, this installment is loosely inspired by Norse mythology, with the majority of it set in ancient Scandinavia in the realm of Midgard. The game is the eighth installment in the God of War series, the eighth chronologically, and the sequel to 2010's God of War III. It was released for the PlayStation 4 in April 2018, with a Windows port in January 2022. God of War is an action-adventure game developed by Santa Monica Studio and published by Sony Interactive Entertainment.

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