God of War (2018) - An epic, healing experience

The thing that came to my mind when I finished God of War was, "I will miss them."

They took me on a journey, from their snow laden home in the Wildwoods to the Lake of Nine, from the idyllic Alfenheim to the fiery Muspelheim, from the dreaded Helheim to the cursed Niflheim, from Thamur's Corpse to The Mountain, fighting Draugrs, Trolls, Werewolves, Dark Elves, Valkyries, Gods and other creatures along the way. In short, one can say that the journey was epic and it will still fall short of description.

The main theme that the game revolves around is 'family'. Although on introspect, it is more about the broken bonds between kins - the brothers Brok and Sindri, Freya and her son Baldur, Odin and his son Tyr, Thamur and his son Hrimthur, the reaver and his son and his father before him. Mainly it is the conflict between a father and his son, the relationship between Kratos and Atreus being the centrepiece of this story. At the beginning of the story, we find an older and wiser Kratos to be a distant father who often gets angry and frustrated upon his son. He also doesn't seems to be a good instructor and his son begrudgingly listens to him. Kratos tries to put the proverbial band-aids over the cracks of their relationship, but the tapes can only hold so much until the cracks deepen, which it does. It is upon them now to mend these cracks and complete the mission at hand: scattering Faye's ashes from the highest peak of all realms. But the most wholesome thing about this is that, while Kratos is the muscled tank of the duo, Atreus is the voice of reason. Kratos teaches his son how to fight, hunt, find weaknesses in enemies, about strategy and steadfastness in battle and how to channel his rage in duress, while Atreus teaches his father the geography and the language of the land, but even more so, compassion and kindness. Whenever Atreus does something wrong Kratos tells him to "be better", maybe he is telling Atreus to be better than him, but even so, Atreus has such a good effect on him that he does become a better father than he was at the start of the game, while Atreus himself becomes strong both in mind and body.

God of War (2018) thrives under the tutelage of Cory Barlog and co. Their labour is evident from the get-go. The brilliant graphics, the enormous world-building, the complex characters will make you forget that this is an action-adventure, hack-and-slash game. However, I heap more praise on Bear McCreary for the excellent musicality that he has brought to the game which is instrumental in setting the mood perfectly - whether you're in the midst of a battle or a cutscene. The gameplay is truly awesome! There are a variety of ways one can use to dispose off an enemy, however some enemies are more vulnerable to certain elemental attacks, so that has to be kept in mind as well. The evading system is better than any other game and is very useful while waiting for runic attacks to recharge. Atreus, is an unsung hero in terms of assist and I have used him readily, to distract and stun enemies mid-attack. Even though violent, the sheer amount of content makes God of War and endless fun. The sense of accomplishment when you finish a challenge gauntlet or finish off the earthly mould of a Valkyrie, is strong in this one.

It will be some time, till we get another installment of God of War and I already like the direction the story is headed towards. This game and its ending can be treated as a self-contained story in itself. The game fittingly starts with the OST "Memories of Mother" and ends with the same track because it is a story that Faye wanted her husband and son to follow as they are the last hope against the rampant tyranny of the Aesir Gods. Barlog's insistence on making this a father-son story and the time invested in making it, has certainly paid off dividends. It is however evident that with a big studio backing, if you play your cards right, you can have a masterpiece in your hands.

The stark contrast between the two photos above and below, sums up the whole story of the evolution of this father-son relationship.