Game 35 - God of War - Week 43 - Oct 20

od of War isn't just a game in my eyes, it's an experience, it's high art. I love mythology. I regularly think about it, read about it, and try to consume it in any way I can. Studying theology and mythology is often on my mind. So don't take it lightly when I say God of War is the most realised depiction of Norse mythology I've ever seen. Of course it takes some creative liberties, it's an original world set in the backdrop of a pre-existing trilogy. But the spirit, the characters and the sagas as we know them are integrated in a way that can only be described as masterful. The Prose Edda is essentially the bible of Norse mythology, and the most accurate source of Norse mythology we have, is an amalgamation of all the sagas told vocally by Skalds and runic writings. In the same vein of Brothers Grimm and the fairy tales. It was written by Snorri Sturluson in the 13th century. A Christian era where writing anything that flies in the face of a monotheistic God would result in a quick trip to the flaming pyre, a funeral fitting of a pagan. The Prose Edda was written prefacing that there is one God, and so the Aesir are not Gods, instead they're ancient refugees from Troy. The origin of their power left intentionally vague. Perhaps they're saints or angels or demons. The point I'm work towards is everything we know is a bastardization of the stories told by the Skald of old. Furthermore to argue the original story in itself is a fruitless endeavour. The stories as all stories have been for the majority of human history, were told by mouth over campfire and hearth for millennia, passed from generation to generation. So of course they would change over time. At the end of the day they're fiction, so it's only fitting that Santa Monica studios tell their own "bastardisation" of the Norse mythos. 

Well with that out of the way it's time to talk about God of War. Game 1 on this blog was the God of War trilogy. I waited 10 years to get around to finishing God of War 3. The fact it took so long to get this off my backlog in no part inspired this challenge/blog. But finishing them first was something I expressed to others whenever they kept insisting I had to play God of War 2018 yesterday - and I was crazy for not having done so. Well I'm glad I waited because playing it both on my new 65" TV and with the context of the Greek Saga was well worth the wait. w

The game still focuses on the same core concepts seen in the original, the dawn and dusk of pantheons, and the cycle of hatred, patricide and revenge passed on from generation to generation. But God of War takes this in a new direction. At the end of the trilogy, Kratos had all but destroyed not only Olympus and its Gods, but all of Greece and much of the Mediterranean. It's not that there was nothing left there for him, it's that there was nothing left. After much journeying he settled in the north lands and found a wife - a great giant who sired a son before passing to the next life. Atreus is the focus of the game and the father son relationship takes centre point. A story of breaking the cycle of hatred, sins of our father, as Kratos knows exactly where that leads... Although I liked angry Kratos, I'm glad they switched actor to Christopher Judge to take him in a difference direction. It's clear that Kratos wants to love and protect his son, but this is still Kratos. Not only is he a deity, he is a Spartan. Raised up by his own strength of will as the weak below him faded to dust. This is exactly how he raises his son and he doesn't understand when to provide warmth. This is seen clearly when that warmth is provided by none of then Freya, a day and night juxtaposition to the cold hard tough love of Kratos. If his son is to survive what his future holds as a divine being, he must learn to stand on his own two feet. But without warmth and nature Kratos will create another warrior, another God of War and the cycle of hatred continues. So it's it's clear he's struggling with learning how to be a good father. All this leads to much tensions and drama, twists and turns, that permeates a father and son journey through Norse mythology. If you've read any tales from the Prose or Poetic Edda you know this is inherently a Norse tale. These tales consisted of either Loki getting the Aesir out of trouble (which he often created) or several Gods venturing from Asgard - usually to Jotenheim the land of the giants. Which is exactly where Kratos and Atreus are destined for to spread his mothers ashes and push through any threats that stand in your way. It's clear this was the mother's last wish full well knowing that the journey would strengthen Atreus as well as his relationship with Kratos. It's through this journey and relationship Kratos is reborn as not a God of War, but a father. 

This father son relationship bleeds seamlessly into the gameplay. He makes call outs when enemies arre in your blind spots, yells for help, staggers enemies for you to finish, and has a dedicated button on your controller just for his magical abilities. As a result he's a part of you. You help Atreus and he helps you through clever puzzles. As you roam your homestead your try to unlock a hidden cave "Still can't unlock that?" - "Quiet boy." It's a clever play on Metroidvania design throughout the game. Much of the commentary is the best parts of the game. You feel that adventurers comradery. Even more so when you're joined by the head of Mimir, known for his wide knowledge and wisdom. 

The game from the offset is much more intimate than prior iterations. Taking a page out of The Last of Us the camera is close up, making you feel closer to the character. In previous games it was zoomed out and made you feel like a detatched killing machine and force of vengeful destruction - a literal revenant. While I doubt this was intention in the original games (it was just a top down hack and slash action game), the change in this soft reboot certainly is and it's nothing less than brilliant. As a result the game maintains much of the spirit but with a fresh coat of paint.  At first you do feel like you're playing a cutscene, the Last of Us as you prepare your wife for the funeral. You're introduced to the absolutely phenomenal gameplay. In it's intimacy the action just feels so much more visceral. Every axe swing has weight and when you throw it, it knocks a Draugr skull and then WOOSH woosh woosh lands back in your hand... ohhhhh........ it's orgasmic. The leviathan axe is one of the most well designed gameplay mechanics in history. The recall. The light and heavy to trip, stagger and interrupt. When you can use one entire weapon an entire game and want more of that weapon, you know it's been masterfully designed and coded. Playing on the hardest difficulty you need to exploit every facet of its capability from Day 1. The old Kratos did not disappear through some sage mediative pilgrimage, he's still here, repressed. And he comes out every so often in the games rage meter, forgoing any weapon in favour of his fists, becoming an unstoppable force pounding anything in his way into the ground. Overall the gameplay is best described as visceral and just oozes depth in every facet. You can tell it's taken inspiration from more deliberate titles like Dark Souls compared to its tired arcadey forebearers. I experienced this with the first boss. He dodged whenever you throw. So instead? I feint throw, recall, to throw again or counter his charge axe in hand. Lastly is the items and runes. These are game changing in that they change how you play like a classic looter ARPG. Armour might might a rune viable. Certain runes are best on certain enemies. The energy beam for example absolutely melts, but did fuck all to some armour enemies like Valkyrie. 

I love the gods. Freya is motherly. Baldur is arrogant. Odin is ominous, absent and working from the shadows. Brok and Sindri the dwarvish brothers who hate each other but are loveable. I treasure every one of Mimir's philosophical moral questions, often at the end of an original Norse story (which was the entire purpose of these stories historically mind you, moral stories of their time). The land and music are characters in themself. The realms are amazing, and full of what makes God of War such an epic of old. 

And the spectacle within them is like no other, not God of War 3, not Uncharted, not anything. It's just God of War. Midgard (or the Norselands of man) is full of beautiful sweeping landscape from frosty mountains to warm and wintery forests. But quite and absent of people. Almost apocalyptic. It's here we start at the homestead and funeral of Atreus mother. The funeral causes a rift in the warded area and as a result a stranger knocks on the door, asking questions, aggravating Kratos (much to his warning) with unfriendly banter. This opening scene dropped my draw, just like he dropped Kratos with a straight punch to the jaw. Flying through his house and shattering trees in a perfectly thematic and smooth transition. In this moment the presentation, the music, the combat, the voice acting, the sound design come together in an oh so perfect way that is often considered an impossibility in games. The fight goes on and on and on, a perfect bossfight in gameplay and tension, until Kratos eventually snaps the strangers neck. Later revealed to be Baldur, one of many Aesir sent by the Allfather to hunt down the infamous God Killer.

But this is just one of many. That moment when Jormungandr the world serpent appears, rising up from the centre of Midgard and shakes the very Earth. Another jaw dropping moment. Or the final fight. Beginning with you travelling into the world serpent to find an artefact, only for Baldur to shoot through the belly of the beast. As you come flooding out onto the shore Baldur emerges from the water, blood, guts, and serpent surrounding you and he's ready to go, once and all. The fight carries forward and ends on top of Jormungandr towering above Midgard. Just, yes. 

The realms are their own character. Asgard and Jotunheim mysteriously absent. Tyr the lawmaker is no where to be seen and the lands fall to disarray. Svartalfheim the home of the dwarves are forbidden to outsides, and Vanaheim the home of the Vanir is inaccessible without their blessing. In other words, God of War part 2 and 3. 

Helheim deep and dark and shadowy, full of dead lost souls and contains once of the best scenes reuniting Kratos and his spectral father aboard a floating ship. Alfheim the fantastical land of the elves. As light elves and dark elves fight over the realm. You defeat the dark elves and take when you need, restoring power to the light elves. But it's not as it seems. The dark elves are not inherently evil, and one gives you a foreboding message that you've made a mistake and undone their resistance against the persecution of the light elves. This sentiment permeates through the story. Kratos cares about himself and his son and wherever he goes, death and destruction follows. He left Greece destroyed in his wake, and everything before him is effected. So are the Aesir really the villains of this story? Are they not simply defending their own lands? It's not as clear cut as it might initially seem. Muspelheim is the land of fire giants and Surtr, wield of the world ending flaming sword. It's here a voice calls out to you, challenging you with rewards for those strong enough to attain them. Niflheim was inhabited by dwarves and Ivaldi's workshop, now full of mazes and contraptions, a cursed fog that poisons you (until Sindri builds armour to protect you). But it's full of treasure. Both serve as end game content and are fun in their own way. In addition to the Valkyrie the end game content was very enjoyable. And aftter finishing it I just wanted more, playing until 100%. \

The story. There's a lot to explore here and that's why I won't. I loved how much depth they delivered from embedded storytelling and references in the environment to Kratos revealing wood carvings or prophecy, to Mimir telling foreboding stories of old. All this is integrated into the existing mythos masterfully. Loki apparently absent is revealed to be Atreus!?!? Shocking right? Well no. Loki had four children and all but one were absent in the game. Hel was not in Helheim, Fenrir the wolf and Thor's bane and Sleipnir the eight-legged horse of Odin were not seen either. Jormungandr is present but this is explained very subtly. When first introduced Mimir reveals what the snake said, that he recognised Atreus. Later he tells a story of how during Ragnarok Thor hit the giant (snake) so hard that it hit the roots of the world tree Yggdrasil and sent it back in time, to sleep around Midgard until the world ends again. Also representative of the infinite loop of Ouroboros, the snake that eats and rebirths itself. Lastly Atreus stabs Baldur with the mistletoe, removing his invulnerability, which Loki did, signalling the coming of Ragnarok and him as a mortal enemy of the Aesir. I believe that Atreus will become known as Loki the shapeshifter. He's already shown a knack for magic, summoning spirits (which he could later change into) and he could yet sire the other monsters. Perhaps his path splits from Kratos in the sequels and we play as Loki. Or maybe even the torch is inevitably passed on to Atreus. And he must choose between revenge or to break the cycle as his father has taught. There are so many other examples of them twisting mythology in such a clever way, but this is chief among them. The plot, the characters, music, art and an addictive gameplay loot have all come together with such perfection that many are calling this game of the generation. I agree.