The short answer is yes, but in order to answer IF the game is that good, it’s important to understand WHY.
God of War does not present any great innovation or game mechanism that is completely original and never seen on a game before. It’s not the best story ever told in a game, or even the best combat.
So what makes this one such a great game, praised by critics and gamers alike? I believe the answer is not in one simple aspect of the game, but rather on how good each of the different elements are, how they appear on the right amounts to keep the pacing and the balance of the game, and how well they all interact with each other.
The graphics are beautiful, the story is compelling and the combat is exceptionally fun, addicting and extremely rewarding. The looting system is well crafted, with drop quality and quantities appearing in the right amounts to keep being exciting and relevant, without being so stingy as to make you feel like not being rewarded for combat or exploration. There are good puzzle sections, the cast of characters is fantastic, and the skill system is great. The great sound design pushes the immersion, while the minimalistic music score highlights the right moments beautifully….
On its own, each of this elements is great, works well and contributes to the quality of the game, but it’s only when we look at how they work together, that we can truly understand what makes God of War deserving of the constant praise.
How many times do we see new games coming out that should be great on paper, look great on the trailers, tick all the boxes in terms of elements you would want present, but then simply disappoint, and are not as engaging as we would expect? Quite often we see game developers acting like amateur cooks, throwing random game elements into a game like raw ingredients into a pot, ticking all the boxes from a recipe of game-elements to make sure they are all there, with little regard to their balance and integration. In the same way that following a recipe requires more than simply gathering a list of ingredients, making a great game requires more than making sure all the elements are there, and this is exactly were God of War shines: It makes combat elevate the story, which makes you care about the characters, leading to an interest in the progression and the RPG elements, which incentivizes exploration and make you care about the locations… Everything is connected, balanced and relevant. Unlocking new skills or crafting new armor is not added as an after-taught, to tick another box and slap “RPG elements” on the box.
Following up on a franchise that never caught much of my attention, in a genre that is not one of my favorites, God of War managed to, out of nowhere, jump into one of my all-time favorite games. More than a masterpiece, God of War is a master-class on video-game development, and will be a new standard on how video-games integrate their different systems in a cohesive and compelling way.
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And what do you think: Did you enjoy God of War? Do you think it deserves the praise? Let me know on the comments bellow, and for More Game Reviews, make sure to follow us. Until next time, I’ll keep on gaming.
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