For those unfamiliar with the title, here's a quick refresher. Despite a confusing naming convention, God of War is the 8th instalment in the God of War series and is the sequel to 2010's God of War III. It puts players back in control over the titular God of war, Kratos, but this time accompanied by his son Atreus. This father-son duo ventures across the realm of Midgard to fulfil Atreus' late mother's wish which unfolds into an eventful journey.
While following the canonical story, God of War can even be described as a soft reboot to the franchise. Not only is the setting now inspired by Norse mythology (instead of Greek one) and introduces two playable protagonists, the gameplay design has been revised. It swaps the fixed camera perspective with an over-the-shoulder free camera one, and equips Kratos with a magical battle axe instead of the iconic double-chained blades. More than other games in the franchise, this instalment leans more on RPG elements and a cinematic presentation, complete with an excellent audio score. The result still feels fresh while packing the distinct God of War feel with a dynamic combat system, brutal animations and enemies of epic proportions.
The ancient Scandinavian setting is also well depicted. Environments are littered with details and characters bear intricate design. The game's striking visuals are given justice in the PC version. It supports up to 4K resolution, ultrawide displays, unlocked framerates and further allows you to tune graphical settings to match your rig and preferences. Further customisation is available in the controls. On top of keyboard+mouse and Xbox controller input, the PC version supports DualShock 4 and DualSense wireless controllers.
This PC port also holds up very well, and that's a relief considering it launched some time back. I encountered no issues with the visuals or performance, even on a handheld like the AYANEO Kun whose massive handheld display feels fit for such a game if you want to play it on-the-go.
With the game available on even more platforms, there's little reason not to play God of War if you're a fan of action RPGs or narrative-driven games (it's even 50% off on GOG at the time of writing). It's an engaging title that bears a stunning art direction and some welcome twists to the God of War formula while still being true to the franchise's roots.
