God of War is Possibly the Best Game of 2018 So Far

Since its beginning as a hack and slash mythology adventure, the entries in the God Of War series have been maturing away from something that played similar to the likes of Devil May Cry and Bayonetta to its 2018, PlayStation exclusive title. 2018's God Of War may be one of the most beautiful games of the late PlayStation 4 era, and as talks about what PlayStation 5 will bring are already on the lips of gamers, God Of War will be a must have before you unplug that 4 or PlayStation Pro for good.

Set now in Norse Mythology after decades of killing Greek Gods and battling Titans, little is known about the time between games except it has shifted locations and Kratos again found himself married to a mortal wife and has a young son. It is suggested that he has been absent for a number of years as the young boy Atreus doesn't know about his father's godly roots-especially that he is a son of Zeus.

The 2018 entry to the series pushes the limits of the PS4, moving seamlessly without the use of loading screens that are only cleverly disguised behind cinematic cut scenes. The colors of this game are vibrant and it is a call back to Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice. The two games also share a slight plot line in trying to bring a family member's remains to a final resting place.

God Of War 2018 is exclusive yet again to PlayStation.

Tricked by Ares into becoming the Ghost of Sparta, Kratos is forced into actions that cause the death of his mortal wife and daughter- he spends the first game being covered in their ashes to bear his shame of what he has done. After being tasked by Athena to find Pandora's Box in the the 2005 entry God Of War, in the end Kratos ascends to his new title after he has killed off Ares.

Since 2005, the series has seen God Of War 2, God Of War Betrayal, God Of War Chains Of Olympus, God Of War Ghost Of Sparta, and God Of War Ascension
in which Kratos has now aided the Sisters of Fate after Gaia has promised that he could change his fate, killed Zeus, taken on Hermes, thwarted plans by Morpheus, Persephone and Atlas to destroy the world.

Ghost Of Sparta revisits earlier story involving his mother Callisto, and finding out that he has a sibling that has been taken by Thanos. Accession also is mostly flashback between earlier games, taken place six months after the death of Kratos' family when he was imprisoned by the Furies.

Less of the fast paced hack and slash that fans loved of the earlier entries in the God Of War franchise, the slower pacing on this father and son adventure is quite beautiful as they explore a largely open world with photo-like graphics. Using his Leviathan Axe as the main weapon for Kratos this time, and aided with dwarves, and his alliance with Freya, this installment has a much smaller cast of characters.

With fairly simple puzzle solving, plenty of challenging battles even on the easier settings, the unique pairing of Kratos with his physical based attack and the ability to throw the axe a great distance at objects and use his superior strength, Atreus is gifted with the teachings of his mother, whom greatly understood magic and the ways of the world around them. Atreus can use a magic bow as well as summon charged up attacks of spirit like wolves, squirrels, and crows that will attack the monster them meet along the way to his mother's resting place. When the pair discovers that Hellheim is no longer accepting new souls and that hell itself is spilling into the world, the father and son must work together on their quest.

It isn't until young Atreus is gravely injured and taken to Freya for healing that it is explained to the young boy that he is a demigod.

In the later sections of the game, Atreus has come more into his powers and instead of heeding the teachings of his father and learning from the past that Kratos has selectively shared- only omitting that he has slain other Gods in his previous life; Atreus becomes a threat to himself and the party as he feels that he knows better than his father's only experience.

Will Kratos be able to reign him in before he is forced again to take the life of another of his children for the greater good?

Is Atreus good? It is hinted earlier on in the game that his mother wanted to name the boy Loki, but his father chose to call his Atreus instead. We know of the boy's powers that he can hear voices early on- even before knowing of his godly lineage. He easily can read ancient ruins in different languages and translate them with no issue and the great Serpent, whom was a child of Loki seems to have recognize of Atreus and bows so that more of the Realm of Nine is exposed on the map.

Is it possible though that the boy could be a reincarnation of some sort?

What will that mean for Kratos and would he be able to reign in Atreus before any real damage is done? As the boy becomes more haughty and unstable towards the ending of the game it really poses the questions.

It is said on the internet to make sure you get to the secret ending of the game.

God Of War could possibly be one of the last great games for the PS4 depending on the release dates of the games from the upcoming E3, so be sure to get your hands on this title.