With the latest installment in the God of War franchise releasing in just one week, players are getting seemingly more and more excited about everything the game has to offer. One thing that players will notice in any in-game trailer is the updated combat system. Cory Barlog, the game’s director, has now further explained why the combat updates were made and what that means for players.
Barlog states that the combat was changed because “[Santa Monica Studios] has made seven games with that combat system.” Even if players loved it, changes were due and it definitely seems like Barlog and the rest of the team over at Sony Santa Monica saw this update as a necessity to keep God of War fresh and to separate it from the others.
"I was looking around at how incredibly talented our systems and combat team was, and I was like, 'I need them to take on the challenge that we had on God of War 1.' That challenge of nobody really knows what that system was when I first got there in 2003. Combat was, I don't want to say a mess, but it was more like they hadn't found their sea legs with combat."
Barlog wants to show players that “[Santa Monica Studios] had learned over the last decade” and that he “didn’t want to change [the combat system] for the sake of changing it.” Barlog further iterates that he “wanted [God of War] to reflect how [everyone at the studio] has grown up. What we play is different. God of War is a reflection of what we play.”
Taking a further look at the combat changes, the first thing players should see is Kratos’ brand new weapon: the Leviathan Axe. This weapon is a complete departure from past God of War weapons and holds more mythological significance, as it was forged by the same dwarven brothers that crafted Thor’s hammer. With this update to Kratos’ weaponry comes a slower and more dramatic combat style, but the game apparently does not sacrifice on the brutality, as God of War is reportedly still the same bloody series players love.
This new combat system also comes with different camera angles, making it a bit easier to follow Kratos around the screen and a bit more fluid in general. As players are familiar with the overhead camera angles from previous games, hopefully, they will welcome the brand new over-the-shoulder perspective. This may feel foreign to some fans of the previous God of War games, but this new camera system works hand in hand with the new combat system, making it as seamless as ever.
No matter what players are used to, God of War does not seem to disappoint, especially considering God of War reviews are overwhelmingly positive. Sony Santa Monica and Cory Barlog seem to be very proud of the game and cannot wait for players to experience not only the combat, but also everything God of War has to offer.
God of War is set to release on April 20, 2018 for PlayStation 4.
Source: GameSpot
