God Of War PS4 Review: 10 Critical Reactions You Need To Know

9. Kratos And Atreus' Relationship Is The Heart Of The Game

God Of War
Sony

Kratos having a son, while an interesting concept on paper, was one of the most divisive features when the game was announced. To many players, it was a cynical attempt to capitalise on the appeal of story-driven releases such as The Last of Us, Bioshock: Infinite and Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons which all used a personal companion to wring emotion out of the narrative.

Fortunately the developers have endeavoured to make this part of the game as satisfying as possible, acknowledging players' worries that Atreus could be annoying, and making his relationship with his father the story's focal point. In fact, reviews so far suggest that giving Kratos a son wasn't just an obvious attempt at creating drama, but actually acts as the heart of the game.

In The Guardian's glowing review, Keza MacDonald:

Atreus is far from the irritating sidekick he might have been, complementing Kratos’s gruff and humourless dialogue with quips and endearing observations, turning his father’s intense seriousness and inability to find humour in anything into a running joke.

GamesRadar also praised the strong dynamic between the characters:

As a result the relationship between father and son is everything. It’s full of frustration, awkward moments of bonding, and popping breakthroughs of progress.

It's clear that the interactions between the father and son make God of War so special, and give the narrative the emotional heft it needs to succeed.

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