10 Things You Learn Replaying God of War (2018)
Seven years on, God of War still holds its crown as king of the reboots!
Seven years ago, Santa Monica Studios rebooted God of War and there was much rejoicing. Series protagonist Kratos evolved from a revenge-obsessed deicidal maniac into a loving (albeit stern) father figure, and the game around him matched his maturation. Gone were the stilted platforming, fixed camera angles and button-mashing combat of previous God of Wars, as the reboot offered players an excellent Action RPG that married satisfying monster-mashing with excellent open-world design.
God of War thoroughly deserved every GOTY award it picked up back in 2018, and it's a pleasure to report that Santa Monica Studios' magnum opus still remains a joy to play. Indeed, playing through the game in the year of the Chicken Jockey actually magnifies some of the game's greatest strengths - even (or perhaps especially) when comparing the game to its sequel, God of War: Ragnarok.
That being said, replaying God of War seven years down the line also shows how some aspects of the game differ from what you may remember, for better and for worse. But, in the interest of starting off on a high note, let's look at one part of the experience that indisputably shines as brightly as it did back in 2018...
10. It Still Looks Stunning
The God of War series has a well-earned reputation for the sort of graphics that make a console's marketing department crack open the champagne. The first God of War turned heads with its epic vistas and stunning boss battles, its PS2-bound sequel embarrassed most PS3 launch titles, and God of War 3 took all of 30 seconds to drop jaws everywhere with its Poseidon-pummeling introduction.
The reboot, while changing almost everything else, thankfully kept this crucial aspect of the series intact. Even now, God of War is still a graphical showcase that makes you want to grab other gamers of a certain age and say "Did you ever think games could look like this?" From its sunlit opening to the titanic climax, God of War is still a feast for the eyes and the seven years that have passed since its release have done little to dim its visual prowess.
The sequel was also a fine looking game, but its status as a cross-generation release meant it could never fully harness the power of the PlayStation 5. If the 2018 God of War is any indication, however, a PS5-exclusive entry in the series has a legitimate chance of being the best-looking game yet made.