God Of War PS4: 8 Hands-On Impressions You Need To Know

3. The Dialogue, Script & Tone Can Be All OVER The Place

What starts as a particularly contemplative scene showing Kratos remembering his past, immediately segues - jarringly - into a hunting scene. From there you're thrust into the main thrust of this early part of the game: Delivering an item to the top of a mountain.

The problems come from the occasional beats where Sony wanted to inject a Naughty Dog-esque "serious moment", and the camera zooms in, the line delivery gets way more weighty, and The Emotions rise to the top. Honestly, these mostly work pretty well, but such somber reflections on what it means to take a life or kill repeatedly are immediately contrasted when Kratos roars like a psychopath and cleaves an ogre's jaw in half. It's even met with Atreus chipping in with, "I think you got him!" or "You'll have to teach me that one!"

Alongside the gore/self-reflection are two script-by-numbers "awkward characters who talk a little bit much" - the sort we've seen in every major Hollywood blockbuster, and who are now infiltrating many triple-A games. Think Cayde-6, JD Fenix or the Marvel Cinematic Universe from The Avengers onwards, and it's that style of comedy.

Last are some strangely empty reactions to pivotal events. The first time something happens to Atreus he doesn't make a sound, and the first time you find one of the aforementioned dwarves in a really out of the way place, nothing is said. Again, it affects Kratos and Atreus' position in the world. Have they experienced these things before, or is this all the first time? The game doesn't seem to know.

Taken alongside the back n' forth emotion/viscera seesaw, Kratos' lifeless, "Let's get this done" attitude and the "peppy" dwarves, it's just not the smoothest ride.