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

5. Combat Is More Demanding, But Just As Spectacular

Though the original God of War series was lacking in many areas, combat certainly wasn't one of them. Consequently, when the new game shifted its perspective to be closer behind Kratos and debuted a new narrative-driven approach, many fans wondered whether or not it would lose the ambition and flair that resonated throughout every inch of the original trilogy's combat.

By the sounds of things though, the change seems to have resulted in the exact opposite. While the amount of enemies may have been slightly reduced, the scale of fights hasn't been. Likewise, while the flashy finishers and bloody chained attacks are still there, the combat itself is said to be far more demanding and weightier, forcing you to think about enemy attack patterns use the full arsenal at your disposal.

DualShockers summed up the differences in their review:

Combat itself has plenty of depth and nuance, discouraging button mashing even at the normal difficulty setting, and spurring the player to learn his “tools of the trade” in the forms of combos, blocks, dodges, and magical abilities. It’s definitely more tactical and complex than what God of War fans are used to, without losing one bit of its exhilarating nature.

There have been some critics who have argued that the new camera makes things a little frustrating though, with TwinFinite's review explaining:

There were times where it felt difficult to shift the camera to an angle I wanted after removing the target lock on an enemy. In times like these, it feels like you don’t have complete control over Kratos, and combat can become a little frustrating.

Still, when everything works, the combat is apparently better than ever.