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

4. Combos Are Simplified, But That's Not A Bad Thing

With that said, there is one significant gameplay change that could be off-putting to longtime players. Memorising lengthy combos has essentially been thrown out for one-button special abilities assigned to the shoulder buttons that award Kratos with different flashy moves.

While this might seem like a step backwards though, the game encourages you to swap out these "Runic" attacks depending on the enemy type and environment.

It sounds like skill will no longer be determined by chaining combos, but knowing how and when to use Runic attacks, and Polygon has explained that the change actually adds an extra level of depth to the combat without losing the ferocity the series is known for:

Runic attacks replace complex combos, and are performed with a simple tap of the shoulder buttons. No pressure to master reflexes and motor skills. Instead, precious brain juice can be spent on strategy: Does a zone call for attacks that stun large groups of enemies, setting up a sequence of brutal takedowns, or does a big boss warrant narrow but powerful damage-dealing blows? Tough battles are made easy when treated like puzzles to be solved with the right combat approach.