The God of War series was an important fixture for four generations of PlayStation consoles. However, when Kratos’ vengeful journey to become the new god of war began in 2005, it was impossible to foresee where the angry god destroyer would be 20 years from now. If other long-term franchises struggle to relate to multiple game generations, God of War survives thanks to a willingness to change. Of course, the most important change was the radical 2018 reboot of 2018, picking Kratos from ancient Greece and immersing him in the world of Norse mythology. We’ve dramatically changed both the presentation and gameplay styles of the series. But even before that acclaimed reboot, developer Sony Santa Monica had implemented many small but interesting changes that ensured survival of the series.
Reinvention will be key to the continued success of God’s war in the future. When the series moved into a Scandinavian setting, director Cory Balog spoke about his desire to “move into the Egyptian and Mayan periods, among others.” Recent rumors have once again nurtured the Egyptian environment. Even if this is not genuine insider news and all hopeful thinking, I understand why people long for visiting the land of the pyramids. Ancient Egypt has a distinct culture and a powerful rich myth. But the new setting is just the beginning. Wherever the God of War goes next, he has to reinvent himself in about the same way he took components that he has updated (and somehow improved) for the acclaimed Nors game, which he has worked very well in the Greek trilogy of the series.
Of course, this series never avoided making changes from entry to entry. The original Greek game has evolved over the course of a decade, refined hack and slash gameplay and shines in the mirror with the release of God of War 3. At the end of the trilogy, Kratos accessed an improved magical system that complemented the combo-based rhythm of melee combat, and faced more diversity. Its final chapter was built for the PlayStation 3. This further lifted the view of the 2010 graphical powerhouse as the first two games offered a significant power increase over the PS2, which was designed.
Many of these original games defined were lost in reboots. The Greek trilogy incorporates a lot of platform and puzzle game elements to help Kratos achieve their goals. These platform sections have been phased out from Scandinavian games due to changes in camera angles. The new third party over the shoulder perspective did not work with such an approach. The puzzle remained, but it was reformulated to fit the new Adventure First Design of God of War.
This kind of refit can be seen to apply to many series original concepts. Starting in God of War 2, the game featured a battle arena that allows players to set difficulty and select their opponents. These formed some of the original series’ most memorable moments, but were lost in the 2018 reboot. However, Valhalla, the roguelike DLC for God of Waragna Rock, was characterized by the return of the Battle Arena, adapted to the setting of a new Norse mythology. This return to this past character was poetic in the DLC story. The DLC story tells Ther, the Nordic God of War, invites Kratos to Valhalla to confront the ghosts of his past. Kratos’ story was all round by returning mechanically and narratively to the series’ Greek roots.
However, Scandinavian war games are not just reinterpretation of past ideas. This second iteration of the franchise includes new additions of Swaths, such as the unique throwing mechanism of Leviathan x, the Parry system that defines the battles made possible by a set of shield types, and in Ragnarok, a magical spear that allows for a much faster, explosive attack style. These are tools for moving through nine areas, each with its own enemy, visuals and other different traits.
But while the mechanics of battle and exploration are clear changes, the creative bay between the original trilogy and the Nordic dulogies is most clearly observed in the game’s approach to the narrative. Throughout the second era, we feel the loss and heartache of Kratos for his late wife and how this burns fire within him. He is externally bitter to his son Atreus, and the pair’s uneasy relationship lies at the heart of the two games. Both reveal unexpected hidden truths about themselves. All this is far from the more cruel storytelling of the original trilogy, with a more emotional approach arguably key to the crucial and commercial success of the Scandinavian era.
The fundamental changes in God in both mechanical design and storytelling approaches are the result of different kinds of thinking when it comes to franchises. The creators of the series say they don’t see the Scandinavian games as a sequel in the traditional sense, but as an extension of Kratos’ journey. This attitude should be at the heart of future installments.
Of course, radical reinvention itself is not an innocent way to produce escalating success. Take a look at Assassin’s Creed, another series that frequently changes locations and durations. Ubisoft’s long-term series is consistently profitable, but like God of War, it has struggled to ensure continuous fan decoration across multiple console generations. Following the 2017 transition to Assassin’s Creed Origins to open world RPG design, series links with its basic Assassin’s Guild Legend have become increasingly tenuous. What began as a series linked by the Desmond Miles story lost much of the connective tissue of that story, and the game’s new RPG era proved to be more divided for each installment that ultimately passes. The general criticism aims to bulge the series’ content increase – the classic “size doesn’t necessarily mean good” argument – but long-term fans are increasingly frustrated with the series, which wafts from the assassin roots to the fantasies of Spartans and Viking Power. A fantasy that many believe will serve better as a standalone RPG.
The series has now attempted a few of course fixes starting with Assassin’s Creed Mirage in 2023. A soft reboot and return to the series’ Middle Eastern roots. It revived the gameplay and structure of previous games, providing a rather short story that was reasonably well received by both critics and fans. This year, Assassin’s Creed Shadows appears to continue a similar pulsation with the introduction of Naoe, a character who is completely dedicated to stealth gameplay that was the basis of the original Xbox 360-era game.
The mixed fate of Assassin’s Creed’s style change indicates that abandoning what has made the series a success can cause a rip within the fanbase. This is a skillful navigation of the God War series. On paper, the Scandinavian series is a fundamental departure, but we never lost sight of why Kratos became an attractive character. It identified the very core of the Greek trilogy: fiery, merciless battles – and created something new on top of it. And with each new game, the foundation supported new evolutions. More Spartan Wrath Options. Cooler weapon. More powerful combat options and enemies. Ability to play as another character due to a considerable chunk of the story. All these additions were not distracting and never distracting from the foundations that made the previous game a success. They maintain a clear sense of identity in the series, and deepen the lore rather than annexing it. It must remain a follow-up, whether it is set in Egypt or elsewhere.
Regardless of whether rumors of Egyptian environment have proven true or not, whatever comes next, must ensure that their evolutionary upgrade will sustain God’s success. Back in 2018, it meant focusing on combat. The new game had to meet the standards of the Greek trilogy when it came to slaughtering enemies. But the next God of War will certainly be judged by the true gem at the heart of its story, the Nordic dulogy. The development of Kratos’ character from the raging monsters encountered in the original series shows just how important the writing is to make the game from 2018 onwards a monumental success. Whatever comes next must be built on its strength, but we strive to make bold new changes (hopefully) as a result of the pinnacle of God’s next era.
Chris Connor is a Ward Smith in a coffee and whiskey-driven culture, and his work has been published on NME, Radio Times, Yahoo and more.
