"Change is possible". This is the opening mission statement from creative director Cory Barlog at the start of the Raising Kratos documentary. The feature film that was released on YouTube five years ago chronicles the making of the God of War reboot, from its initial conception, right through to the memorable E3 reveal, and its eventual release in 2018. I've lost count of the number of times I've watched it since I first finished Kratos and Atreus' adventure, but it's the words of Barlog that I haven't been able to stop thinking about in the lead up to today, which marks the 20th anniversary of the original 2005 God of War game.
Before the reboot came along, I didn't really know anything about the series. I'd never had any kind of interaction with it, and in hindsight, I can't say my 13-year-old self would have particularly enjoyed the brutality of the earlier games. But after hearing and reading so much about Kratos' return back in the day, I decided to throw caution to the wind in 2018 and step into something outside of my usual wheelhouse. I can't thank my past self enough for making this decision, because it's safe to say that the reboot completely enraptured me, and the idea that "change is possible" gets right to the heart of what makes the almost seven year-old game such a memorable experience.
Risk and redemption
God of War is among our pick of the best PS4 games of all-time for good reason.
Former co-founder and head of Sony Santa Monica Studio, Shannon Studstill, put it best in the documentary when she said that "there's a lot of risk involved in that one sort of concept – reboot". It's not easy to revive a series, let alone take it in an entirely new direction. And as a protagonist, Kratos had established himself as a violent anti-hero. Even I, who was a stranger to the series, came to hear about the terrible deeds he'd committed in past games – such as, you know, murdering his whole family. So taking that character and putting him into the role of a father again was undoubtedly inherently tricky.
In a PlayStation blog penned just before the game launched, Barlog himself said that "we intentionally made him [Kratos] loathed, an antihero. Now we're trying to make him a character you care about". That seems like such a simple idea, but it's anything but. I constantly appreciate the feat the team pulled off, because they absolutely succeeded at taking a character like Kratos and transforming him into a more relatable figure who is more than his past. Before the reboot, I couldn't have cared less about him, but in both God of War and its follow-up, God of War Ragnarok, I felt a deep connection to both him and his son Atreus, along with other prominent figures in the story such as Freya, whose own experiences and personal journey cut just as deeply.
Exploring a story of redemption, familial ties, and what it means to be human in a world of gods and monsters, the reboot spins a timeless tale set against the backdrop of a fantastical realm steeped in Norse mythology. At its heart, though, it's about a father and son who are trying to understand and learn from one another. For Kratos, Atreus makes his world swing on its axis, pushing him to re-evaluate what really matters, and who he wants to become. While Atreus is trying to find his way and understand where he came from through the guidance of his father. It's their relationship, the connections they form with other characters along the way, and the personal development they go through that continues to stay with me to this day.
In fact, I'd go as far as to say that many of the figures in God of War are among some of my favorite game characters of all-time, and that's in no small part thanks to the amazing performances of the actors who brought them to life, breathing so much emotion into every impactful line. The reboot is one of the most beautifully cinematic experiences, with lots of action, and plenty of twists and turns.
But more than that, to me God of War and its sequel are reminders that we can always strive to be better. There's always room to grow and understand each other on a deeper human level. At the end of the 2018 reboot, the goddess Athena tells Kratos "you cannot change, you will always be a monster", and in one of the most memorable line deliveries from actor Christopher Judge, he simply replies, "I know". But I think Kratos goes on to prove both her and himself wrong. Because just as the reboot showed that a series can make a spectacular comeback in a way that draws in new players, Kratos' own personal growth also attests to Barlog's initial mission statement: "change is possible".
Look ahead to what awaits us in the future with our round of upcoming PS5 games.
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