God of War
Kratos is no longer the rage-fueled Spartan who tore down Olympus. He is a widower living quietly in the Norse wilds of Midgard, and the death of his wife Faye forces him into a journey he never wanted: carrying her ashes to the highest peak in the nine realms with his young son, Atreus, at his side. The result is a third-person action-adventure built on heavy, deliberate combat, puzzle-laced exploration and light RPG progression.
Fans often call it God of War 4, though the official title carries no numeral. It is the eighth entry in the series and the sequel to God of War III, yet newcomers can start here without any homework. The game first came out on PlayStation 4 on April 20, 2018.
Top 3 Reasons to Play
- An axe that always returns. The Leviathan Axe can be hurled at an enemy, a frozen mechanism or a distant switch, then recalled to Kratos's hand with a single button press, much like Thor's Mjölnir. While it's out of reach he fights with fists and shield, which makes every throw a small tactical gamble instead of a free ranged attack.
- One continuous shot. The entire adventure plays out without a single camera cut, loading screen or fade to black between cinematics and gameplay. Conversations flow straight into boss fights and back again, and the camera never breaks away from Kratos for the whole journey.
- An endgame for completionists. Eight Valkyries wait inside Hidden Chambers of Odin spread across the realms. Beat all of them and Sigrun, the Valkyrie Queen, appears – one of the most demanding fights the series has produced. Add the Trials of Muspelheim and the fog-choked maze of Niflheim, and there's plenty left after the credits roll.
Story and Lore
Many years after his war against the Olympian gods, Kratos has made a home in ancient Scandinavia, in an age before the Vikings when Norse deities still walk the land. Atreus knows nothing of his father's past or of the divine blood running through his own veins.
The story opens on Faye's funeral pyre. Before father and son can honor her last wish, a tattooed stranger with godlike strength and no apparent sense of pain turns up at their door looking for a fight. Kratos seemingly wins the duel, but the encounter makes one thing clear: Asgard knows exactly where he is. Along the road to the mountain, the pair cross paths with the World Serpent Jörmungandr, a pair of dwarven blacksmiths and a mysterious witch who seems to know far more about Kratos than he'd like.
Yggdrasil, the world tree, binds the nine realms together, and travel between them runs through the Bifröst inside Týr's Temple on the Lake of the Nine. Týr himself was a peaceful Norse god of war who studied the mythologies of distant lands; legend holds that Odin had him killed. Six realms are open to explore:
- Midgard: the realm of humans and the main hub, centered on the Lake of the Nine
- Alfheim: home of the light and dark elves
- Helheim: the frozen land of the dead
- Jötunheim: the mountainous homeland of the Giants
- Niflheim (optional): a realm of poisonous fog with a maze-like layout full of rewards
- Muspelheim (optional): the fire realm, where a series of combat trials leads to the top of a volcano
Asgard, Vanaheim and Svartalfheim remain sealed off by Odin for the whole game.
Gameplay and Mechanics
The fixed cinematic camera of the Greek-era games is gone, replaced by an over-the-shoulder view that sits close behind Kratos. Lead gameplay designer Jason McDonald described axe combat as a little slower than fighting with the Blades of Chaos from earlier entries, and it rewards reading enemies over mashing out long combos. Kratos's core toolkit looks like this:
- Leviathan Axe: light and heavy attacks infused with frost magic. Runes slotted into the axe unlock light and heavy runic attacks – special moves that recharge on individual cooldown timers.
- Guardian Shield: a collapsible shield that folds into a vambrace, used for blocking, parrying and bashing.
- Bare hands: unarmed strikes build up an enemy's stun meter, and filling it opens a brutal grab finisher.
- Spartan Rage: a meter that charges during fights and unleashes a burst of devastating bare-handed attacks.
- Atreus: one button is dedicated to your son. He fires arrows on command, later gains light and shock arrows, and his own runic summons conjure spectral animals such as a wolf pack or the squirrel Ratatoskr, who digs up health and rage orbs. He can be briefly stunned but never killed.
Growth comes mostly from gear. Crafting resources feed new armor and upgrades, Hacksilver serves as the currency for buying and crafting at the Huldra Brothers' shops, and XP buys new combat skills. Enchantments slot into armor for extra perks, while Iðunn's Apples and Horns of Blood Mead permanently extend Kratos's health and Rage bars.
Exploration centers on the Lake of the Nine, crossed by boat since swimming was cut. Fast travel opens up later in the story, and jumping only happens at designated ledges. Side content comes in several layers: favors for Brok, Sindri and wayward spirits, treasure maps, artifacts, Odin's ravens and the imprisoned dragons Fáfnir, Otr and Reginn waiting to be freed.
Four difficulty settings run from Give Me a Story through Give Me a Balanced Experience and Give Me a Challenge up to Give Me God of War. A Photo Mode arrived in a May 2018 update, letting players adjust field of view, depth of field, filters and even the facial expressions of Kratos and Atreus.
Characters and Factions
- Kratos (Christopher Judge): the former Greek God of War and a son of Zeus, now trying to raise a child without passing on his own legacy of violence.
- Atreus (Sunny Suljic): Kratos's son, who reads runes, understands languages his father cannot and knows the Norse world far better than Kratos does.
- Faye: Kratos's late wife and the original owner of the Leviathan Axe and Guardian Shield, both now in his hands.
- The Stranger (Jeremy Davies): the main antagonist, later identified as Baldur, son of Odin, cursed with invulnerability and unable to feel pain or pleasure.
- Witch of the Woods (Danielle Bisutti): a kindly recluse who recognizes Kratos as a god, later revealed to be the Vanir goddess Freya.
- Mímir (Alastair Duncan): a self-proclaimed smartest man alive, long imprisoned by Odin, who joins the journey in a rather unusual form.
- Brok and Sindri: the Huldra Brothers, dwarven smiths who forged Mjölnir and the Leviathan Axe and pop up throughout the realms to upgrade your gear.
- Modi and Magni: Thor's sons, who hunt the travelers on Odin's orders.
Behind the individual characters stands a much older conflict. The Æsir of Asgard, ruled by Odin and backed by his son Thor, hold power over the realms, while the Vanir, the rival pantheon Freya once belonged to, have been pushed aside. The Giants of Jötunheim, famed for their gift of prophecy, have all but vanished, and the Valkyries who once served Freya now answer to Odin's corruption.
Editions
On PC, God of War comes in a single version sold through Steam and the Epic Games Store. The port was handled by Jetpack Interactive under Santa Monica Studio's supervision, and every copy includes these digital extras:
- Death's Vow Armor Sets for Kratos and Atreus
- Exile's Guardian Shield Skin
- Buckler of the Forge Shield Skin
- Shining Elven Soul Shield Skin
- Dökkenshieldr Shield Skin
PC-specific features include true 4K resolution, an unlocked frame rate, 21:9 ultrawide support, NVIDIA DLSS and Reflex, AMD FSR, HDR, and support for DualShock 4 and DualSense controllers alongside full keyboard remapping.
The original PlayStation 4 launch offered a Standard Edition, a Digital Deluxe Edition, a Collector's Edition and a Stone Mason Edition, the last one sold only in the United States and Canada. No native PS5 version exists, although the PS4 release runs on PS5 through backward compatibility, and a February 2021 patch enabled 60 fps at checkerboard 4K on Sony's newer console.