God of War: Ragnarök

Yeet

Why GoWR Valhalla Is Important

Hey. It's me again. This time I'm not yelling about Kingdom Hearts or Drakengard, but I wanted to talk about God of War Ragnarök: Valhalla today and why I think it's important in trauma-centered narratives. This isn't a detailed analysis, just me spitballing.

SPOILER WARNING: There will be spoilers for God of War Ragnarök: Valhalla, so please proceed with caution!

EDITED: 2/26/24

As a brief summary, Kratos spent almost the entirety of GoW 2018 refusing to talk about his past. His guilt, shame, and trauma deeply affected his relationship with his son, to the point where he didn't want to be around Atreus bc he was terrified of being a bad influence on him. It was only when Atreus' life was in danger did it force him to finally admit just a sliver of the truth. Now I don't mean to say that Kratos revealing his godhood wasn't a big deal because it absolutely was, I'm just saying that it's just one piece of a MUCH bigger story. Anyway, he recognized his past mistakes, but the shame was too much for him to openly acknowledge it until damn near the end of the game.

Come Ragnarök, Kratos was pretty much an open book. He had grown SO much in those short years of fimbulwinter: He openly talked about his trauma to Mimir and Freya. He worked so hard to be a good father and a good support system to his friends. He went out of his way to make amends with Freya and restore their friendship. And he fought to restore peace to the Nine Realms.

But come Valhalla, Freya wants to recruit Kratos to be the new God of War of the nine realms, or at least to be a part of the new peacekeeping council that she's putting together. Kratos is extremely hesitant to take up the mantle. He doesn't feel worthy or deserving enough to hold this position given all that he's done. He and Mimir (and later on, Tyr) are constantly going back and forth about it. Both perspectives are completely valid. Valhalla is about Kratos facing his past in a more literal sense; parts of Greece have been manifested from Kratos' memories of it, so it's like he gets to be there in real time again. This is about helping him process what happened and to add some nuance to the conversation. It's like free therapy for Kratos.

It's funny too bc you have both opposing viewpoints being represented. On one hand, you have Mimir and Tyr being the supporting/validating voice, and Helios is the contrarian. Since he's a manifestation of Kratos' memories, he represents the doubts that Kratos has about himself. The harsh voice to show how hard he is on himself, and not without good reason.

The reason why I think Valhalla is so important is bc in media, survivor narratives are often linear. The character just "gets over" their trauma and then that trauma isn't addressed again. It's presented more as a hurdle than a lifelong battle. I guess this goes to show how misunderstood survivorhood is. But that isn't how healing works. We regress sometimes, and sometimes we still mull over the things that have happened to us. We might heal, but that trauma does leave emotional scars. So even after the many leaps and bounds Kratos has made, he's not "over" his past, far from it! It still haunts him every day and every night. Valhalla is Kratos still processing everything. From my own healing journey, I've learned that it takes a long, long time to fully process your trauma, if there even is a "fully", anyway. It takes a long time to learn and understand all the complexities and how it affects you in current day. And it takes even longer to process such a complicated history like Kratos'.

Generally speaking about the idea of processing trauma, I said earlier that survivorhood is extremely misunderstood by the masses. Imo, our society is very anti-victim/anti-survivor. So with that in mind, from the perspective of the audience, some might perceive the processing trauma bit as repetitive or "milking it". These are mediums of entertainment after all, so ofc I understand wanting to put out an engaging story where the audience doesn't lose interest. But screw those ppl lol. We have to understand why we do what we do if we want to do better, and it's amazing that a video game is willing to have these conversations. Being more open about all the nuances of processing trauma, grief, healing, etc will go such a long way.

Even the roguelite gameplay style perfectly reflects this theme. Processing this stuff is slow. It doesn't happen overnight. Unless you're in Valhalla, I suppose.

Okay I said this wasn't a detailed analysis but I lied. I'm a liar now

just beat god of war ragnarok

Spoilers

while I still think the previous is a bit better, this one definitely held up to it. if not my GOTY it’s the runner up. stuck to the good combat of the other while adding to it with the new weapon. playing as atreus every now and then could be fun at times but most of the time I just wanted to get back to kratos.

story-wise, while solid, felt a lil all over the place. there were so many little working parts that when something was resolved, it could take you off guard? I still wasn’t completely sure how Faye changed their fate by destroying the prophecy wall in Jotunheim, but I do like the idea of changing fate.

maybe it’s cause I was over geared towards the end but the final fights of thor and odin felt a lil too short. thor had the one phase with odin 2, and it was kinda abrupt how odin killed him.

the whole mask and rift tear plot felt a lil hollow, tho I guess that was the point? that it was pointless to try and seek infinite knowledge like odin. tho the fact that we know NOTHING about its origin leaves a lot to be desired.

brok dying was sad af and kinda bullshit how odin was Tyr the whole time? like I get that it shows just how good he is at deception but that leaves a whole lot of unanswered questions like what happened to the real Tyr, is he actually dead? sindri’s turn to being the edgy griever kinda makes sense, like he just lost his brother, but how harshly he blames atreus for something NONE of them could’ve known was a lil over the top, his character almost does a complete 180. 

the ending makes me wonder where they’re gonna go from here if they’re gonna do a sequel. maybe a spin off of atreus finding the remaining giants? but I don’t see an overarching plot that would lead into a sequel.

all in all, great game, pretty solid story, and GREAT character moments with nice character dialogue. love what this team’s done with the franchise and I hope it continues from here.

also sigrun 100 percent sat on mimir’s face

God of War (PS4)

Developed/Published by: Santa Monica Studio / Sony Interactive Entertainment Released: 20/04/2018 Completed: 06/08/2022 Completion: Finished it, doing only a smattering of side-quests and things. Trophies / Achievements: 32%

Well this is an interesting one to write up. Difficult, even! Because the best way I can describe God of War, sort, of, is that it’s a bit like one of those TV shows where people go “oh, it’s good, but it takes [X NUMBER OF EPISODES] for you to get into it” and you definitely think “aye, sack that, what, do I have infinite amounts of time?”

Except I’m probably really only talking about the narrative of the game when I say that (like it is exactly a TV show) because the actual playing of this game was, quite honestly, boring. 

Now, I might be being unfair here. There’s an argument to be made maybe I wouldn’t have found it quite as boring if I hadn’t recently slogged through what feels like so many triple-A/”worthy” titles recently–or really, that the few that I have slogged through have been so bloody long. And God of War isn’t even that long, so it feels especially unfair.

But that said… I’m not so sure. Yes, if I had been trapped in a cave for a few years, God of War would probably seem absolutely incredible (well, apart from all the times the main characters are in caves, which is a lot, and I’d probably hate that) but we don’t experience anything in a vacuum, and I think I’m just completely and utterly bored of “do a fight, do a climb, do a puzzle, do a cut-scene” done over and over shuffled into different orders.

The thing is though that God of War really does go out of its way to make this work, and I suppose the elephant in the room is that it does this by making Kratos… a sad dad [everyone boos].

Wait! Wait! I know, we’re all sick of it. We’re as sick of it as doing fights and climbs and puzzles and cut-scenes over and over! But while I wouldn’t exactly call this a “soft reboot” of the franchise, considering it does directly reference the big beats of the earlier games, by taking Kratos, giving him a son, and exploring that relationship… it really works.

I’m genuinely surprised to be saying this, but the father and son interactions of Kratos and Atreus… are good? They’re full of genuine pathos as you watch the two characters struggling with grief in their own ways. They interact constantly, no matter what boring thing you, the player, have to be doing, and the relationship became genuinely meaningful to me. It’s a pretty stunning reversal for the series, to be honest, considering that the third God of War was more or less drivel. The tale of the two who are only trying to honour Atreus’s late mother’s wishes (yes, unfortunately the game does set off the “woman dies so man/men can learn a lesson” klaxon) is so small in its way it’s refreshing, even if they do still end up doing what the God of War does, which is kill loads of enemies, fight gods, etc.

But as good Kratos’ relationship with Atreus is, and the story overall, to be honest, it doesn’t rescue a game that feels… well, pretty annoying otherwise. I mean, it starts with the controls, which heavily use the triggers (annoying) but if you change that to “classic” throwing your axe while aiming is a face button which threw me completely. It’s definitely one of those quibbles where you might be like “who cares?” but the inability to make melee be on face buttons and aiming/firing be on the triggers meant I never got comfortable (I just gave up and stayed on the triggers, throwing the axe fast enough for some challenges was impossible for me otherwise.)

It’s weird too, because the gameplay unfolds itself at a glacial pace at first, which rather than easing any player actually just makes the beginning really boring. And unfortunately, it’s not like as it opens up it gets much better. The upgrade trees are horrible, seeming to be entirely made of side-grades that I rarely used, and even the ones that you want to be useful (like being able to hit multiple targets with the axe in one throw) turn out to be barely helpful at all–or even unhelpful. If you’re fighting an armored ancient, you basically have to not use multi-targeting to ever hit their exposed heart. Or I did, anyway. Annoying!

I just didn’t like this as a game like… at all. I mostly put up with it to see the story through, which I enjoyed a lot. Which puts me in an interesting position…

Will I ever play it again? …Because I’m very interested to see where this story goes in Ragnarok but I also can’t be arsed to play it. I suppose if there’s some amazing accessibility options that stop me from ever having to push a block ever again (although actually I’m dog sick of climbing as well now). But maybe it’ll be the first game I ever actually sit down and watch someone play, like on stream? Because you lose a lot of story if you only watch the cut-scenes. 

Final Thought: Actually, watching some idiot play a video game sounds even more annoying than playing this was. Forget it then. 

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(A day in the life of little Hel and her Jötun parents! A scene like this better be in Atreus' spinoff game, please Santa Monica! 🙏🏻)

Hel had been eagerly awaiting her first hunting trip with her father Atreus for weeks. She had practiced tirelessly with her bow and arrow, imagining the thrill of catching her prey. Hel's heart pounded as she followed her father Atreus through the dense forest in Midgard. She clutched her bow and arrow tightly, her excitement and nerves almost too much to bear.

Finally, they arrived at their destination - a clearing where a herd of deer grazed peacefully.

Atreus instructed Hel on how to approach them quietly and take aim. But Hel's arrow missed its target and the deer bounded away into the safety of the forest.

Hel hung her head in shame. She had dreamed of this moment for so long and now it was ruined. Tears started to form in her eyes as she handed the bow back to her father. 'I'm no good at this, father... ' she said, her voice choked with emotion.

Atreus saw the disappointment in his daughter's eyes and knew that he needed to reassure her. 'Hey there now, little warrior. You don't need to worry.' he said, giving her a hug. 'That was a very good attempt! There will be many other opportunities for you to show your skills. So don't feel discouraged, alright?'. Hel sighed and nodded slightly.

Determined to make Hel feel better, Atreus took her on a walk through the woods, pointing out various plants and animals along the way. Atreus also told her about his own childhood and first hunting trips with his father Kratos. Some were complete failures, and some were successful. His words painted vivid images of the wild adventures they had together, and Hel listened with rapt attention. As they began to go home, Hel's spirits began to lift and she soon forgot about her missing the deer earlier.

When they returned to Jötunheim, they found Angrboda waiting for them. She had just finished painting a beautiful portrait, and was eager to hear about their adventure. Angrboda sensed that something had changed in Hel. And when Atreus recounted their failed hunt, Angrboda praised Hel for even having the courage to try. 'A little progress is better than no progress at all. You are brave little girl, my sweet Hel.' Angrboda said while gently cupping her daughter's face in her hands. Hel gave her mother a big smile.

Later that night, as Hel lay in bed, she couldn't stop thinking about what her father and mother had said. She was going to keep trying and one day, she would succeed. She knew that she would never give up on her dreams of becoming a skilled warrior and huntsman!

They..They're happy family..Hel got good family warm my heart.

The relationship development between Kratos and Atreus in the beginning of the game is so good. Kratos is softer, more openly affectionate. He holds his son's face. He calls him 'Atreus' and 'son' instead of just 'boy'. He talks frankly with him, with respect - he still expects Atreus to obey him, buf he talks to him instead of at him, even follows Atreus' lead with Tyr. He answers questions. He's even softer in general, saying thank you to Brok and Sindri and learning runes for himself.

Meanwhile Atreus is far more comfortable with Kratos, sassing him gently in the way you do when you trust your parent not to be offended or mad, joking around and just talking more easily. He's talking things out with his dad like an adult and he's very mature. He respects Kratos but is pretty self-actualized and trusts himself.

All of which is great! But then there's negative development too.

Kratos was always protective, but now that he nearly lost Atreus so many times and a goddess is after them, he's fighting the temptation to hold on too tightly. He knows if the prophecies come to pass he will die and Atreus will be alone, so he must make sure the boy is ready to survive, but he also can't give him enough reign that he gets himself killed in the meantime. He must grow up and surpass Kratos to live but it's only natural as a parent to fear that.

And Atreus, between being traumatized by his father's older attitudes and being smothered lately, is lying and hiding everything. He's trying harder than he should have to to convince his dad that he's ready, that he's grown, that he knows what he's doing. He's taking huge risks that he can't even tell Kratos about because Kratos, as far as he knows, will find a way to keep him in a jar if he finds out.

And how much of this is that they just can't talk to each other? That they're assuming the worst? Atreus thinks Kratos will give up after they find Tyr and he's wrong. What else is he wrong about? What has Kratos failed to assure him of?

This game is already telling a fascinating story about growing up and communicating with your parents or kids and it's really good.

A/N: I had watched a gameplay of God of War before, but now that I’m playing it myself I love the game even more! As a result, I had the inspiration to write this. Hope you enjoy it! 😘

Your mind was elsewhere. Kratos’ approval was everything to you, after all he had become a father figure just like Atreus had become like a little brother for you. Still, you didn’t know what to do anymore to earn that validation you needed from him. Your fighting skills had improved, you were obedient, cautious and responsible. Nonetheless, nothing seemed to be good enough.

“Y/N” You felt Atreus tugging at your hand. “Are you okay?” 

You smiled, endeared like always by his heart of gold. As cold as Kratos could be, Atreus’ warmth usually made up for it. Usually.

“I’m alright” You fondly stroked his head. “Don’t worry, kid”

“But you look worried...” His blue eyes were actually full of worry themselves as the boy stared at you. 

“What is the matter?” Kratos spoke up, his deep voice seeming to resonate in your chest.

“Am I... am I doing alright?” You dared to ask him. It was Atreus who answered first.

“I think you’re doing great!” He smiled at you, trying to encourage you. “Don’t you, father?”

“Why do you ask?” Kratos said instead, staring at you. “Speak your mind, child”

You heaved a sigh, knowing you wouldn’t get a better opportunity to say what had been weighing down on you for days now.

“I feel like... no matter how hard I try, my efforts are never enough” You started to say, cautiously looking at him. He towered over you like always, strong and imposing. You didn’t let that stop you now, and so you continued. “You are... too harsh sometimes, and my best never seems to please you”

“Hm...” Kratos hummed in a way that you weren’t sure if it was in dissaproval or thoughtfulness. “Is that how you feel?” 

“Y-Yes...” When Atreus squeezed your hand, you realized your surrogate little brother was still holding on to it, showing you his support.

Kratos paused, crossing his arms over his chest, before continuing.

“I am harsh because you can improve, I must push you to do your best” Was his stern response, making you restless that your fears were a reality.

“But that doesn’t mean you’re not doing okay” Atreus intervened, looking from you to Kratos. “Just that there’s always room for imprevement... right?” 

“Yes” His father admitted, nodding his head. “As the boy said, your efforts have been adequate, keep it up” 

“Thank you” You smiled in relief, even as he hummed in response and walked away.

“That’s his way of saying he’s proud of you” Atreus told you, tugging at your hand again, this once in a playful manner. “That you’re really doing okay” 

“Oh, do you speak Kratos’ language?” You teased him, obnoxiously pinching his cheek. “Or are you just an insufferable know-it-all, boy?” 

As annoying as it was for him, Atreus couldn’t help laughing. He pushed you away and you moved on to tickling him, which started one of your many sibling chases that made Krato’s patience run thin. Nonetheless, this time he didn’t ask you to focus or be still. If you had looked at him, you would have seen a smile plastered on his face that you wouldn’t have believed even if you did see it.

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God of War (PS4) Review: Kratos’ Postal Grief Beard Versus Norse Mythology

Once upon a time, a man was born by the name of Cory Barlog and thus a coin was flipped. Would he become a videogame developer or would he take up guarding the Mines of Moria by pulling wizards into a precipice? Those really are the only two options with a name like Barlog. Anyway, apparently the Mines of Moria were a bit of a commute, so the world gained a talented Auteur developer with a unique vision for a game series about going postal in ancient Greece. Fast-foward a number of years specifically calculated to make you feel old and ancient Greece is a distant memory. Norse mythology is where all the cool kids hang out nowadays, and that’s where we’re going in today’s review.

As you might have guessed, I’ve just finished playing God of War (PS4), which is fun to say because it rhymes. It’s a very good game that should be a very bad game. When considering modern media artefacts, I’m often prompted to ask the question ‘what went so wrong?’, but this may be the first time I’ve had to ask the question ‘what went so right?’.

Let me explain: God of War 4 (I don’t care that they don’t put the number on the box art, that’s what it fucking is) makes a single, monumentally stupid creative decision that should ruin the entire enterprise, but doesn’t. And that creative decision was- wait for it- a stab at maturity.

The last time we saw Kratos- the world’s angriest mythical being- he was finishing his battle with the Greek gods in God of War 3. There was a moment in that game which, to me, typified what was so great about the series. If I recall the sequence of events correctly, you kill your way through an ocean of expendable goons and critters who are just trying to defend their home on Mount Olympus, dripping with blood and screaming furiously, then wander into the bedroom of one of ancient Greece’s sauciest goddesses and play a sex minigame that you win by fucking her so well that her handmaids orgasm too. Then you toddle outside again and, head cleared, solve an incredibly complex and cerebral puzzle involving non-Euclidean geometry and perspective manipulation that takes bloody ages. That, in a nutshell, was the core identity of the original God of War: a gleefully unrestrained and immature approach to sex and violence coupled with a grouchy willingness to make unsuspecting players feel like fucking idiots for no reason whatsoever. It was awesome. In contrast, God of War 4 picks up many, many years later with Kratos hiding out in Midgard of the Norse mythos and, for once, he hasn’t got a nark on and he’s not trying to stick his cock in someone with cartoonishly huge knockers. He’s just sad because his missus has passed away, leaving him and their young, impressionable son alone in a big, scary world full of trolls and ginger psychopaths. ‘Sad’ isn’t a completely new emotion for Kratos, but, up until this point, he was usually sad in a way that resulted in five hundred people getting their spines broken in a very colourful manner. Now he just wants to cremate the remains of the woman he loved and carry her ashes to the tallest peak in the nine realms so he can scatter her in accordance with her final wishes. And that’s what he does, with son- Atreus- in tow. It’s a twenty-plus hour game in which the objective is very simply to honour someone’s preferred funeral rites- nothing more, nothing less. It’s very modest by Kratos usual standards. Remember that his stated goal in the previous game was to punch freakin’ Zeus so hard that his face would go all concave and then repeatedly stamp on his corpse.

We never actually find out much about what Kratos was up to between games or how he met his wife. However, he’s a bit thiccer than in previous instalments and seems to have lost the use of the ‘jump’ button outside of context-sensitive environments. On that evidence, I choose to believe he’s been running a small but successful family restaurant called ‘Kratos’ Potatoes’ and enjoying it all a bit much. And why not? He beat up Zeus- if he just wants to create and sample homely yet exotic Greco-Norse fusion cuisine while growing a ridiculous straggly dad-beard, I say let him crack on. Actually, is it a ‘dad beard’ or is it a ‘grief beard’? I think they send them to videogame characters in the post whenever a loved one dies so they can signal to the world how sad they are through the medium of angsty facial hair. But where was? Oh yeah: cracking on with it.

Y’see this is where the plot comes in: the Norse gods won’t let Kratos crack on. They’re determined to make him bow before Odin- especially Baldur, who is way too invested in having a fight with Kratos for reasons that won’t become apparent until very late in the game. They just keep turning up and trying to break Kratos and his increasingly like-him-but-not-as-good-at-it son Atreus. This time around, our heroes commit heinous acts of violence to defend themselves, not enact revenge, as they travel, inexorably, to the top of a lonely mountain through landscapes of stunning natural beauty and many, many hostile creatures.

Of course, Kratos taking his son on a hiking holiday with added troll-murder and the occasional slap-fight with Norse mythology’s biggest killjoys doesn’t sound as interesting as the original games. After all, those were basically a production of Kill Bill in which the part of Bill was played by a guy with the power to summon lightning bolts and access to a seemingly unstoppable army of monsters and demigods. The ‘fun factor’ even seems to have taken another downgrade, in that Kratos no longer operates with the entertainingly demented passion of the insane: he has been tempered by time and love and managed to turn himself into a paragon of serious self control. So why is God of War 4 so bloody good? Partly, I suspect, the answer lies in the constantly evolving relationship between Kratos and Atreus, which gives the story an unbelievable amount of heart and always manages to feel very organic. Kratos never learned how to be a parent, and we essentially watch him do it in real time, forming a bond with his son that seems impossible at the start of the game and inevitable by the end. Partly, the games greatness lies in the characters you meet along the way, who range from bickering dwarves to talking, decapitated heads who prattle on like laid-back tour-guides. Partly, it’s in the beautiful, epic landscapes that make the journey across the Realms to the highest peak feel epic and significant, even while it is small and personal.

But a videogame is nothing without gameplay, and it is here that God of War 4 really shines. I loved the original God of War trilogy (especially the third instalment), but I rarely felt like I was playing as, y’know, a god of war. Kratos might not be an uncontrollable whirlwind of fury any more, but he feels truly powerful for the first time in the ongoing series. In fights, every punch feels like it could crack stone; every axe-throw like it could rend the sky; every chain-whip like it could legitimately start a forest-fire. Out of combat, Kratos moves around the environment with the stolid grace of a man who knows his movements are inevitable; irresistible; an imposition on the environment that can’t be denied. You climb and complete elaborate, complex traversals knowing that the satisfaction you feel isn’t just the satisfaction of finding the correct route or solving an obstacle, but the satisfaction of a being forcing his way through a landscape that resists him at every turn but cannot stop him. The puzzles- of which there are many- strike the perfect balance between conceptual trickiness and ease of execution to remind you that Kratos is smart as well as determined; that his mind is as indomitable as his body. Then there are the little touches involving heaving huge stone pillars and similar unnecessarily over-the-top efforts. In short, the gameplay is interwoven with who Kratos is- with what he is in way that seems completely unprecedented. Even the RPG elements feel  appropriate: they reflect the protagonist’s growing confidence in a skillet he hasn’t used in a long, long time.

Do I miss the uniquely juvenile, over the top identity of the old games? Absolutely: I’m a great fan of gratuitous gore and scantily clad women with big fuck-off swords. Usually, I find the desire for maturity in games to be a silly, pretentious trend that foolishly eschews anything obviously ‘fun’ for no reason other than courting the respect of people whose respect isn’t worth having. But I don’t think that’s what’s going on here- at least, not entirely. The developers of the God of War games are clearly artisans and craftsmen of extreme talent: their attention to detail is superb and their ability to weave a good tale from a simple premise is actually a little daunting for someone who considers himself a bloody good story-teller. It’s worth remembering that the de facto head of the studio, Barlog, became a father himself before commencing work on this game about a father learning to bond with his son. It feels personal and meant because it is. Other games might reach for superficially mature themes like family and redemption for altogether cynical reasons. God of War 4 does it because such thoughts are clearly much on the developer’s mind. I asked already ‘Do I miss the identity of the old games?’ and the answer is still yes. But that question deserves a follow-up: am I willing to embrace the identity of this new, quieter God of War anyway? And yes, yes I am.

But if we could have a few more women with enormous knockers and Kratos going properly batshit just once or twice in the next sequel, that would also be welcome. I mean, let’s try to strike a balance here, people, for pity’s sake.

Dad of Boy - A God of War (2018) Review

Genre: Adventure

Subgenre: 3D Adventure

Developer: SIE Santa Monica Studio

Publisher: Sony Interactive Entertainment

Platform(s): PS4

Release Date: April 20th, 2018

I have never played a God of War game before. Though I know the basic gist of the story (Kratos kills all of the Greek pantheon before they can kill him through powers of rage), that’s about it. Still, I saw nothing but praise for the new game, and the setting, story, and gameplay that I saw intrigued me. I got the game as a gift a short while ago, after it seemed to collectively drop off the media’s radar, and eventually decided to give it a shot. So, does it live up to the hype? Let’s dig in.

Story

God of War 2018 (GoW18) takes place many years after the events of the previous games. Kratos, the former bloodthirsty deicidal barbarian Ghost of Sparta has moved to a new land of giants, dwarves, and Norse gods, and has settled down with a wife and child. But Kratos cannot run away from his godhood forever, and things catch up with him one day after his wife dies, when a mysterious stranger shows up at Kratos’s door. The two engage in a brutal fight, with Kratos seemingly emerging victorious. Kratos and his young son Atreus then must set off to take Kratos’s wife’s ashes to the top of the tallest peak in all the realms.

Along the way, Kratos teaches his son about how to survive in the world, in his own gruff way, of course. The interplay between Kratos’s grim and serious nature contrasts delightfully with Atreus’s impatience and youthful energy. Various other friendly and hostile faces present themselves throughout the story, with the highlights being dwarf brothers Brok and Sindri, two dwarf smiths with clashing personalities that spend most of the game passive-aggressively bickering about how horrible of a smith the other is, but actually do their best work together. The supporting cast are all fantastic, however the enemies left a lot to be desired, and there were very few actual named enemies, making a lot of the story beats just feeling like they lacked impact, and were instead just stepping stones along Kratos’s way. Still, there were plenty of moments of good humor and intrigue, especially for anyone with an interest in mythology, particularly the Norse variety.

While the game does not have a completely canonical representation of Norse myth, it takes a lot of the established characters and ideas and puts its own grim spin on them. I enjoyed learning a bit about different mythological figures and events, even if the majority of them are merely exposited to the player and make no physical appearance in the game itself. It leaves me wanting more, and hopeful for a sequel.

Gameplay

From what I know about past God of War games, combat used to revolve around Kratos using his Blades of Chaos, two beefy short swords chained together, which he uses to spin, grapple, slam, and juggle hordes of foes. GoW18 takes a different approach, slowing things down and moving the camera over Kratos’s shoulder. His main weapon now is the Leviathan Axe, which excels at one-on-one combat, and can also be thrown and returned for ranged combat. To put it plainly, combat in this game feels a bit more like Dark Souls than Devil May Cry. Longtime fans of the series may be disappointed in the shift in gameplay direction, but as a relative outsider, I found the combat enjoyable. I liked that it made me think about my strikes, blocks, parries, and throws, instead of mindlessly mashing attack buttons to rack up insane combos.

However, combat demands that you stay in control. Even the weakest enemies can drain your health quickly, as Kratos is vulnerable to being stunlocked. Plus (at least on the Hard difficulty, which I played) enemies have a ton of HP, so you’ll need around 5-6 combos to finish off most weaker enemies. It doesn’t help that the beginning of the game only drip-feeds you the controls, so I got killed multiple times on the first enemy because I had no idea that Kratos had a shield or how to dodge properly.

Still, as you progress through the game, the number and strength of enemies increase, but the overall challenge gradually decreases as you unlock new moves and combat options to help you deal more damage, more easily stagger enemies, and better deal with multiple foes. Unfortunately, for most of the game, the combat struggles when there are multiple foes. The lock-on system is extremely reluctant to switch enemies, and it’s sometimes difficult to maneuver, dodge blows, and keep the camera looking where you want all at once. Particularly in boss fights, which are numerous.

Still, when it goes right, using the shield to parry, and landing heavy blows with the Leviathan Axe is very satisfying. Along the way Atreus himself gets more capable in combat, improving his archery, and learning assist moves that distract enemies and set them up for combos by Kratos. You can also command Atreus to shoot arrows and use special abilities, which gives you more options in combat. This starts out being only marginally helpful, but gets much more useful the further you advance in the game, and Atreus also gains abilities that help you progress in the overworld, allowing you to bypass obstacles that Kratos couldn’t deal with on his own.

The game has a fairly expansive world, though this is not so much in the sheer size of the world, but more in that the main area of the world is constantly revealing more depth to it. The Lake of Nine, the game’s main area, is constantly revealing new areas to explore, which constantly keeps it fresh, although sometimes it definitely feels like you’re constantly revisiting the same areas. At most points in the game, you can explore freely, though you may stumble across challenges and enemies that are too difficult for you to tackle at your current power level and need to come back once you’ve powered up by upgrading your gear. On one hand, I like this, because it gives you the option to try instead of just locking out higher-level content, but on the other hand, even if you’re really good at the game, you’ll have a lot of difficulty felling enemies that are even slightly higher in level than you, mostly because their HP is ridiculously high, which leads back into enemies feeling like HP sponges.

Presentation

GoW18 is a gorgeous game to look at, with the scenery being drenched in detail. The various realms that you travel to throughout the game also add differences in visual appeal, keeping things fresh when you’re outside of Midgard.

While the game doesn’t have much in the way of music, the heavy brass and choir vocals on more dark and foreboding tracks remind the listener of Kratos’s violent past, and let you know not to mess with him. You don’t want to be on the receiving end of his Spartan Rage when that music swells!

The voice acting in the game is top-notch. Christopher Judge is great as Kratos, and as a longtime Stargate fan, it’s funny just to see how much Kratos mirrors Judge’s previous role as Stargate’s Teal’c. I also particularly enjoyed the voice acting of the character Mimir, voiced by Alastair Duncan, who exposits his own twisted take on Norse mythology to the father-son duo during travel periods. The rest of the cast are fantastic in their own right, as well.

Conclusion

God of War 2018 is a great game that manages to step out of the shadow of its previous games to create something unique and new for itself. Despite how violent and dark the series is, GoW18 tells a touching story of a father and son getting to know each other better, travelling the world together, and meeting all manner of colorful friends and foes. The combat, while slower and more methodical than previous games and tedious at times on higher difficulties, rewards skillful play and empowers the player more and more as they stick with it.

All in all, if you have a PS4 and like action games, definitely give this one a try. You’ll be glad you did. I look forward to Kratos’s and Atreus’s further adventures on the PS5 when God of War Ragnarok comes out next year!

Score: 8 / 10

Okay, I SWEAR I wasn’t going to touch God of War for the second … third? … week in a row, but I’ve noticed something in the gaming community with reviews and critics that I think really needs to be said.

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In talking about the 2018 installment of God of War, there’s plenty to touch on and plenty that Santa Monica Studio gets right, from the combat system to the weapons to the story and character development of not only Kratos but also of Atreus. However, it seems to me that in an effort to boost the recent game, the previous installments of the game are shuffled off and either ignored or criticised for things that are just not correct or applicable. Things like … there wasn’t much story or it wasn’t very strong, that Kratos was just a one-dimensional character that only cared about fighting, that it was a good beat ‘em up game but not much else. And it irks me so bad because every single one of these points are blatantly false, and I have to wonder if the people saying and writing these things have even picked up the previous games or just weren’t paying attention at all while playing them.

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No story? Oh yeah, one man going to war against the entire Greek pantheon – both god and titan alike – is just boring, huh? Kratos is one-dimensional and only cares about fighting? Yeah because he totally didn’t initiate his whole quest of vengeance because Ares tricked him into killing his family and he struggles living with the memory. He’s also totally not had to not only witness but hold his mother and brother as they died (after fighting both of them!). And on top of all of that, finding out that the true source of all of his rage and vengeance, the one who put him on the path he was on – the mighty Zeus – was his father? Kratos is way more than just a brute who wants to kill everything in his path, and the games aren’t exactly subtle about everything he goes through. While Kratos is stoic and doesn’t outright display much emotion other than anger, his grief and guilt manifests in other ways, such as his determination to complete his vengeance and the ferocity with which he fights in order to achieve that. In fact, the games will involve the players directly at times, making certain points especially heartbreaking.

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I don’t know about y’all, but I’ll always remember the end fight against Ares in 1, not because of Ares, but because of what happens during the fight. After getting pulled through space/time and put in a pocket dimension, Kratos is faced with his family, the ones he loved, the source of his vengeance … being attacked by multiple copies of himself. He has to not only fight them off, but actively boost the health of his wife and daughter by HUGGING THEM in order to sacrifice his health to keep them alive. Doing all of this – all while knowing perfectly well that they’re still dead and not coming back – is heartbreaking to witness.

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In Chains of Olypus, Kratos is reunited with his daughter, Calliope, in the Elysium Fields and is offered the chance to stay with her forever, which he initially promises he will. But upon hearing that Persephone and Atlas will destroy the entire universe – the Elysium Fields included – he has to leave her … and not only that, the player has to rapidly push a button in order for Kratos to physically push his daughter away, all so he can ultimately save her, though he’ll never see her again.

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In the third installment, Kratos meets Pandora, a young girl he’s told he needs in order to finish his vengeance completely. But when it comes up that she would have to be sacrificed in order to give him what he seeks, he actually tries to pull the plug on everything. In spite of his want for payback, he grabs her by the arm and tries to restrain her to prevent her from being killed, unwilling to allow another little girl to die because of him. And when Zeus comes in and throws a wrench in Kratos’ wishes – as per usual, by this point – Kratos is angry. Not just because he’s an angry sort of person, but because he knows that she didn’t have to die.

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This isn’t to say that Kratos is a good guy, though he’s also not completely a bad guy. He’s a complex character, a prideful man obsessed with achievements and glory who loses everything near and dear to him and, in his quest to enact vengeance, becomes the very thing he hates … a spiteful god. He’s the kind of character we start to cheer on in the beginning and, by the end, we slowly become horrified at everything that he’s doing in order to achieve his goals. At the very end of 3, after overthrowing the rest of the gods and the titans and plunging Greece into an apocalypse, he sees the monster he has become and comes to an epiphany. To continue, he has to put the ghosts of his past to rest, quite literally so by encountering the ghost of Pandora and hugging his wife and daughter, forgiving himself for his own failures and throwing off the guilt he’s carried for years. Being unwilling to allow the manipulative Athena more power and have himself continue to be a pawn of the gods, he impales himself on the Blade of Olympus in payment for his many, many sins. If Kratos isn’t a truly complex character as portrayed from the very first game, I’ll eat my Beauties & Headcanons tote bag.

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Yes, the 2018 God of War is a fantastic game and a great entry to the series, of that I will never deny. But there’s no need to put down the original installments that have led up to this in order to prop it up. Let the game stand on its own merits – it’s more than capable of doing so! – and stop ignoring and/or rewriting what its predecessors were and what they contributed overall to the story of Kratos.

In this headcanon, I will be describing the reworking of Loki’s origins to correspond with God of War 2018. After playing the game, I was hit with a massive wave of inspiration because the game is genuinely very accurate to Norse mythology and it explains a lot of quirks about Loki that both Marvel and Norse myth have failed to explain or elaborate on.

Just to name a few, the new additions to Loki’s backstory offer insight into:

i. Why Loki is the God of Fire despite being a Frost Giant, as Kratos was the Greek God of Fire who often wielded the element in battle. Loki’s development of fire came directly from their father. 

ii. Why Loki is so small in comparison to other Frost Giants. Always described as a runt, the true reason that Loki was born so small is because they are only half Jotun and their mother had taken up the form of a mortal at the time of conception and birth. Mixed in with Kratos originally being part mortal as well, it makes sense that Loki’s size would not match that of a typical Jotun. 

iii. The event in MCU that seemingly erased so many people’s memories of Odin’s horrific and bloody past ( aka, what is discussed in Thor Ragnarök ). Living through one cycle of Ragnarök gave him the ability to alter his course in life without people noticing or questioning.

iv. Why Baldur is never mentioned. Baldur is Odin’s eldest son and yet, is never mentioned or discussed. Why? Because he already died to ignite a cycle of Ragnarök. Most people don’t remember him.

v. Why Odin is so incredibly desperate to keep control over Loki. He’s already experienced a cycle of Ragnarök because of him and he wants so badly to stop it from happening again. Though this is something I’ve already touched on for years, because Ragnarök happened once, Odin’s motivation is even more dire. 

vi. Why Laufey is always described as Loki’s mother in mythology where Marvel claims Laufey is Loki’s father instead and never actually discusses the other parent. 

And, in all honesty, after playing the game, I felt a strong connection to the story it presented, one that could easily feed into the timeline I’ve already set in place for Loki, so I decided I was going to do some updating. I haven’t had this strong of an emotional response to something in a long time and this just came so naturally to me, I couldn’t ignore the urge to do the crossover. 

A game where Loki’s actually a good guy and ultimately the hero, that calls Odin on all of his bullshit, won game of the year in 2018 and if that ain’t incredible, I don’t know what is. I saw so much of how I’ve been writing Loki for years in how the game portrayed Atreus because it focused on his knack for storytelling and his love of animals and how empathetic he truly is. All those little details resonated with me. It made my heart sing, so my updates will act accordingly.

Many years ago, deep in the forests of Viking Age Scandinavia, a seemingly mortal couple married and had an incredibly special child.

The father, Kratos, son of Zeus, a Spartan warrior, and the bringer of the end to so many deities that made up the Greek pantheon migrated and took to a life that was not his own. Seeking the life of a common mortal over the corruption of godhood, he found himself far away from home and further still from the memories he believed were better left forgotten.

The mother, Laufey, although blessed with powerful Seidr that kept even the most powerful enemies at bay, hid the truth of her origins as she wandered Midgard, claiming to be nothing more than a human witch. In reality, the woman hailed from Jotunheim, the land of the Frost Giants. Laufey wasn’t just any Jotun either, but the rightful ruler of the realm. She watched as war broke out between the Aesir and the Vanir, a war that quickly spread throughout Yggdrasil and left no realm untouched. Jotunheim did everything within its power to keep Asgard out of their realm, quickly marking themselves as a powerful adversary and painting them as a target. While Laufey wished to stay with her people, her realm was dying, and she could do nothing to save them by sitting on a throne.

With a burden resting heavily upon her shoulders and the gift of foresight, she saw a future that included a husband and a child, the foundation of salvation for not only her people but all the realms. Her purpose took her to Midgard in the disguise of an average-yet-beautiful young woman with porcelain flesh, vivid emerald eyes, and dark, ebony hair.

Not long after the pair’s first meeting, they fell in love, and quickly after that, Laufey gave birth to a redheaded child with her jewel-toned eyes. She wanted to name the newborn Loki, as she had already been calling the child Loki in her visions for years. Even her people knew the child-to-be as Loki. Kratos, however, wished to name the child Atreus, after a Spartan warrior who died in battle protecting his own, a man that Kratos admired and daresay even loved.

They decided to give the child both names, one from his father and one from his mother.

Loki ( Atreus ) spent most of his younger years with his mother. Kratos spent many days and nights away, hunting, often leaving Laufey to look after Loki on her own. She did so without complaint, enjoying the company of her beautiful baby more than even the most loving and attentive mother could. As much as her love ran deeply, though, she often found herself fearful to leave Loki’s side. He would grow up to be one of the most important people of their time, but her foresight did not offer her insight into the complications.

As a small child, Loki suffered greatly from illness, often left weak with a fever, unable to get out of bed. Sometimes, the ailment grew so severe that Laufey feared losing her child, though as Loki grew older, he grew stronger as well. Still, his ailment never seemed to fully disappear, but the risk of loss of life faded over time.

Laufey never got to see her son grow up, as she passed away when he was still quite young. Old enough to learn to hunt, read, and recite stories, but much too young to be without his mother. Especially when left with a father who, in Loki’s eyes, did not want him. Kratos was never around, hardly spoke to him, and did not seem to hold much interest in holding a relationship with him. He didn’t understand why his father remained so distant, didn’t know of the hardships that plagued the God of War, or how fearful he was of being a father without Laufey at his side.

Shortly after his mother’s funeral, as Kratos and Loki gathered Laufey’s ashes and discussed a journey to spread them across the highest mountain peak in Yggdrasil, Odin’s son turned up on their doorstep. Baldur, Odin’s eldest ( and at the time, only ) son came looking for Laufey under Odin’s orders. Odin, the “All-father” and King of Asgard, became obsessed with obtaining as much information about the future as he possibly could so he could prevent Ragnarök and therefore, his own death. Laufey, a powerful sorceress with a natural gift for predicting the future as well as Jotunheim’s rightful heir stood as a prize and a threat for the Hanged God.

Upon seeing that Kratos lived in a modest home with not one, but two beds, Baldur, a God blessed and cursed by his mother so he could never be harmed but, in turn, could never feel anything, became obsessed with hunting Kratos and uncovering what the God so desperately wished to hide. He’d believed he was looking for a sorceress to steal away and take back to Odin, but what he found ran much, much deeper.

After being discovered, Kratos and Loki ( who Kratos insisted on calling Atreus or, even more commonly, “boy” ), were forced to leave their home, lest they sit and wait patiently for the slaughter Odin’s brood was sure to deliver. Unsure of what they should or even what they could do, they turned to the one goal they both shared. Pay respects to Loki’s mother by granting her final wish of spreading her ashes across the tallest peak in Yggdrasil. Foolishly, they believed that to be a nearby mountain, but as they finally reached the tip of said mountain, they came face-to-face with Mimir, the Smartest Man Alive, as he described himself, instead. Trapped in a tree that grew around and threw him by Odin, he had no real means of escape and was kept there for when Odin could make use of him.

Mimir informed them that the tallest peak in Yggdrasil was not, in fact, on Midgard and, instead, on Jotunheim, but all pathways to the realm had been sealed many years prior. Mimir begged and pleaded with Kratos and Loki, promising to help them get to Jotunheim in exchange for chopping off his head. Contained and tortured by Odin, he claimed it would be a kind service and if they knew someone gifted in Seidr, his head could be reanimated, and his knowledge could still be of use.

They took Mimir’s head to a witch they met earlier in their travels, a woman whose identity would not be revealed to them for some time. Eventually, they learned that the witch’s name was Freya, a Vanir Goddess who married and later left Odin. The very same Goddess who blessed and cursed her son, Baldur, the man relentlessly hunting them on behalf of his father. Gifted with powerful magic but cursed with the inability to do any harm to others, Odin banished her to Midgard for breaking away from him. She developed a soft spot for Kratos and Loki. Her maternal nature bled into the young boy, often wishing to help or even protect him. She willingly helped them reanimate Mimir’s head and later, as Loki once again fell victim to his severe ailment that plagued him throughout his life, she lent her aid again. This time, though, she informed Kratos that his ailment was rooted in the lies that Kratos constantly reinforced on his child, insisting that Loki was mortal rather than allowing him to flourish as the young God he actually was.

The power of a God attempting to flow freely through the body of a small child who believed themselves mortal created a psychological barrier that resulted in sickness any time godlike power bubbled up to the surface.

Forced to save his child and own up to his falsehoods, Kratos told Loki the truth of his existence. Well, he learned half of the truth. The story of his mother would not come until the end of their journey, but they still had many hardships to face before they could venture to Jotunheim. Resources were collected to open a pathway to Jotunheim, multiple realms visited and explored, and one particularly annoying God who kept cropping up everywhere they went, hunting them.

Eventually forced to face down Baldur for a final time, Loki threw himself between Baldur and his father before the Odinson could deliver a finishing blow. Freya looked on in horror as she pleaded with her son, attempting to talk him down from his chosen path, but Baldur struck the boy who fell back against his father, struggling for breath but mostly unharmed. As Baldur stepped back, he found the shaft of a green arrow lodged into the palm of his hand, and he marveled at it because, for the first time in a century, he could actually feel it.

Why? Mistletoe. The arrow had been crafted of mistletoe and presented to Loki as a gift. Kratos used a piece of one of the arrow’s shafts to fix the strap of Loki’s quiver so it would sit properly across his chest after snapping. And mistletoe, as we all know, was the one substance that could actually do harm to Baldur, the one substance that Loki had been foretold to use to kill Baldur and bring about Ragnarök. The substance that could break Freya’s spell and make Baldur vulnerable again.

Despite Freya’s best efforts, Loki and Kratos killed her son before he could kill either of them. The father and son were prepared to leave Baldur alive, believing he’d been beaten without death, and that they needed to be better than the murderous Gods who came before them. As Baldur attacked his own mother, however, they realized they had no choice but to put an end to him.

With Baldur defeated and the immediate threat dealt with, they were finally able to make their trip to Jotunheim to spread Laufey’s ashes. They found the realm bleak, empty, and devoid of life, but they also found a mural depicting the journey they’d been on together after Laufey’s passing. For the first time, they both came to realize that Laufey had been hiding something as well, that she was no mortal blessed with Seidr, but a Frost Giant from a realm far from their tiny home. She predicted her child’s life and what he would accomplish and as he spread her ashes from the top of the tallest mountain, his magic traveled freely with her, dusting across the realm.

Killing Baldur, however, marked the beginning of Ragnarök. No one had been prepared for it, as it had not been prophesized for many more years, but Baldur’s death ensured the beginning of the end was upon them, the very thing that Odin feared the most and desperately wished to keep from happening.

Ragnarök, however, was not an end to everything, but a cycle. Loki would bring about an event that changed everything and those who were lost would be reborn. Intentional or not, the waves were in motion and Odin, though prideful and arrogant, was no fool. Stopping it would not be possible, but enduring and surviving Ragnarök and breaking the cycle so it would never come again? Now that could very well be accomplished if he played the game well enough.

It was this event that brought about the change in Odin’s demeanor, why he went from a bloodthirsty conqueror at war with every realm who refused to aid or support him to a “benevolent God” who wished to unite the realms. Ragnarök gave Odin a fresh start, it allowed him to craft and rebuild and bury his past sins under a road paved in gold. It explained why so many throughout all of Yggdrasil seemingly forgot all that transpired prior to Loki’s appearance on Asgard.

As for Loki, though? He could not risk killing the boy. If Loki died in Ragnarök, Loki would be reborn and Odin would have no way of guaranteeing that he would find the child again to prevent the next cycle of Ragnarök from occurring. No, in order to keep the same from happening again, Odin needed to control Loki rather than destroy him. Thus, the All-father descended upon the boy and his father, ripping Loki from Kratos and retreating back to Asgard where he stole the child’s memories and turned to raise Loki as his own, where he would always be able to keep Loki on a short leash. Where Loki could exist as a tool that Odin could use and siphon power from, but could never be used to harm him or his own again.

My Top 10 Games of 2018

2018 was a solid year for video games. There were a lot of games that I ended up liking a lot more than I thought I would, and a couple of indie surprises as well. I think 2017 was a very hard act to follow and as such I’ve had a tough time deciding the order this time around, but in the end I still feel very good about the 10 games on this list.

10. Return of the Obra Dinn (Lucas Pope)

What a surprise this turned out to be. I bought Obra Dinn based solely on the fact that it was Lucas Pope’s next game and much like Papers, Please, it’s a very unique type of game. In Obra Dinn you are charged with investigating the mysterious return of a ship thought to be lost at sea, whose crew had all mysteriously perished or disappeared. You walk around looking for dead bodies of the crew, and using your magic compass you are able to view a tableau pinpointing the moment of their death. Using this information it’s your job to fill in the journal and figure out how each and every member of the 60-person crew died and who or what killed them. There’s a lot of guesswork involved since you aren’t given a lot of detailed information, but thanks to the fantastic audio cues it was one of the most satisfying and rewarding games I played all year.

9. Tetris Effect (Monstars Inc./Resonair)

Tetris Effect is easily the coolest edition of Tetris made to date. In addition to being a wonderful VR experience on the same level of Rez Infinite or Thumper, Tetris Effect features almost everything a good Tetris game ought to have. Plenty of different game modes are included such as classics like Marathon or Sprint to the weirder ones like new Purify or Mystery modes. But the standout is definitely Journey mode. Functioning as a campaign, this mode takes you across almost 30 unique stages each featuring its own incredible dynamic music that progresses as you clear lines, and beautiful visuals that are greatly enhanced in VR. I expect this will be the game I keep coming back to from this year to play every now and again, and will definitely be my go-to Tetris game.

8. HITMAN 2 (IO Interactive)

A follow-up to 2016′s HITMAN (and my personal #2 game of that year), HITMAN 2 expands upon it in almost every way. The briefcase is back. Blending mechanics have been added for big crowds and bushes. The levels are orders of magnitude larger and while there’s only 5 of them, they’re all of the quality of 2016′s Sapienza level. There are also a couple of new modes too. One of which is a Sniper Assassin level where you are perched in a sniper’s nest overlooking a wedding and given many targets to take out, and the other is a multiplayer versus mode where you race against another player to take out a target faster. 

But perhaps the most pleasantly surprising improvement has been in the quality of writing, specifically for 47′s character. You can tell they spent a lot more time ensuring he has lines for some of the more whacky scenarios he can end up in, especially when he gets the chance to talk directly to his targets. HITMAN 2 is ultimately more of the same, but it’s a lot more and definitely the game worth picking up if you’re a fan of the series or stealth games in general. 

7. Yakuza 6 & Yakuza KIWAMI 2 (SEGA)

Unlike last year with 0 and KIWAMI, I feel very similarly about the two Yakuza games that came out this year so I thought they should occupy the same spot. The main thing that sets these new releases apart from previous entries is the new Dragon Engine. It’s a pretty big departure in feeling from the previous combat engine, but it allows for a lot more freedom since street battles are no longer constrained to an arena. You can run as far as you like, you can drag enemies into nearby shops and restaurants, and the new ragdoll physics are utterly hilarious. Both games also feature a new side activity (a tower defense style game in Kiwami 2 and a reverse tower defense style game in 6) that ties in with well known members of NJPW. 

As far as story goes, I think both of them are pretty good. Having never played 2 back in the day, it definitely holds up to and even surpasses some of the later games’ stories with one of the best antagonists of the series in Ryuji and an even better partner character in Kaoru. KIWAMI 2 also incorporates the cabaret club minigame from Yakuza 0 with a whole new storyline, and some great new substories. Yakuza 6 on the other hand is a pretty decent finale for Kiryu’s story. It makes some callbacks to previous games (especially 0 and 2) and some fun new characters along with the vibrant new location of Onomichi. It’s sad that Kiryu’s story is over now, but I still have a strong hope for the future of the series.

6. Deltarune (Toby Fox)

Certainly the biggest surprise of the year was Deltarune. A new project from Undertale’s Toby Fox, Deltarune most notably features a new party system for battles and more detailed graphics. It’s got all the writing and music I’ve come to expect and love from Toby, a new cast of characters, and a promising story. Deltarune isn’t finished yet and it will be a long time before we see its conclusion, but Chapter 1 is an incredible start.

5. God of War (Santa Monica Studio)

I didn’t expect to like the new God of War as much as I did. I grew up with the series and I wasn’t sure how to feel about this completely new over-the-shoulder direction. My worries were quickly put at ease however, with how much fun Kratos’ new axe was to use and all of the abilities you could unlock throughout the game. Perhaps my favourite part is the map itself; while it is an open-world game, it is the exact right size. It respects your time and you never take long to get somewhere interesting, and your exploration is rewarded adequetly. This design philosophy seems to be lost on a lot of modern open-world developers and its refreshing to see it done right in God of War. As for the story, it goes in a very interesting direction and the dynamic between Kratos and his son Atreus unfolds in some satisfying ways, managing to give Kratos some real character development beyond angry bald man. They are definitely using this one to setup more God of War games, and they have revitalized my excitement for the future of this series for the first time in a decade. 

4. Xenoblade Chronicles 2: Torna - The Golden Country (Monolith Soft)

The Golden Country takes place 500 years before XC2 and outlines the events leading up to it. There are many familiar faces, and the story expands upon many events Rex and his party learn about in the base game. Much of the game takes place on Torna and its a varied location with lots of different environments and enemy types. The biggest improvement from XC2 is the battle system. It’s a lot more straightforward this time around because there’s no more core crystal system where you have to do gacha pulls to get new random blades. There’s just the 3 party members and their two main character blades which makes for guaranteed combo and chain attack potential throughout the game, whereas before you would have to get lucky and try to optimize for it. Clocking in at about 30 hours, I think one could definitely make the case for playing this expansion either before XC2 to see the story setup, or playing it after for appreciating the character development. You can tell a tremendous amount of love and care went into making this expansion, and being included in the XC2 season pass makes it a tremendous value.

3. Monster Hunter World (Capcom)

It’s been awhile since I got so obsessed with a specific game that I wanted to do nothing else but play it when I wasn’t at work or asleep but Capcom did it. Having only played 4U previously on the 3DS for about 60 hours, it cannot be overstated how much work they put into making this series more palatable. Whether it’s through streamlining weapon upgrades by showing us the weapon paths, or getting rid of consumable whetstones, or just showing us the direction the monster is in after collecting a couple of tracks, or finally upgrading from god damn PS2 models, or just putting it on a proper console again so I don’t have to get carpal tunnel from the 3DS. The list goes on and on about all the things that made this Monster Hunter the one that got me hooked. They’ve supported the game with a ton of free post-launch content too including new monsters and fun crossover skins. If there is any game to point to and say Capcom has cleaned up their act these last couple of years, this is it.

2. Super Smash Bros. Ultimate (Sora Ltd./Bandai Namco)

There are a lot of things I could say about Ultimate, but I think the most important thing to remember is that it is an incredible collection of fighting game content. There are a ton of characters, stages (with 3 variants of each!), and almost a thousand songs. Sakurai has gone to even greater lengths to ensure that this game can be enjoyed by players of any inclination. Whether you like to play with stocks or stamina, or if you wanna use all items/no items/whichever items you like, there’s probably a rule setting for you. This is finally the Smash game that has gotten me interested in the competitive side, fighting one on one without items and as such I have an appreciation for it now. New characters like Incineroar, Simon/Richter, and K. Rool are a blast to play, and characters I missed in Smash 4 like Corrin, Ryu, Cloud, and Duck Hunt have been a blast too. The game has really rekindled my enjoyment of the series and I’m trying all sorts of characters I never would’ve before. I would be totally okay if this was the last Super Smash Bros. game, and I look forward to seeing what the future DLC characters end up being. 

1. Valkyria Chronicles 4 (SEGA)

VC4 is assuredly my favourite game of 2018. I’m a big fan of the fantasy alternate-universe WWII setting established in the first Valkyria Chronicles, and VC4 takes place around the same time. It follows the tale of the Federation Army’s Squad E led by commander Claude Wallace. Nearly every character is likeable in some way and all of them get some meaningful character development; the main characters through the story and the side characters through their own events where they interact with other members of the squad. The english voice actors really do a tremendous job selling these characters and their weird quirks. The gameplay is very similar to the first game with some new features like the Grenadier unit class or the halftrack APC you could use to quickly move multiple troops around the battlefield. If you are a fan of turn-based strategy, alternate history, or just straight up great characters I cannot recommend this game enough. 

That’s all for my 2018 list. There are a few more games that I’d like to acknowledge from the year that didn’t quite make the top 10, but I’ll do that in a seperate post next week. If you’ve read this far, thank you so much for doing so. I’m very excited about the upcoming year in games!                                                   

A Past Unwanted

Hey look.... it’s the fic everyone was waiting for. The time travel fic that was super duper hard for me to write. ya’ll better appreciate this lol, i didn’t know what i was doing.

but seriously I hope ya’ll enjoy this one. sorry if younger kratos is oc, i haven’t seen or played any of the old games- i’m going to try to, though. also, i’ll be posting another part of “Silenced Tongue” tomorrow. Anyway, enjoy:

Atreus adjusts his grip on his bow and arrow, locked on the neck of one unaware deer. He shifts his feet, determined to kill this deer, even if taking its life still does make him queasy. But his father had entrusted him to bring home the food for the meals this time, actually staying at the house to allow Atreus to go on his own.

Atreus would not come back empty handed.

He's pulling the arrow back, the string of his bow going taut, just as a man comes barreling out of literally nowhere. He pauses, blinks, and groans as this causes the deer to scatter. There they go. He'd have to track them again.

After finding out who this man is. And where he came from. Because, seriously, he came out of literally nowhere at what appeared to be his full speed. He had crashed into a tree because of this, causing it to come crashing down from the impact. Atreus frowns. Most normal people wouldn't be able to do that, right? Maybe this is a god?

But then a familiar, red tattoo catches his eye and Atreus grows even more confused. It is curled along the man’s shoulder and neck much like a serpent. And it's a tattoo Atreus has seen his whole life on his- “Father?” he calls, stepping out from the bushes. His father had stayed back at the house, so why was he hear, running from nowhere and messing up Atreus's hunting?

His father turns and Atreus’s confusion only grows. His father looks younger, cleaner, somehow, with his beard trimmed and his eyes widen with more fury then the boy has ever seen in his father’s face. Sure his dad gets angry sometimes, but this is more so than he's ever been, teeth bared as he fixes his gaze on Atreus.

And then he's launching forward, grabbing Atreus by the neck and slamming him into a nearby tree.

It's then Atreus can see that the blades he reacquired are burnt into his skin, the chains wrapping around his wrists. He grabs at the wrists holding him up to the tree, all of that Spartan Rage directly in his face. He swallows heavily, growing fearful of the man he usually trusts most.

“F-Father-” he gasps out but the fingers only tighten further around his throat. He choked, fingers dragging along the chain melded skin.

“I'm going to ask this once,” his father’s voice is so unfamiliar to Atreus- almost as if this were a completely different man. He seemed to be in appearance, too, almost. He brings his face close to the boy’s, eyes narrowed. “Who in Hades are you.”

Atreus gasps for more air, filling his lungs before shouting out a spell, “Komast burt!” His eyes flash blue and Kratos loses his hold on the boy’s neck, flying backwards. Atreus gasps for air as he falls to his knees in the snow, grasping at his neck. He looks up as he hears a growl from the man too similar to his father and rolls out of the way just as the Blades of Chaos the ground where he had just been.

He quickly kicks to his feet, leaning heavily and drawing his bow once more, knocking an arrow to the string. “St- stay back!” he shouts, bringing as much courage as he could into his voice. This man couldn't possibly be his father; he would never attack Atreus. He knows this for a fact, too. He aims with his bow, straight for the man’s stomach. This would incapacitate him, but not kill him, just in case.

The man growls, his hands clenching tightly around the blade handles. Flames burst to life on the metal and Atreus drops into position on one knee, keeping target but ready to dodge if need be. If this man fights any way like his father, then he would know many of his moves. He has spent around a year fighting back to back with him, after all.

“You must be with Zeus,” the man spits and Atreus’s eyebrows scrunch together. Zeus… Zeus… he's heard that name before, in his father’s tales. Zeus was the Ruler of the Gods where his father hails from, controlling lightning among other things. And he was Atreus’s grandfather. Was. “Well, maybe he should see to killing me himself instead of sending a child to do his dirty work.”

The man is then throwing his blades forward, leaping after them. Atreus rolls quickly to the side, keeping his aim on the man and releasing the arrow, lodging the arrow into the man’s side. The man growls angrily, catching himself and quickly turning, reaching for Atreus. But the boy is a tad quicker, changing his form into that of a wolf and leaping out of his reach.

“A shapeshifter too, then?” the man grumbles, turning to circle the wolf. Atreus decides that this man couldn't possibly be his father, since he talks way too much. He snarls, letting his lips draw from his sharpened teeth, tail flicking wildly. He must be trying to disguise himself as his father. Terrible job he's doing, currently. “No matter. I'll just rip the fur from your carcass.”

The man comes rushing forward again, and Atreus leaps back at him. They meet halfway, the wolf snapping his jaws over the man’s shoulder, the man slashing with one of his blades, slicing one of the wolf’s legs open.

The wolf yelps and uses his back feet to dig his claws into the man’s stomach, rolling at his skin as he crawls further up the man’s body. But the man grabs Atreus, throwing him off and to the ground. Atreus quickly shifts into a snowy owl, flapping his wings. The blades hit the ground where he was and he dives back down, scratching at the man’s face with his talons.

The man shouts, throwing his blades at the owl, but with this body, Atreus is harder for him to hit. He dodges the blades easily, twisting and turning through the air. He screeches, flying higher into the sky, out of the man’s hands reach as well as his throwing range.

“Get back here, you coward!” the man yells up at him, and then leaps up, throwing the blades at Atreus. One hits his wing and he screeches this time in pain, shifting into a horse as he nears the ground, making the landing less painful. His right front leg bow bleeds and he pushes to his four legs, snorting loudly as the man approaches him. “They just get easier and easier.” The man raises his arms over his head for the finishing blow and Atreus’s eyes land on one of the weak points his father had taught him: the left armpit.

Atreus shifts once more, leaping into the air as he turns into his human appearance, holding the father his father had given him. He stabs it into the man’s flesh; right between his arm and chest and kicks off the man’s stomach, grabbing at his bleeding arm as the man falters, staggering backwards.

The two end up on either sides of the clearing, panting heavily and holding their wounds. Atreus swallows heavily and draws in a breath, looking man over once more. His resemblance to his father is still too much for the boy.

“Who- who are you,” he demands between pants, hoping to gain some kind of information from this man. From this possible god. Not that he could currently think of any gods- aside from himself- that could change their form, but anything was possible, he was beginning to learn. “And why- are you disguising yourself- as my father.”

The man looks up at him, eyes narrowed, blades gripped tightly in his hands and Atreus tenses, ready to get flung back into battle. But the man seems curious of him as well, staying on the other side of the clearing. “I don't see why you're still trying to trick me with that,” he growls. “I've only ever had one child, and you are not her.”

Atreus narrows his own eyes, holding tight to his knife, just in case. “That doesn't answer my question,” he points out. He glances around, looking for ways he could possibly escape.

“Stop acting!” the man screams and lunges forward, the red flames of Spartan Rage exploding all around him, slamming into Atreus as he had a sudden burst of speed. Atreus goes flying backwards, crashing through multiple trees. As soon as he can, he transforms into the owl again, flapping his wings- despite one throbbing and bleeding- and is trying to fly away, but the man grabs one of his legs, snapping it. He screeches as the man throws him.

He lands further off, now one leg and one arm throbbing in unison. He draws in a breath as he shifts back, whispering another spell, holding a hand over his currently broken leg, “Lækna.” He grits his teeth as his bones and muscles begin to mend, healing faster than humanly possible. But, it wasn’t fast enough, as the man barges through underbrush straight for him. “Úlfur!” The familiar blue wolves leap from behind him, attacking the man. Atreus pushes to his feet, ignoring his throbbing arm and leg and takes off for his home. His father should be able to help.

“Get back here, coward!” the man shouts behind him and he throws one of the wolves. Atreus swallows and forces himself to run faster, relief flooding through him as his home comes into sight. He’s about to run past the gate when the man grabs him once more, throwing him to the ground. The air is knocked from his chest and he knows this could be over quickly if he didn’t do something.

“Father!” he yells, rolling to the side as the man tries to stab him through. He kicks out with his good leg, tripping the man long enough for him to get back to his feet, stabbing at the man with his knife. The man growls, slamming a shoulder into Atreus’s stomach, knocking him back to the ground once more, clambering on top of him and pinning him to the ground. “F-Father-!”

“Shut up!” the man shouts, grabbing at Atreus’s throat. “Zeus cannot save you now.”

Atreus kicks at the man’s stomach, clawing at his hands. His eyes begin to water as the life is literally choked from him, and he can only hope his father heard him. He tries changing form into anything, but the man holds him down, unrelenting. He can feel his own Spartan Rage churning his stomach, but he knows his father would hate it if he used it.

But then again, he’d probably hate him even more if he died.

So, he draws in a deep breath and lets out a shout, letting the flames of his rage explode to life on his skin, the air knocking the man from off of him. The man looks up at him in obvious surprise as Atreus flies at him- he probably hadn’t expected the boy able to possess Spartan Rage, much less use it- wounds forgotten, tackling the ashen man to the ground. He yells loudly, the rage blinding him, consuming him, and he lets it, unable to stop it. He’s not fully sure on how to control it as of yet- he has not learned yet.

But currently he doesn’t care. He instead begins to punch the man’s face into the ground brutally, digging his knees into the man’s stomach. He continues to scream until the man catches one of his fists, twisting it until it snaps. He lets out a shout as he’s thrown aside once more, the man standing nearby.

“You can’t even control it!” the man yells, a cruel amusement in his tone. He’s stepping to attack Atreus again when another man rams into his side, sending him to the ground. Atreus breathes as his father had instructed him to do many times, trying to calm himself. His vision clears just enough for him to see his father lifting the man and throwing him back into the ground, grabbing the chains of the blades and spinning him, slamming him into a rock nearby.

Atreus quickly jumps to his feet, running to his father’s side, panting heavily. “I’m sorry, Father,” he said, gripping his broken wrist with his bleeding arm. “He showed up out of nowhere and overpowered me, I couldn’t do anything-”

His father raises a hand to silence him. He snaps his mouth shut quickly, drawing in deep breathes through his nose, the man standing nearby. “Who is he,” his father questions, his deep voice rumbling in his chest.

“I don't know,” Atreus replies. “But he looks like you- well, kind of. But he can't be you because you're you, right?”

His father hums in response, raising a hand to block Atreus as the man looks towards them once more, eyes flashing. But then both his father and the man freeze entirely as they stare at one another. Atreus looks from both of them, seeing even more of the similarities as they stare at each other.

“What is this,” the man growls, his anger ever present in his voice. “Who are you?!”

“I think you can see,” his father states in his ever calm tone. The man snarls now, eyes flickering towards Atreus who tenses under the gaze. His father covers him even more, eyes narrowing to a glare. “Now, I do not want you here. So leave. My. Home.”

The man and his father stare at one another and Atreus can feel the tension thick in the air. “Where am I,” the man asks instead of leaving. The tension grows and Atreus shifts, stepping closer to his father, grabbing his knife with his bleeding arm.

“Leave,” his father repeats, his voice dropping in volume.

“Where am I.”

Atreus swallows. Both of these men are obviously extremely stubborn, and they're probably going to fight soon if neither of them get what they want. He prepares himself, drawing his magic close to himself, and preparing to change if need be.

And then his father is moving forward slowly. The man launches forward, as if about to punch him, but Atreus’s father simply catches the smaller man by the neck, slamming his back into the ground. The man growls up at his father but his father is not phased, a dark shadow in his eyes.

“I do not want you here,” Atreus can just hear his father growl out. “I will not have you hurting my son anymore. Now leave.”

His father straightens and returns to Atreus, placing a hand on his uninjured shoulder, spinning him around. “How badly did he hurt you,” his father asked, looking home over as the man is still behind them.

“Who was that?” Atreus asks instead of answering him, still utterly confused. “That couldn't have been you. You're you and he's… someone. Right?”

“It does not matter,” his father reassures. “Now tell me, how badly did he hurt you?”

“Not too-”

Atreus is cut off as a hand grabs the back of his neck, yanking him from his father. He lets out a cry of surprise as he's choked to the man’s chest, one of the blades pressed to his neck. He growls in frustration, really growing annoyed with how many times he's getting choked. The man raised the other blade threateningly at his father.

“Tell me who you are now… or I will kill him,” the man growls in warning, pressing the blade harder against Atreus’s neck. This also rubs at his shoulder wound, causing Atreus to cry out in slight pain.

“You will deeply regret that,” his father growls back, his eyes having grown darker. “Not just because of what I will do to you, but because of the consequences against yourself. Now put him down.”

“Tell me who you are!” the man shouts, pressing the blade further into Atreus's neck, drawing even more blood. The boy hisses in slight pain, kicking his feet in the air beneath him.

“You know who!” his father shouts in return and he's pulling his own blades from their sheathes. The man freezes and Atreus uses this moment to kick at his stomach, leaping from the man’s arms and running straight back to his father, skidding behind him, peering around his side.

“That should not be possible,” the man hissed.

“Yet here we are,” his father growls in return, raising a hand beside Atreus, just to be sure. Atreus breathes heavily, his neck now stinging along with the rest of his wounds as they throb.

“So, he is my-” the man cuts himself off, a look of pure horror passing over his face as he stares at Atreus.

“Yes,” his father states.

The man falls silent, finally untensing his body. He lowers his weapons as he continues to stare at Atreus, a realization dawning in his eyes. “I am so sorry,” he mutters, so quiet the boy can hardly hear him.

Atreus catches a handful of his father’s armor, shifting his feet, wounds continuing to throb. “Father,” he says quietly and the man flinches at the word, flinches again as his father responds by looking down at him. “Is that-?”

“Yes, boy,” his father responds, as though he already knew what Atreus was asking. The boy swallows heavily, eyes going wide as he stares back at the man who is also his father. His father looks back at the younger man, a look of disgust on his face, nose scrunching. “That is me.”

None of them move, only able to stare, Atreus’s father- his actual father, not the younger one- staying tense, ready to strike. As though he's afraid his younger self will attack at any moment.

And maybe he would.

But Atreus gathers himself, steels his face and slides past his father, wincing as a large hand grabs his wrist. “What are you doing?!” his father demands, sounding like the time Atreus wanted to distract the dragon. Like his younger self was as volatile as a huge, man eating beast.

“I'm going to talk to him,” Atreus replies, yanking his wrist from his father’s grasp, dodging as he tries to grab him again.

“No, boy-!”

But Atreus ignores his father and walks closer to the younger Kratos slowly. He meets the wide, amber eyes not unsimilar from his father’s, noticing how they watch his every movement, as though he's afraid Atreus might explode or something. Honestly, both his current father and the younger one need to calm down.

As he draws closer, he holds a hand up in offering, keeping eye contact with Kratos. “Hi,” he greets, not missing how he can feel his father’s gaze boring into the back of his head. He knows if anything were to go wrong, his father would be able to instantly help. “I'm Atreus, and your son, apparently.”

~~~

Let me know how I did and what ya’ll think!

Also, all of the spells in this fic were translated to Icelandic, cause that language is awesome.

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Champ Design Breakdown: Pantheon, the Artisan of War

By Helmight

Pantheon is a good example of what not to do when updating lore. Though he received zero model or kit changes, his lore pretty dramatically changed his theme and the kind of expectations players have about the character. As a result, Pantheon is one of the more lackluster champions on the roster, without any gameplay changes being made at all.

They are privileged to die at my feet

The story of Pantheon begins with a Rakkoran man named Atreus. Though not the swifest, nor the strongest, nor the most skilled in combat, Atreus had an unrivaled determination and a fire to become greater than any of his comrades. He awoke long before anyone else to begin his training and returned home long after they had already quit the field - and that, more than anything, is likely what caught the attention of the celestial Targonians.

When Atreus climbed to the summit of Mount Targon, he was imbued with the power of the Pantheon - a group of celestial spirits that have walked Runeterra many times before this. With Atreus’s might and the magical skill of the celestials, Pantheon is as mighty a warrior as one could ever hope to face. However, this was no symbiotic partnership that the other Aspects have with their hosts - instead, the Pantheon completely subsumed Atreus’s personality and simply use his physical form. Still, my money’s on Atreus not being completely gone.

Pantheon is a celestial spartan warrior, unparalleled in combat and lacking in any mercy for his enemies. I’d expect him to play as a diver or skirmisher who can hew his way through any foe he comes across, but who has to use his defenses wisely.

My spear is restless

Panth is a mixed bag, to say the least. He is indeed a diver and has a few spartan-themed skills, but there’s quite a bit about his kit that just doesn’t jive with the kind of flavor you’d expect him to have.

First, the good. Spear Shot (Q) and Aegis Protection (P) make good use of his iconic shield and spear, while Grand Skyfall (R) is a skill he’s canonically used - on top of being badass as hell. Aegis of Zeonia (W) is a bit wonky as far as skills go, but it gives Pantheon a gapcloser and feels pretty good if you can use it to reset his passive. Finally, the Certain Death passive on his E emphasizes Pantheon’s deadly nature and helps him deliver the coup de grace to wounded enemy champions.

This all makes Pantheon sound pretty thematic, but he loses massive points by failing to showcase any degree of his celestial nature. His color story describes stars shining in his eyes and a cloak with the appearance of a nebula, but Pantheon in-game looks like a fairly generic spartan dude. This isn’t the badass space-warrior I wanted - this is just Leonidas from 300. On top of that, Pantheon’s best playstyle in lane is simply to spam Spear Shot on the enemy champion over and over again until they give up and return to base. Doesn’t feel very spartan-like, if you ask me.

They disgrace the art of war!

The biggest reason Pantheon fails so hard at expressing his theme is due to the Targon lore updates, which pretty massively changed who the character was without also giving him a new model, new abilities, or updated particles. What we’re left with is an anachronism from League’s past that doesn’t fit in with the current state of the game - which is sad, since Pantheon has the potential to be excellent. Hopefully Riot find some time to add him to their update schedule soon, but until then I can’t help but give Pantheon a lackluster grade.

Final Grade: C. Could’ve been better, could’ve been worse.

Disagree with my assessment of Pantheon? Or did you want to suggest a champion for next week’s breakdown? Either way, let me know in my inbox, and be sure to like and reblog this post if you enjoyed it!

Let’s talk about GoW

God of War not Gears of War you dingus.

- Painstakingly handcrafted

I’m sure you’ve heard a lot about this game right now but I hope alongside its graphical fidelity, satisfying gameplay, and story; that the level of detail in this game is being discussed. It's the foundation of the things I just mentioned. Every creative decision made by Santa Monica is backed up by the details of the said decision. A familiar free-flowing combat style that lets the player play not only as they want, but as they may need to. Why is combat different? Kratos is older, slower, but still strong.  The sense of scale is signature God of War but brought into this generation, a more modern cinematic feel that really compliments the combat. A closer camera really lets you bask in the surrounding environment and how they change around you. The way lore and myths are imparted through both dialogue and one of the Atreus collectibles, it’s there if you want it and deepens the world; my point is that it's seamlessly interwoven into the world and not just filler talk or pointless collectibles. This game is polished to the point of a blinding sheen. 

-”Can I borrow this?”

This franchise has learned a lot as it watched from the shadows, waiting for its return. Watching Joel and Ellie in the way they communicated and interacted. Observing the warriors of the Dark Souls world. Learning the new wheel of third-person melee combat in “light, heavy, block, dodge” and used this simple genius in their own inspiring way. Yakuza’s open but intimate world space well-sprinkled with meaningful items and encounters. I’m sure other gamers see other games that I haven’t mentioned but those are the big titles that I see when I play this game. Regardless of what influence/inspiration you see, to me, it never bites so much to be deemed lazy. Everything is tweaked and reworked to the benefit of this new God of War.

- Myths Masacered

The combat, like many aspects of the game, is one of the crown jewels. Fluid, visceral, challenging, but forgiving. Movement is labored with Kratos’ age but its still plenty of dodging. Everything from the ax throw, the actual melee combat, and hand-to-hand; it’s all flawlessly interwoven and makes for some of the most exhilarating combat I’ve experienced as a gamer. Personally, it dwarfs the previous GoW games and overhauls the fights to something truly greater. To me, it seems Soulsian, yes a lot of people say that about a lot of games coming out but guess what. It’s one of the most loved and famed series in modern gaming and with development starting the year DS2 came out, it is conceivable to see them taking some inspiration. Which is fine because GoW broadens the horizon of “light, heavy, dodge” and opens up the floodgates for a much more expansive fight style that the player gets to dictate in an instance. The immeasurably brilliant Jim Sterling draws a comparison to Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice and I see it but given its 2017 release date I doubt it was the muse for this change despite seeing his point of view.

- rpG’d up

Another huge part of this virtual facelift is the mechanics involved in progression. Armor, enhancement runes, interchangeable moves that keep the combat fresh. The dual leveling system is interesting and vaguely reminiscent of Destiny/The Division. All while maintaining a very Dungeons and Dragons-esque progression that makes you feel that jump from level 3 to level 4. So many aspects that, had someone told me SMS would use them, I would’ve hesitated to feel good about such choices. It drives exploration because you’re looking for a new resource to upgrade your favorite armor piece or xp for moves.

-Kratos: Live and Reloaded

This is Kratos unlike any iteration we’ve seen. In dialogue and cutscenes you expect him to lash out, and to some extent, he may. It is worth noting however that it is his learnedness and maturity that is arguably most jarring to me. Showing patience, wisdom, and intelligence beyond” how many ways can I kill this thing”. Mature isn’t just the rating, it’s a description of our guy Kratos that doesn’t apply in previous games, not like this. 

-Like our main character, not perfect 

It's something impressive when I feel like I’m nitpicking in my criticisms. I do think it’s a bit heavy on the boat time. Even so, the boating is used for exposition and dialogue between characters. However rare that it is, I’ve experienced freezes in really inopportune times. Like, mid-Execution Cleaver kind of times.  Bugs like the speech audio being really muted in HDR mode. Even in the face of these issues, there have been three updates to GoW since its release on the 20th. They are making sure this product is running at it’s highest capacity and when we live in an age where developers ship a game and can wait months before major updates; it’s kind of refreshing but still a detriment. 

Chapter 2

Genre: Angst

Word Count: 4699

Warning: Mature themes implied.

Previous: Ch 01

In my 5 year absence, the thought of hating this man anymore than I already do was an unrealistic one. At least that’s what I would have liked to think. What other offense could he possibly commit to tarnish his image any further in my mind. I was more than sure it was impossible. But it was as if he had a checklist. Of course, the man I remembered was a teenager. His latest offense is one I had not taken into account; that over those 5 years his teenage physique have morphed into a sturdy stature of an Adonis. His arua more sinister than I could have ever predict, complimenting those chiseled features and merciless edges of his body that I resented. I resented the contrast between his sun kissed skin and the pink tint of his soft, supple, candy lips. His tongue taunting me as he slides it over to glaze them daringly. I resented the way my skin heated when I remember all ways that wet muscle made my body shake in need— all it was capable of or the way my eyes dilated as they soaked in the sight of his wide chest. It was all too much at once, my senses overloading and I start to feel light headed till he speaks up. It’s faint. A baffled whisper. “Rummie” A name only he used to call me. A name once so endearing; only ever spoken after a soft kiss, empty promise or passionate fuck, was now cold and perplexed. Slipping from those agonizing lips like a curse that could inflict misfortune upon him— Atreus or better yet, the return of some sinister mastermind.

Once the old name settled into the night air followed by a shaky breath it was as if a switch is flicked. Knowing that he is so unsettled by the truth; that it wasn’t his guilty conscious playing games with him. That I was actually standing before him after years, was a pleasant reminder of who I had become left leaving Seoul. It wasn’t for nothing and there really was no need to run. Especially not from him. “I-I’ve never seen— I mean, imagined you this way. This dress... everything really...” I scoff. “Let’s not pretend like you thought of me at all” as harsh has the words sound, they don’t seem to have registered. His mind far too invested in something else. His large hands racking through his brown hair before falling at his sides in clenched fits. Bemused, I obverse his furrowed brows and the knot in his jaw. The way he’s blinking 40 times per minute and shifting his weight from one leg to the other. I watch him struggle besides himself, making a painful attempt to stop his curious stare from taking me in fully. I was his unnamed fruit of Eden: his forbidden temptation provoking in him the desire to know me for all that I am. As much as every fiber within him wanted to resist, not knowing what allowing himself to indulge in my image could possibly mean. The urge to be awakened by this old flame was stronger. Ravaging my body with his stare till there was nothing left to see. A wicked smile comes across my face, my hands moving up my body slowly, allowing him to follow. His breath gets caught in his throat when I readjust my coat. Pulling at the material that kept most of my torso encased, letting it fall open completely. Giving him something to look at so his mind didn’t have to wonder too far. From the way his Adam’s apple quaked I know I had done him a favor. His eyes are blown out now, unable to retreat to the safety of whatever surrounds us, finding all interest in my newly exposed flesh. My smile sickenly-sweet as I make no move to deter him. The seconds seem to push on a lot longer with his eyes strained on my skin. “Don’t look too hard now Oppa, you might find something you like” I step closer, my voice a warm pur of encouragement. He moves backwards immediately, shaking his head, wanting nothing more than to deny my words. The confused expression has returned. “This- this isn’t you... not the way you speak, not the way you look. This dress” his head continues to shake in denial. “What are you doing here, Ahreum?” I ignore the question. “Come on, Kai. If I’m not who you’re thinking of who else could I possibly be?” my tone sarcastic. I’m waiting patiently for the witch chants, fire and pitch forks from Sm’s towns people but it never comes. His jaw clenches, “don’t call me that” I giggle, finding it funny that after all that has happened, hearing me address him as something so impersonal as his stage name still managed to get under his skin. “Baby, you’re hurting my feelings. Don’t tell me you don’t recognize your sweet, innocent, naive, gullible and senseless Rummie” My words had bite but he doesn’t back away when I step forward. His head moving from side to side as if he disagreed. I take his face into my hands to stop the movement. His eyes grow wide— not blinking and his body is rigid. I can feel the quickening of his pulse against my pinky. I ignored the jolt I felt from touching him. “No baby, you don’t have to pretend to be a better man then you actually are. Don’t try to oppose the truth Nini, because you know it as well as I” My hand goes through the silky hair that falls in front of his face, it’s as soft as it looks and I don’t miss the way his eyes nearly roll to the back of his head. I can practically feel him tremor at the chills that run down his spine. I can’t help but wonder if that girl knows her way around his body like I do. If she knows what he likes or just where to touch him so he could melt into her. A knowing to me that came as easy as breathing. I was quite familiar with the needy, desperate side of Kim Jongin; this side having been one of my favorites after years of experiencing a number of them. Although, I don’t question her familiarity with his more vulnerable nature, as it was almost too easy for him to trade me in for her. “You are right about one thing though. I’m not your Rummie. That’s something you know better than anyone else isn’t it? Because you’re the reason behind it all. It was you who killed her” my soft voice constrasting the heavy topic I throw at him, with little to no remorse. He pulls away, feeling the sting of every sillable in full force this time. “You know why you’re asking what I’m doing here. You know it’s not because you’re curious; having not imagined me decked out in designer labels and elaborate stones. You know that after everything there was no hope— no chance for the Rummie you once knew. You know now that you can’t pin point this Ahreum because she’s not who you’re familiar with. Who you know is the one you could control. You can’t control what you don’t know, you can’t manage the unpredictable. So, you’re afraid aren’t you?” I don’t wait for him to reply, knowing the answer to my own question. “You look at everything you’ve built and you see me as the villain. The one to erode all that you planted, expose every lie you’ve engrained in the minds of those around you, because I am the truth. For every lie that slipped passed those lips, the truth was in my wet lashes, stained cheeks and broken. I truth drove me away from my own home Jongin. My family? My friends? It’s that guilt that has made a mound in your conscious that allows you to think this densely. You didn’t bat an eye when I left but I can bet on everything I own, that as time went on that mound began to weigh on you. When you were somehow reminded of my innocence and your wrong doings or when you could see the unspoken thoughts behind the eyes of our friends or of your members. When you know they miss me and that it’s your fault. Or perhaps, it’s that shameless ego that makes you think I have enough passion to seek out retribution for what you put me through” He can no longer faces me and I hope that every word is a stab to the chest. Although I would never admit it, the idea of retribution was not something I had ruled out entirely and seeing the way my words cut him open, I’m not sure if I want to. How much will I get out of his sins baring poisonous fruit. I knew that hardly any teenage love story carried with it a happy ending, a lot of minor dysfunctions perceived through innocent eyes, a present inability of dealing with insignificant issues due to a naive mindset. But that was never the case for him and I. Not only did it feel more intense than the playful flings of our friends but Jongin was also at the start of his career; already trained in dealing with media and whatever came with idol life and I was already making fundamental decisions in order to keep up with the changes in his world. Reassuring my parents that I would work hard to manage the lifestyle I wished to live; one that was fast, where good things turn bad at an unfathomable pace. The warnings they’d asked that I take heed of; seeing all the wicked people could do, couldn’t rival the sad reality I actually had to face, after realizing I had lost the one person that I centered my whole universe around. I had lost my sun. 

Jongin. I’m no longer aware of how long we’ve been standing out here or how long I’ve kept the driver of a sleek, black Lexus waiting. The cold air having zero effect on me— my head hot with all the words that have been left unsaid and the heat radiating off of his body that I stood a little too close to. Just as I register our distance, I hear the faint clicking and I see her. Her long, flowing, brown hair, whisked all around her simple white dress. The universe appeared to be making a special effort to highlight our opposing appearances. I watch her eyes search for him eagerly and I almost want to help get her attention but she doesn’t take too long before finding his back and my gaze over his shoulder. Uninterested, my eyes move back to his, noticing we’re closer than before. I can feel his minty breath hit my face and I bring my hand up to run against his shoulders coyly. “It looks as though you’ve been caught, Oppa” He continues to stare down at me. His expression a melting pot of so many emotions, I can’t decipher where he stands. I look over his shoulder again curiously, to find someone else. A man similar to Jongin in appearance, though shorter and lighter in complexion. I recognize him as the eye catching, Lee Taemin and by his baffled stare I can assume that he recognizes me as well. My left eye drops into a shameless wink and I send him a knowing smile to which he doesn’t return. Instead, he snaps out of whatever daze he was in and hurriedly reaches for the girl who is half way through making it to her destination. “I have no interest in becoming the topic of discussion for you and your trophy girlfriend” my voice is chilling. I step back adjusting the my coat, turning to leave when I feel his cold hand grab me. A burst of adrenaline runs through my chest, making my heart pound wildly. I turn to face him a little too quickly, eyeing the hand that grips my wrist. His mouth is parted, expression pleading but no words come out and the contact is undoubtedly within view of the two people behind us. “Jongin!” The female voice calls out, but neither him nor I react to it. I wait for him to acknowledge his girlfriend who has currently managed to escape the arms of his best friend but he doesn’t. “Are you here for him?” His voice almost sounds hoarse and I’m assuming it’s from the cold atmosphere. “Did you come back for Yixing?” His question nearly sounds like a threat and I almost want to confirm it just to see how he’d handle it.  The realization then sinks in that he must have witnessed one (or both) of the interactions I had with Yixing inside. Whatever he thought he saw was enough for him to sneak past his girlfriend and best friend to follow me outside and demand an answer. I tilt my head at the audacity of him, believing I owed him anything, much less a goddamn explanation for my choices. The urge to scream begins to form at the back of my throat.  After having to sit there, month after month watching seasons pass, trying to formulate my own answers for his outlandish decisions as a man who claimed to want what’s best for me or love me. The nerve of him leaves me utterly shellshocked and in this moment I can think of million and one demeaning things to say to him. And I almost do, until I hear the sound of someone else approaching and I decide it’s not worth it. My days of being a spectacle for Jongin before an audience have been over for far too long now. “You’re pathetic, Jongin” I turn on my heel, making sure he hears the words ‘shameless son of bitch’ before damn near speed walking towards the black car door.

After a particularly hectic week, having finalized the moving process. Yixing sits at the other side of the table smiling brightly as I practically inhale the BBQ at one of my favorite food spots. When I’m not shoving food into my mouth, we commend each other on our successes. I congratulate him on his achievements as both an actor and a musician in China, as well as, the work he’s doing here with the boys. He praises me for excelling in a male dominated field at a global level; always knowing I had a passion for music and any other form of art expression. He’s perturbed when I inform him that I no longer have the time for dancing as my schedule is unforgiving more often than not. To this he’s disapproving and promises to drag me to SM’s studio so I can reconnect with that side of myself that isn’t working. He listens attentively as I assure him that my happiness is in everything that I create. Although free time has become a luxury of sorts, I am the happiest I’ve ever been and enjoy putting every bit of myself into what I do. He beams when I start to blush; noticing that my habit for gushing over my carreer is rearing it’s ugly head. But he encourages me to continue, saying how happy he was to see that tinkle in my eye. Slowly the drinks and food start to depreciate and Yixing notices it before I do, attempting to hail the waitress over before his phone disrupts him. I watch him eye the caller ID suspiciously before bringing the phone to his ear. He doesn’t greet the caller on the other end, his eyes remaining on me, though I knew his mind was elsewhere. “I’ve been away from the dorm for most of the day so no” there’s confusion laced in his voice and traces of it in his features. “Well she must know that if she’s hasn’t seen or heard from him neither have we. She can’t keep doing this” My curiosity has peaked but I try to distract myself with the remainder of food on my plate. The conversation moves on and soon he’s bidding the individual a goodbye and hangs up. A moment of silence follows and my gaze peers over to him. “Oh no, I know that face. What’s going on?” His eyebrows are furrowed as he absent mindedly shakes his head. I grab his hand from across the table and he looks up at me with a sigh. Yet, he doesn’t pull away from my grip, instead opting playing with my fingers. “It was Junmyeon. He was calling about Jongin’s where abouts. He’s been very detached as of late. It’s beginning to concern us” I stare back at him blankly realizing it was my turn to speak. “Ah, well I’m sorry that you’re stressed about it” I pat his knuckles in an attempt to comfort him the best way I know how in this instance, before robotically bringing my hands back to my side of the table. Silence comes over use again as I mix my rice with the spoon hoping to god that he’d drop this; as comfortable as he felt disclosing his issues with me. “Ahreum... did you happen to run into him, despite my great escape plan” his chuckle is dry and I can tell he wants to make the question seem as light as possible, but it just isn’t.  Anxiety knitted into his voice and I feel bad. “No” I respond plainly without a bat of the eye, not bothering to look up from my plate. As much as I wished to comfort a soul as kind as his own, this was beyond my levels of empathy. I would never want to be the girl to undermind the situation by reminding Yixing of the past he already knows so much about or ask for him to pick a side between me and his fellow member/friend. That was unfair and what kind of person would I be if were to ask this of him. But I couldn’t help but wish he’d come to the conclusion on his own; that if Jongin could betray me in the way that he did with the longevity of our union, wouldn’t that mean he could do that to everyone. Admittedly, it was a selfish mindset to have. It completely opposed that of Yixing’s. As much as Jongin’s choices during that time put a strain on him and Yixing’s friendship, in Yixing’s mind we’ve all made bad choices at some point. Naturally some were worse than others and harder to swallow but none of us were saints. As openly as he disagreed with how Jongin handled the affections of my heart, he would never use of relationship as the basis to judge who he is as a person; believing that everyone was multidimensional and greater than foolish mistakes. He was a saint and I could agreed that this might be true, but it’s also possible to be 4D; having multiple variations in character of a sick bastard. I knew at best the most I could get out of Yixing was the promise that karma would be sure to induce the pain he inflicted upon me onto himself at some point during our lifetime; a justice that was highly unsatisfactory in my opinion. It was a wonder why I felt the need to lie to him. It made it worse knowing that I wasn’t sure why I was doing it the first place. Maybe it was because I knew Yixing’s kind heart would take it upon himself to try to console Jongin, rather than allowing him to brood in anxious-self pity like I wanted. Or maybe cause I knew that Yixing’s kind heart would find a thousand questions to ask me in relation to my emotional stability after my ex and I’s reunion. Hm, the answer was simpler than I thought: Yixing’s kind heart or my lack thereof. “Maybe he saw you inside? What time did you arrive?” My spoon clatters against the plate. I have officially lost my appetite. “You can’t possibly believe that I’m responsible for his state” I asked cynically. “No Ahri, it’s not that I think you’re responsible” his voice defensive. “Then what exactly are you implying?” “That there’s a direct correlation” My scoff interjects. “I’ve seen this behavior from him only once before. Jongin does not wallow in sadness, distress or grief. If he’s sad he’ll cry, if he’s happy he’ll laugh, if he’s—“ “I’m waiting for you to make a point” He sighs at my dismissive tone, “he doesn’t stay at home anymore and doesn’t tell a soul where he runs off to. He hasn’t been eating with the group and has been showing up late to rehearsals and work related outtings. Kyungsoo is usually the one who could get him to open up and that’s never been a problem but according to him, the answers he gives are vague and robotic. Yesterday he caught him outside smoking and he reeking of alcohol. Jongin hasn’t smoked in years and resents drinking alone” “Tough but none of what you said implies that it’s me. You’ve said you’ve seen this behavior before? Then maybe it’s about the girl. Ask her” my stance was unmoving as well as uninterested. “It isn’t” he tossed the thought aside without any consideration. “How is it possible that you’re more sure that this is my doing rather than the girl’s?” “She doesn’t have a clue where he is most of the time. He’s cancelled most of the plans he’s made with her since the event and has hardly returned her phone calls. She calls the house now because she can only reach his voicemail. As ideal as they seem, she’s never been able to have such an impact for him to be rattled this way. The only time I’ve ever seen Jongin like this was once” “And..?” I pushed “And that’s when you left Korea” Silence surrounded us. “You don’t believe me” I nod at his assumption, “I think it’s absolute bullshit” He sighed nodding, knowing it was useless to press me on the matter. My mind would never change. “Why do you still look constipated in thought, Yixing?” “Because I know that he knows” he said confidently. “Do you have any theory that actually makes sense?” He glared at me playfully but responded anyway. “Yeah, Baek” What? My eyebrows raised in curiousity watching him begin to eat again. “I don’t get it. Why would you assume Baekhyun would tell him?” He looks up at me as if the answer was the most obvious thing in the world, “have you forgotten what Baek is like? How much he enjoys getting people riled up? Playing devils advocate?” As right as he was about Baekhyun’s mischievous personality it still didn’t click for me. “Oh come on Ahri, let’s not think so simple-mindedly. As dazed as I was that night, your interaction with Baekhyun is still crisp in my mind. The way he spoke to you: so forward. Making his intentions for you so obvious, in such a blunt manner, he might as well have written it down and mailed it to everyone within hearing range. But that’s exactly what he wants: for the room to know his intentions— that you’re his prey. As playful as it might’ve sounded to you at the time. It wouldn’t surprise me if he brought it up with Jongin for reactions sake. He’s aware that wanting you is immoral. He would take it upon himself to ask permission in the same blunt manner knowing damn well Jongin had no rights to you in the first place. He’d give him an iniquitous forewarning, stating his corrupt objectives and let him know the offer has already been placed on the table and all he needs is a seal of approve. It would amuse Baek to no end watching Jongin go against his better judgment. He knows he’d pick pride over his emotions” It feels like I’m watching him unravel the da vinci code. Though the truth behind everything was a lot less sinister and complicated. The scenario wasn’t entirely far fetched. Baekhyun had a lot of good in him that could never be discredited but, his good nature could easily be misconstrued or forgotten when his polemicist side comes into play. His teasing was sometimes too much for people to handle, hard to swallow for those who are sensitive and closed-off. Regardless, it was hard to hate someone like Byun Baekhyun. “Even if that were the case, though I highly doubt—” Yixing rolls his eyes. “I think Baekhyun wouldn’t allow Jongin to get to this of point of anguish” but I would. “Oh please, I’m sure he’s seeing it as Jongin letting his ego get the best of him. Basically, putting himself through this for no reason. Baek will turn this into some unnecessary, self serving life lesson. It’s part of his god complex” I chewed on the inside of my cheek. The animosity in his voice pushing me to come clean but I pry a little further. “Did something happen between you two while I was gone?” He sighs deeply, “No. I just didn’t appreciate his tactlessness. Being so forward with you when we were there for work, addressing you around all those influential people like you’re one of his loose flings” His voice is disapproving and evidence of his protective side peaked through his thoughts. I reach for his hand again, sending him a playful smile. “Babe, I’m no child. Believe it or not your Ahri has dealt with her fair share of prospects and suitors who; crazily enough, have attempted to woo her.  I’ve dealt with men like Baekhyun before-“ “I know what he wants from you and I can practically see the screws twisting in his mind. Baekhyun is overindulgent, it’s hard for him to truly be satisfied because he can’t bridge the line between his wants and his needs. He moves lethally when his greed overcomes him till he’s blinded by it and it’s all he sees. I’ve watched it become obsessive, he feels it needs to be quenched no matter the cost. This is why I wouldn’t be surprised if he went to Jongin. The way he looked at you that night... I know his thoughts are driving him insane. You think he hasn’t managed to bring you up? He’s already fucking fixated on the idea of you. He has no inhibitions when it comes to this. He looked like he would’ve consumed you if he thought we weren’t looking, like you were offered to him as a bounty to take for his own. I’ve watched him drive women mad with his hedonistic pursuits. I’ve seen him wrap himself around their mind like a snake with simple whispers of sweet nothings so they could give into him; tilt their head back so he could sink his teeth into they’re throat and pervade them with venom” He sighs deeply, trying to calm himself before he continues, “Baekhyun is a man now Ahri, and any man can see that you’re a woman to be desired. A man like him is looking for ownership: over you, your body. He wants to possess it, ruin you for someone else. I know you’re grown and can make your own decisions and I don’t doubt you but you’ve always liked to see the good, even when alarms were blaring all around you. You’re a new toy to him, you’re off limits and it excites him. He’s anything but innocent and he will pursue you. This is what he likes: the thrill of the chase, especially one which is taboo, and eventually the reward and I can promise you, your feelings will be disregarded just like Jongin’s”

Yixing’s need to protect me seemed... misplaced. It made no sense to me because at no point had I ever indicated being the slightest bit interested in Baekhyun or his advances. No, Yixing was hiding something from me and I have every intention of finding out what that ‘something’ might be.