It's hard to imagine a gaming landscape without God of War. Kratos remains one of gaming's most recognizable badasses, and his titanic battles with various gods and his penchant for crashing through different mythologies is difficult to ignore. God of War for PlayStation 4 received unanimous success and its sequel, Ragnarok, is on the horizon, set for a release in 2021. In the modern gaming landscape, is there any room for classic God of War gameplay?
God of War released on the PlayStation 2 in 2005 to universal acclaim for its hack and slash gameplay, epic visuals and thoughtful storytelling. The series continued throughout the lifecycles of the PSP, the PlayStation 2 and PlayStation 3, with God of War 3 finishing Kratos' battle with the Gods of Greek mythology. By the time God of War Ascension had come out, series fatigue had set in, and fans wondered if the developers had run out of ideas.
In 2016, fans got a look at the PlayStation 4's God of War, featuring a story set after the events of the original trilogy and a new style of gameplay with an over the shoulder view of the action. The new game focused on Kratos and his son Atreus as they contended with the gods of Norse legend. It was exciting to see a new God of War game with an entirely different gameplay methodology but still featuring the same character from the previous games.
Kratos essentially is the God of War series: it's no wonder that the developers could get away with changing the gameplay and the world so much when the main character is so iconic and memorable. By moving the franchise away from the furious arcade-style beat'em ups to a more methodical approach to combat and a new view of the action, players can get more engrossed in the epic story to be told. Corey Balrog, creative director of God of War, told Gamermatters in 2018, "Not all God of Wars have to be just 'charge in, hit and wake up after everything is all over."
With a new God of War confirmed for 2021 and the fanbase satisfied with the series current direction, has classic God of War gameplay become obsolete in modern gaming? It's tough to say for sure. Interest in the God of War has certainly increased since the previous trilogy's release. In 2009 the first two games were remastered and released on the PlayStation 3 and were then included in 2012's God of War Saga collection. Santa Monica Studios also released a remastered version of God of War 3 in 2015 for the PlayStation 4, intending to show off the game at 60 frames per second at 1080p.
While it's possible that the original God of War games could get remasters similar to the overhaul Demon Souls on PS5 received, what is more likely is for the series to approach different styles of gameplay for different kinds of God of War games. This is a formula that Mario games have adopted for years, and it's evident through titles such Super Mario Maker 2 and Super Mario: Odyssey that the franchise has allowed all sorts of varied gameplay variety.
The only problem with this solution is the very element that made the new God of War so successful: Kratos. For a new entry in the series to be made using the first few games' fundamental gameplay elements, it would have to make sense in the confines of the rest of the God of War narrative. For that to work, it might make more sense for Santa Monica Studios to complete a new trilogy of God of War games before starting a new story. For now, God of War's classic gameplay sits on the sidelines.