Some video game franchises don't get the luxury to continue into the newer generation of gaming. These can include titles like Sly Cooper or Jak and Daxter. However, the games that do can sometimes deepen the character's purpose or development by changing how they operate entirely. That transition can be felt best when the classic God of War franchise evolved into its most recent title.
When the original God of War franchise was unleashed back in 2005 on the PlayStation 2, it embraced the hack n' slash genre seen in other games like Devil May Cry. The title featured the vengeful Kratos, and players controlled him on his quest to kill the Gods of Olympus for forcing him to murder his family. As a character, Kratos was very flat and focused only on murdering his way up the ranks of Greek Gods until he reached Zeus. Over three games and one spin-off, Kratos fought erratically and full of rage. His Blades of Chaos destroyed everything in his path and reflected where his mind was as he cared little for the innocents that may be caught in his rampage.
However, once Kratos quenched his thirst for revenge, the character changed. Fans spent eight years without Kratos until his story was continued in 2018's God of War. However, the Kratos that returned was different, more subdued. With his mind calmed and a son to care for, he no longer needed the revenge the blades represented. The gameplay also changed, as if to reflect his calmer mental state. Rather than frantically slicing through enemies, Kratos fought more methodically and with immense strength. That power was channeled through his Leviathan Axe.
While the Blades of Chaos carried the rage in Kratos' mind, the Axe carried a calm and assuredness, which took him years to understand. Rather than swinging wildly at anything that walked, the Leviathan Axe ensured that an enemy wouldn't last more than a few hits before falling. It was designed for stopping power rather than shredding and damage over time like the Blades. While this new Kratos represented a calmer mind, his Spartan Rage was still buried deep within, and players could still access his raw power.
While the gameplay felt as though it was designed for someone other than Kratos, it wouldn't be until late in the game that he would be forced to return to his bloody past and don the Blades of Chaos again. However, rather than using them as a weapon of destruction, he used his calmer mindset to focus his rage constructively to protect his son. It's a subtle touch added through the gameplay, but it showed just how much Kratos had changed by using his classic weapon in new ways.
Another unique touch was how the elements within both weapons had represented Kratos' mentality. In his early years, Kratos was fueled by his anger and rage and showed no signs of stopping. He burned hot like the fire represented in the Blades of Chaos. However, the Leviathan Axe gifted to him by his second wife is enchanted with ice abilities. It serves as a representation of how Kratos has slowed down and calmed himself. However, he has also become colder towards characters like his son, Atreus.
The new God of War is coming soon. But it remains to be seen if the gameplay will adapt to Kratos' mentality as it did before. Since the end of the newest title, his heart has warmed more to his son, and the two have become more capable warriors. Kratos has come a long way from his early years, and it will be exciting to see where this new journey takes him.