This can easily be understood when reevaluating the older games. It retroactively made the old games interesting. Framing the narratives of the previous game’s in proper context, God of War (2018) effectively utilizes the nuances of its own narrative to deliver meaning in games that were previously unmeaningful from a storytelling perspective. Beyond being a well-written and emotionally impactful story about a grief and guilt-stricken Kratos and his troubled relationship with his young son Atreus, the game improved the stories of all the past narratively lackluster God of War games. God of War (2018)’s story has emotional heft. It strikes gold when it comes to its deep narrative, and unlike earlier entries, the quality of God of War (2018)’s story matches the gameplay.
Where the older game’s prioritized epic combat encounters and large-scale boss fights, the most recent game grapples with themes of guilt, self-loathing, and redemption in an incredibly nuanced and relatable way. The title is far more emotionally mature than the previous entries in the series and has thematic intelligence.
Despite how earlier games in Sony Santa Monica’s god-slaying epic action-adventure series have minimal narrative depth, God of War (2018) is uncharacteristically introspective for a God of War game.
God of War (2018) is a thoughtful game in a narratively blunt series.
