God of war review in Spanish (full analysis)

With the new installment of God Of War for ps4 we meet again with an aged Kratos that the years have passed through. Enough time to start a new family and try to forget your troubled past. Santa Monica surprised locals and strangers four years ago by announcing a new game in the series. Even more so when the setting was transferred from Greek to Norse mythology. The introduction of Atreus, the son of Kratos, was another novelty that at first aroused suspicious glances among the players. However, it must be recognized that Santa Monica seldom disappoints and a vote in favor must be given.

The story of a father

The new adventure begins in the calmest way possible. Kratos cutting down a tree to incinerate his recently deceased wife. That start occurs without loading screens after pressing the New Game button. Something similar to what was already happening with God of War 3. From that moment, the differences arrive. The camera is positioned close to the Spartan's back and does not take off from Kratos throughout the game. No loading screens or scene cuts will appear to show other characters or points of view. Therefore, in God of War we will witness the longest sequence shot in history. A commendable and praiseworthy milestone. Not only when it comes to the technical aspect, but also being able to risk doing it. Idea that director Cory Barlog already tried in the 2013 Tomb Raider without getting the support of the rest of the team.

Be that as it may, within a few minutes we are introduced to the son of Kratos and it can be seen how the relationship between father and son is not entirely affectionate. After a prologue with which to get used to the new controls of the ghost of Sparta, both depart with the mission of scattering the ashes of the wife and mother on the highest peak of the mountain.

A technical section to match

As with Uncharted 4, it is impressive what Sony's first party companies can do by squeezing the full power of Playstation 4. The game looks incredible at first glance and it encompasses the characters, their clothing, the settings, particle effects and special effect. You can not put many but in this aspect.

One of the attributable defects as it happened in Horizon, is that its impressive graphics contrast with the lack of interaction that environments sometimes present. In other situations it is true that the destruction of the environment is a joy, but they are the least. Special mention deserves the design of the kingdoms and some enemies and final boss of Norse mythology.

All this moves at 1080p and 30 fps quite solid. In this regard, the company has done commendable work.

Renewing the saga

The first trailers about the game already confirmed the change of course that the saga would take towards Norse mythology. It was understandable after the events of Gof of War 3. This change is first noticeable in the world around us. The stages adopt a snowy and icy climate. We will visit some of the most famous kingdoms of Norse mythology and, of course, we will see the faces with some fantastic creatures that populate it. Some of them already known as the Draugr, Trolls, witches and even the Giant Midgard Serpent. But we will not only encounter creatures, some of the most legendary characters in this mythology will make an appearance. Obviously we will not gut any sensitive information to surprise you.

Among the most significant changes are the fighting. They have lost that dynamism and the insanity of making huge combos from previous installments, becoming somewhat slower and more strategic. We no longer have Athena's Swords or the ability to jump while using them. In its place we have the Leviathan ax, with which you can both attack at close range and throw it to hit at long distance and then recover it again by pressing the triangle. A short distance attack distinguishes between a light attack on R1 and a heavy attack on R2. The difference, as usual, lies in the speed and forcefulness of each of them.

The strategic part comes with the need to often use both the dodge button and the shield to make rejections or counterattacks if the stop is made at the exact moment.

Atreus also brings his grain of sand in combat and is not just dedicated to being a mere spectator. Luckily, during combat we will have the possibility to make Atreus shoot arrows at enemies by pressing the square button. And I say luck, because it's better that way than leaving it to the AI, which we already know sometimes does its thing. Once advanced in the game we will even have the possibility to summon animals with when making use of the runic summons.

In addition to attacking enemies, both Atreus 'arrows and the use of Kratos' bare fists will enable us to stun enemies. If we stun them enough, we will be able to deliver a fatal blow.

As if that were not enough, during the meetings our son will also often warn us of the dangers that surround us. It is a point that mitigates in some way not having such a broad vision of what surrounds us as in previous installments.

Kratos has a fury mode that here is called Spartan Fury and that activating it by pressing L3 + R3 will allow us to carry away everything that puts us in front.

Finally, we must highlight the runic attacks that the runes will grant us. We can have up to two active at the same time. These can be light or heavy and there are many effects. Damage from impact, burn, ice, etc. At specific moments and using talismans we will also be able to carry out magical attacks.

In general, the combat system wins if you want to chain different types of attack and precise, unlike the pounding of buttons of yesteryear. Although at first everything is a bit chaotic, it is nice to see how as the game progresses and new techniques are added, the trick is taken of the combination of weapons, runic attacks and the help of Atreus.

Improving Kratos and Atreus

Improving the characters and their skills and equipment is one of the sections that has undergone the most change and, of course, for the better. The change in the menus is as abysmal as the change in mythology. These menus have been compared to those that can usually be found in RPGs in use. We can improve Kratos' skills or movements if we gain experience by killing enemies or performing challenges. This experience will also help us to improve weapons

There is also the possibility of finding materials along the way with which to manufacture parts of the armor with different properties. These are: Strength, Runic, Defense, Vitality, Luck, or Reuse. Depending on how we manage these values, we can play in a more offensive or defensive way. The different types of color of these pieces will indicate the degree of rarity or power of them. It is important to know how to choose the right equipment for certain situations or enemies. Our level will be reflected according to the overall level of the team we carry.

Although the choice of one team or another is noticeable in combat, it does not affect the difficulty of the game as much in the more moderate levels. Only in the final part of the game will the help provided by a good team choice become more apparent. It may be seen as a drawback to the game, or it may have been done on purpose to give players time to get used to this system before it really matters.

It is true that at higher levels of difficulty, it will be necessary to manage our weapons and armor pieces properly if we want to stay alive.

During our mission we will find two dwarfs named Brok and Sindri from whom we can buy new equipment and items with the money we have been collecting.

A world to explore

We find the God of War with more "open world" than ever created. And I say it in quotation marks because despite having very wide areas with secrets to discover and shortcuts to take, we will not find a world as wide as that of Horizon, to give an example, but something more similar to those seen in Uncharted 4. So even if we are immersed in the plot of the game and want to know what happens next, we will have the opportunity at any time to deviate to explore. The transport that we will use the most to explore and visit new areas or islands is the boat. From the beginning of the game we are shown that, although Kratos does not swim in this game, he does like to row.

If God of War has been known for anything, it is for mixing battles with stages of platforms and puzzles. This mixture is still in force. Some better developed than others. For example, although on the one hand the puzzles are well thought out and integrated with the story, the platform phases are reminiscent of what was seen in the first uncharted ones. Just move the joystick and point to the sites to move quite automatically. You need a gameplay in this aspect more similar to that of Prince of persia or Assassins Creed to give an example.

In total, the main campaign will take us around 20 hours. However, during or after finishing the story mode we will find countless side missions and challenges that will test our skills but that will reward us with new equipment or juicy materials. This can take more than 10 additional hours of play.

Nordic sound

This game has been pampered even in the sound section. For the soundtrack, Santa Monica wanted to reflect the arduous path that Kratos travels through this new mythological world. For this, voice choirs were used singing in Old Norse. This together with the serious chants create an atmosphere that connects the player with the story.

The dubbing into Spanish is very well resolved, as it could not be less, coming from Sony. Compared to English voices, some characters still lack some punch. Finally, the sound effects during the game are faithfully represented. Whether it be the clash of weapons, arrows, ambient sound, etc. A section as polished as the graphics.

God of War Conclusion and Final Words

The general trend after analyzing all the sections is the change of direction in most of them. We find the same Kratos as in the past but both his world and his way of fighting and managing the team have turned 360 degrees. The really important thing is to assess whether those changes have been worthwhile or not. It is absolutely a yes. A yes because the saga was beginning to stagnate and a yes because instead of simplifying things, they have managed to give it depth, which after being learned provides a rich gameplay that satisfies the player.

The only thing that all God of War maintain, is knowing how to exploit the technical side of each console. In this case they have done it again. Not only can one speak of a technical section of reference, but the inclusion of this sequence shot must be praised throughout the game, which has just become an audiovisual milestone.

On the other hand, a maturity in the study is appreciated when developing a story that delves into the paternal filial relationship of Kratos and his son, with their comings and goings. Something so natural in the midst of all the chaos and from which both the father, the son and the same player end up learning.

With its small defects, because nothing is perfect, it only remains to recognize that God of War is one of those great games no matter where you look at it.