Kratos, the thunderous star of God of War, returned to the fold with an epic gameplay demo at the start of Sony's E3 press conference. But his arrival raises questions for series fans: is this an open-world game now? What’s the role for Kratos’ son? And why is Kratos suddenly living in the Scandinavian mountains?

In a special presentation at the convention, Sony Santa Monica Studio's Creative Director Cory Barlog answered those questions. His explanations revealed that a second chapter is in the works for Kratos with this more personal approach to the game.

From Greece to Scandinavia

Snow? Mountains? What’s the deal? The debut of the first gameplay trailer immediately sparked questions thanks to the drastic change in setting. Barlog treated change of scenery as a chance for Kratos to escape his past. This game marks a new chapter for him, trying to get as far away from the skeletons in his closet as possible in order to start anew with his son.

The setting is indeed meant to evoke Scandinavia. Specifically, it’s meant to evoke a time when the gods and monsters of Norse mythology were thought to have walked the earth alongside the mortals. These Norse monsters include the massive troll that Kratos fights off and the dragon in the sky at the end of the sequence.

The camera tells all

The gameplay demo also presented one of the biggest gameplay changes, and one that had a sweeping impact on how the new God of War title’s development emerged. Barlog explained as he and the Santa Monica Studio team reimagined the story of Kratos, nothing from the original games was sacred. Every game element had to be deemed worthy of inclusion, and not just because it was how things had always been done. So gone is the top-down view in favor of a more immediate third-person, close camera perspective.

That tight perspective serves several purposes. First, it brings the player into closer physical proximity to Kratos, making his movements and choices more immediate than they ever have been before. Second, it encourages more time to examine the game world. AlthoughGod of Warhasn’t gone down the full open-world rabbit hole, there is now more openness in the player experience. In the behind-closed-doors demo, the Santa Monica Studios level designer took a brief detour from the hunting lesson to pick up an item for armor upgrades. The action sequence also takes players through some examples of environmental storytelling that add to the richness of this new Scandinavian setting. Taking the time to explore the surroungings will add context to what unfolds.

Finally, it offers up a variety options in how players tackle their combat. The early games relied on a distance-based system of crowd control and enemy management. Kratos had attacks for close, medium and far-range enemies, and chaining them together to handle mobs in a smart order was always a core mechanic.

That battlefield management skill is still critical, but it has taken some creative forms. The demo puts Kratos’ axe, etched with runes, front and center. It can be thrown boomerang style, or tossed away in favor of direct melee combat and recalled later. If you throw the axe into an enemy, you can pin them in place while handling other groups first.

Kratos, father figure

Barlog several times mentioned how his own experience as a first-time father provided inspiration for the direction of God of War. He described parenthood as the experience of “constantly failing,” a sensation that he said Kratos also deals with in this game. Now that he has a son to guide through life, he is trying harder to control his inner demons, to select when and how the violence inside him erupts. He has to guard how much of his full self he lets the young boy see, and Barlog said that he drew on his own life for just how difficult it can be to try presenting your best self to an impressionable child.

Although we’ve only seen that first scene of the game, Barlog promised that the relationship between father and son would grow and develop over the hours. The son -- whose name has not yet been revealed -- will be more self-sufficient than the average AI companion. All of his actions in-game will be controlled by a single button, and the team worked to make his presence in the game seamless. Even though that first sequence shows him struggling with combat, he is promised to develop into a more full-fledged presence in the game. Given the Issues Kratos has had with his paternal line, the outcome of this relationship with the boy is certain to be interesting.

Although the initial glimpse of the game may have shocked fans, God of Warremains in good hands with Barlog and the crew at Santa Monica Studio. Kratos may be getting packaged into a new setting and with some new gameplay systems, but that’s part of what happens when turning over a new leaf. Barlog’s discussion of how his own life provided inspiration for the game and for Kratos’ role as a father indicated the new tone that players can look forward to when the final result comes out. 

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