The SHIZAMuel’s Arcade is a column written by the Clarion intern Samuel Christian. Every week he’ll talk about the latest in all things nerdy. Comics, video games, superheros, and film are only a few of the topics that will be covered. Keep an eye out for the latest posts.
“God of War” is coming out on April 20, and fans have already noticed that it looks very different. Different weapons, different pantheon and even Kratos seems like he’s changed. Some fans are wondering if this was going to be the kind of “God of War” that we’re all familiar with. It isn’t, but that’s the point.
Kratos was a spartan when his country was at war and he prayed to Ares to assure him victory against his enemies, in exchange for being Ares’ servant. Kratos was given the blades of chaos, a pair of chained swords forged in the depths of Tartarus.
However, while he was serving, Ares tricked him into murdering his family while attacking a village of worshipers of Athena. The village oracle cursed him to bear the ashes of his dead family on his skin, serving as a permanent reminder of his treachery and earning him the title “Ghost of Sparta.”
Enraged, Kratos began his crusade against the Greek gods to exact his revenge, eventually becoming the new god of war.
The “God of War” franchise has been out since 2005, starting on the PlayStation 2, developed by Santa Monica Studios, and published by Sony.
Kratos is known for being angry most of the time, having low self-control, hacking and slashing enemies with a wide variety of weapons and killing off gods like he has them on a hit list. In the new “God of War”, Kratos isn’t like that.
Here, Kratos has a new family and a son named Atreus. Kratos is much more disciplined since he’s trying to be a good father figure.
We will see him try to establish a bond with Atreus, and teach him about self-control and consequences. He is doing this to ensure that Atreus never ends up like him.
Also, his blades of chaos are gone, replaced by an axe called “Leviathan,” and a retractable shield whose name hasn’t been disclosed.
Another large change for the franchise is the setting of this game. Instead of taking place and focusing on the mythology of Greece, it now takes place in Nordic times and focuses on the mythology of the Norse.
This entry will also put a lot more emphasis on story telling, something that previous God of War games don’t really focus too much on.
Fans and newcomers to the story of Kratos will be able to judge the new direction of the series when “God of War” hits shelves for Playstation 4 on April 20.
Samuel Christian
Intern
