God of War 3 review: A Titanic Masterpiece

A wise man once said that ‘Time heals everything.’ While that statement may hold true for many, it most certainly does not apply to Kratos. It has been 3 years since Kratos began his ascent of Mount Olympus, which is more than enough time for the Greek warrior turned God turned man to cool off and go back to his Toga washing business. However, not only has Kratos’ rage persevered the test of time; it has intensified into a typhoon of anger and hatred that only the blood of Olympus can quench.

Yes, this is it! The final chapter in Kratos’ quest for redemption has finally arrived and without further ado, I can disclose that God of War 3 is hands down, the best action adventure game I have ever played. This is the Return of the King…this is the Return of the Jedi…this is the End.

(The aforementioned wise man was found dead recently. Post mortem reports indicate the death was caused by an insane amount of punching and one final clean cut around the neck by a blade of unknown origin. A note was found near what remained of the body which said, “Chaos heals everything.”)

The Story

When God of War 3 begins, it’s pretty evident how it will end. The story is very straightforward and does not rely on any cheap twists to catch the player off-guard. It is Sony Santa Monica’s honesty with the franchise that helps make the narrative as strong as it is simple. Just like God of War, the final chapter focuses mostly on Kratos’ story and everything else is minimized to a dim. With a war of massive proportions going on in the background between the Gods and the Titans, one would expect the story to show more of this heavenly struggle but the developers realized that an even bigger struggle is taking place inside Kratos’ head and used that as the catalyst to drives the story forward.

The game picks off, almost immediately after the end of God of War 2, where Kratos and the Titans are making their way towards the top of Mount Olympus. The game basically comes down to Kratos knocking off every God off the list before going for the big Z himself. While the battle between the Gods and the Titans sets the stage for most of the action, this is the intimate story of a father and son going to settle their differences in the way they know best – by killing each other. Without spoiling anything, I can just say that God of War 3 is the end of Kratos’ story and it is indeed a fitting end to the legend of the ash-covered Ghost of Sparta.

Gameplay

Adhering to tradition, God of War 3 starts off with a humongous set-piece. God of War had the amazing Hydra Battle, God of War 2 had the even bigger Colossus sequence, but what Sony Santa Monica have achieved here totally destroys the aforementioned openings.. The much talked about Titan gameplay is showcased in the very first level as you make your way across a moving Gaia, constantly fighting Olympus sentries as the Titans loom in the background. And then ‘it’ happens.

A gushing stream of angry water rips through Gaia’s arm and suddenly you are facing the Leviathan. This truly jaw-dropping (when I say jaw-dropping, I mean there are jaws being ripped off, literally) boss battle takes place all over Gaia as both the Leviathan and Kratos hang onto the massive Titan for dear life. Anyone who has played a God of War game before will instantly start butchering the enemies from the get-go. The control scheme has seen almost no change from the previous games, which is a good thing. However, small tweaks and refinements have enhanced the combat making it much more fluid and responsive.  God of war 3 relies on the’minimal input for maximum output theory.’ The simplicity of the controls allows the player to pull-off impressive looking moves without breaking a sweat.

Without the responsive controls, there is no way players could have wrapped their head around such an epic opening sequence. Kratos disposes off the Leviathan with punishing brutality to end the brilliant boss fight. And then ‘it’ happens.

Next Page – The best opening ever?

Pages: 1 2 3 4