‘God of War PC’ game review: Kratos would be proud of this perfect port of the classic

When God of War came out in 2018, the much-loved game marked Kratos & Co.’s entry into the era of Norse gods, and it was unanimously one of the grandest games ever. The PlayStation 4 Pro sounded like a jet engine, but, by the gods, it sounded better than many of today’s next-generation titles.

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Exclusively a PlayStation by Santa Monica Studios, the game was out of reach for those who didn’t own a Sony console. Now, for those who missed out on the otherworldly fun, God of War is out on Steam for PC and it’s Definitive Edition – a must-play game for those who have experienced a lot of understandable FOMO (fear of missing out). ), as well as a fresh revisit for those who enjoy the console version.

Kratos’ emotionally turbulent story is worth replaying. A massive Spartan soldier, he wreaked havoc on an entire pantheon of Greek gods, assuming various powers and rising to the deity himself. The game begins with Kratos and his son Atreus planning the funeral of his dead wife in an incredibly poignant cutscene. With a promise to spread their ashes to the highest peak, they venture into the world when Kratos teaches Atreus to hunt in a one-of-a-kind tutorial. Kratos is seen as having one of the best cinematic fights in gaming history, watching him throw his magical frosty ax at the Norse gods.

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God of War is a long game, with an excellent story that is extremely well developed. Look forward to scenes that will make your pulse racing and slow, and build slow to some incredible reveals, such as plot twists, eye-catching monsters and stunning worlds. In keeping with the memorable Hydra scene from the first game in the series, God of War is packed with all kinds of quick-time events.

Along the way, you meet Norse gods – both friend and foe, each with their own tricks – as well as some colorful characters. We would like to give a big shout out to the head separated from the body of the great sage Mimir, who acts as a guide on your journey. The game plays out on a somewhat large scale, full of enemies. Kratos and Atreus must cross all the Norse plains of Midgard, Alfheim and more. The set pieces are incredible, from an awe-inspiring lake inhabited by Jörmungander, a giant world serpent, to mountainous areas filled with giant animals such as the Valkyrie Sigron and the Stone Troll Death Eater.

Overall, God of War is a cinematic third-person action-adventure game with a massive amount of exploration, which is a semi-open world, with various regions connected by a hub. So naturally, the action is non-stop and takes a page out from games like Devil May Cry to craft its combat system. There are a few changes to the formula, like Kratos’ Leviathan X, which can not only be thrown at enemies, but can be recalled for some slower but more strategic play. You also need to take into account Atreus, who pitches in with his bow and arrow. When you’re not hacking to intertwine mythical monsters, there are some complicated puzzlers and platforming sequences that are actually fun and a nice break away from the more intense scenes.

God of War PC is a console game at heart, and it’s best if you play it with a controller; It can get awkward with the mouse and keyboard, even though the game does a good job of mapping them. However, if you have a beefy PC, the game looks incredible in 4K Ultra, which looks almost identical to the PlayStation 5’s visuals, but with better texture fidelity on the monitor and brighter shadows and lighting. If you don’t have a beefy PC (thanks to an ongoing global chip crunch) never fear, the game is still playable even on modest hardware.

God of War for PC is a great excuse to immerse yourself in one of the most interesting gaming experiences. If you’ve played it before, now you have your chance to replay the original with a variety of settings on all those 144Hz refresh rate monitors that make PC gaming so great.

The author is a tech and gaming enthusiast who hopes to finish his science-fiction novel one day