God of War - We Like Big Boats, and We Cannot Lie

We've been getting a ton of details about the upcoming God of War title for PlayStation 4, in large part to our friends over at Game Informer. Pair that with even more leaks regarding a closer release date, and there's a lot to be excited about! But because we like big boats and we cannot lie, you other god hunters can't deny ... we now know a lot more regarding the boats in the upcoming game and how beneficial they actually are.

Now that the narrative has moved into Norse territory, and the franchise was essentially torn down in an effort to rebuild it even stronger, the narrative isn't the only thing that will be different this go around. The places to explore are massive and there is a lot to discover in the next phase of Kratos' journey. Because of this, boats will play a key factor in how that will be done in an effort to add a more immersive layer to the storytelling experience.

Since Kratos and Atreus aren't really feeling swimming as their primary mode of travel, the creative director said that boats will be an intricate part in their journey's progress. Cory Barlog had this to say to Game Informer in a recent interview, "As we started looking at, first, the crazy amount of investment for full 3D swimming to be awesome, and, second, to have a character follow you in in full 3D swimming, the programmers kept giving me that look."

"I started investigating this idea of a big Viking longboat, and then realized you could really continue the narrative throughout," Barlog says. "You can slow traversal down and you can change the pacing and interaction style and point of view. All while having these moments that you probably couldn't get in any other situations."

Being trapped on a small boat with another person is a key experience, one that can provide a comfortable, or tense, environment. This was a key reasoning behind the boat focus, stating that these quite moments that players can witness will give a realistic progression throughout the story and how the characters interact:

"It turned out really well, but to be quite frank, it was not popular for a long time on the team," Barlog says. "That was the running joke; if ever there was a discussion of scope or anything related to taking on too much, it was always, 'Well, we could cut the boat!' I think most those people wanted the swimming – as I wanted the swimming – but I think I just accepted earlier than they did. But it's a bigger win to do this. It really took a core group of people digging in and finding that core feel that really made it, 'Oh, okay, I get it'."

As for finding them, they are scattered everywhere throughout the game and incredibly accessible. Though the act of sailing is prevelant, the creative director does reiterate that it's not an open seas simulator and that players not looking forward to this aspect can rest easy because it's not really a main focus in the game.

To read more about the boats and how it relates to the rest of the story, you can read the full interview here.