One Big Mistake Might Destroy the God Of War Trilogy Remake

Perhaps the biggest news to come from Sony’s PlayStation State of Play event in February 2026 was the announcement of remakes to the entire God of War original trilogy. According to limited information, these seem to be complete reworks of Kratos’ path of vengeance against the Greek pantheon, retelling his tale from becoming the God of War to defeating his father Zeus. However, this exciting reveal wasn’t accompanied by any gameplay, leaving fans to worry about what direction this remake might take.

Ever since God of War (2018), the series has gone in a much different direction than the main three Greek God of War games once did. The hack-and-slash gameplay was overhauled in favor of more deliberate and focused action, with deep mechanics and slight RPG gear and skill customizations. While the God of War Trilogy Remake is unlikely to go so far to adopt the side-scrolling action of the Sons of Sparta spin-off released shortly after the State of Play, its gameplay direction is something that is a big unknown right now.

The God Of War: Remake Trilogy Should Avoid Changing Its Combat To Match The Norse Games

In my personal opinion, I don’t think it would be wise for God of War Trilogy Remake to adopt the same combat style as God of War (2018) or God of War: Ragnarok. While those battle systems were incredibly refined by the late George Mawle and the team behind God of War (2018), those innovations also represent an era of Kratos that doesn’t reflect who he was back in his debut. Even with the Blades of Chaos existing in both parts of Kratos’ overall journey, it doesn’t make sense to redo the original game’s combat from the ground up.

The character’s change into a more patient father directly influenced his controlled fighting in the Norse games, where his actions were more protective than reckless. To contrast, Kratos’ destructive and brutal actions in the primary three God of War titles are reflected through the hack-and-slash commands, which have complete disregard for anyone other than the Spartan warrior. One of the biggest concerns from fans seems to be that these identities of the series’ main character will become blurred if the remake tries to match the modern interpretations.

This is reinforced by the involvement of T.C. Carson, the original God of War Kratos voice actor before Christopher Judge in the Norse titles. T.C. Carson might be involved to evoke Kratos again in the God of War Trilogy Remake, repeating his iconic lines similar to David Hayter reprising his in Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater. Having T.C. Carson back means that developer Santa Monica wants the remake to feel like the older games, an immersive quality that a change in gameplay could easily derail.

Remaking the God of War combat from scratch also means that the remake will take far longer to complete than fans would hope. Although the systems and tools from God of War: Ragnarok are there, it could easily mean that the trilogy’s rebirth could take until 2028 or longer to actually get into player’s hands. Overall, refining and polishing the hack-and-slash mechanics to modern standards might ultimately be the better direction for the trilogy remake to take.

Updating Dated Parts Of The Original GoW Trilogy’s Gameplay Would Keep More Fans Happy

There are plenty of other systems and features from the older God of War games that desperately need updates that would befit a full remake. Beyond the combat, older level designs, bosses, or other annoying environmental mechanics are just begging to be adjusted. Keeping the core combat of the original games will allow developers to focus on dated elements of God of War, God of War 2, and God of War 3 that haven’t translated well to modern sensibilities.

The celebrated and long-running franchise that is God of War has remained that way by keeping its core fan base happy with innovations and new entries to the series. Above all else, breaking that faith with fans carries a much heavier risk, as it could stain future attempts to elevate the franchise in the future. Many players have fond memories of each God of War, but re-imagining the worst parts of those games is far better than trying to update parts that don’t need it.

Although not every player would complain if the core combat of the first God of War games were changed, that type of change represents an unfortunate erasure of what made those titles memorable in the first place. For God of War Trilogy Remake to be truly successful, I believe it must keep the core gameplay of Kratos’ first adventures to recapture the magic of those legendary titles.

How do you think Santa Monica should approach the combat systems in God of War Trilogy Remake? Leave a comment below or join the conversation in the ComicBook Forum!