Kratos has been one of gaming’s most enduring recent mascots. For 20 years, this Greek brute has conquered PlayStation hardware like he conquered Mount Olympus. The godly status God of War earned after a slew of incredible titles makes the series important in and of itself, but also even more totemic when zooming out and looking at the impact it has had.
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God of War’s impression was quickly noticed when it made its debut in 2005. Not only did it review and sell well — it got an average score of 94 and sold 4.6 million copies — it quickly gave way to plenty of games that were, well, heavily inspired by Kratos’ adventure to say the least. Ghost Rider, Splatterhouse, Heavenly Sword, Dante’s Inferno, Castlevania: Lords of Shadow, Clash of the Titans, Thor: God of Thunder, Conan, X-Men: Origins: Wolverine, Green Lantern: Rise of the Manhunters, and The Legend of Spyro: Dawn of the Dragon — yes, even a damn Spyro game — are just some of the titles that clearly went to Kratos University.
But this C-average class never became close to stealing the throne. The PS2, PS3, and PSP entries always held the character action genre in a chokehold by eclipsing their peers in scope, visuals, combat, and polish. Even Ascension, the weakest of the series, stands tall over almost every one of those previously mentioned titles. Inspiring a whole generation of action games while still remaining on top is quite the feat and proves Santa Monica Studio’s (and Ready at Dawn’s) mastery of the franchise. While some are slightly stronger than others, each entry has its place.
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Quality is obviously a commendable trait since putting out that many hit titles is not something many franchises can consistently achieve. However, quality is only part of the picture. God of War’s most defining trait is how deftly it has been able to evolve.
This is most true in the newest duology, which began with the simply titled God of War in 2018. It was a reimagining in some sense of the term, but mostly a continuation. Kratos was more grounded, the narrative and characters were more complex, and the camera had been lowered to allow for more intimate combat, but it didn’t de-emphasize fighting or wipe Kratos’ slate clean. In fact, those earlier games played a key role in the narrative and allowed for Kratos’ to have a massive overall arc. Completely shaking free of continuity can be liberating, and it’s easy to see why some franchises like Terminator and Halloween do it. But respectfully using that lore to inform the path forward can pay off even more. Story and melee combat were always key pillars for God of War, and they were as prevalent as ever, albeit in more contemporary forms.
Kratos coming back in a new era meant it would be best for him to reflect on that new era. Another typical God of War game might have been fantastic, but going back to that well yet again also would not have been as exciting. God of War evolved with the times and expectations of the medium and that metamorphosis is commendable. This is a recurring theme in Raising Kratos, the full-length documentary about the 2018 God of War. Multiple developers pointed out how the studio and its players had grown, so it only made sense for God of War to mature as well.
Many franchises aren’t given the chance or budget to prosper. Risk often keeps them in their safe spaces where risk-averse publishers hope that the same old thing can sustain itself in perpetuity. Halo and Gears of War are two massive IPs that haven’t quite nailed how to adapt and remain fresh. Some, like Dead Rising or Ninja Gaiden, even sand down their identities and confuse devolving with evolving. Resident Evil has transformed a couple times and that was a key touchstone director Cory Barlog used when conveying to fellow team members how change can be beneficial to a series if done with earnestness and sincerity. And much like Resident Evil, God of War is still relevant now because of its ability to intelligently move forward, even if that comes in the form of killing an entry.
One of the first things Barlog says in the aforementioned 2019 documentary is that “change is possible.” Creative director David Jaffe also explained in an old behind-the-scenes video for the first game that he wanted to take established action genre ideas but present them in a fresh way with an “epic feel that [players] haven’t really gotten before in a game.” These two statements made in two different eras encapsulate why the franchise has flourished: it prioritizes ingenuity in ways that match the moment. It’s unknown where God of War will go from here, as Ragnarok left the series in a tough yet wide open spot. But if it’s a God of War worthy of the title, it’ll earn that name by meeting the moment, whatever that moment may be.
