Young Kratos Is a Strange Sight in this God of War Mod

When God of War was released on PlayStation 4 in 2018, the game featured a much older take on Kratos. The developers made several changes to the design that appeared in previous series entries, and even replaced the character's trademark facial hair with a classier beard. The result might be arguably more iconic than the original, but that didn't stop YouTuber Speclizer from inserting a younger version of Kratos into the game, meant to look closer to his appearance in God of War III. The results are a bit jarring to say the least, particularly when Kratos is interacting with his son, Atreus!

The video from Speclizer can be found embedded below.

It should be noted that this is not Speclizer's first God of War mod. Back in November, the modder revealed a version of Kratos that went beardless. This mod takes things one step further, ditching Kratos' armor in addition to his beard. While the character still looks a bit older than he does in God of War III, he still looks significantly younger than he did in 2018's God of War. It's a bit jarring, but it will be interesting to see what the modder does next with the character!

Kratos' 2018 redesign seems to have been widely embraced by fans over the last few years. While the new look played an important part in the game's narrative, it feels much more fitting for the character, and it seems like this design has become the one that's most recognizable to fans. Still, for those that have been enjoying the series since the release of 2005's God of War, Speclizer's version of the character could represent the best of both worlds, mixing elements from both of Kratos' designs.

Those that missed out on God of War III and God of War will be happy to know that both games are playable on PlayStation 5, where they both feature next-gen upgrades over their original versions. However, those that did play the games on PS4 will also be happy to know that the console supports importing of save files, so players can pick right back up where they left off before!

Are you a fan of God of War? What do you think of this younger take on Kratos? Let us know in the comments or share your thoughts directly on Twitter at @Marcdachamp to talk all things gaming!