Once the curtain fell on Sony’s E3 presser yesterday evening, a hushed excitement washed over the crowd – and indeed everyone tuning in online – as the platform-holder introduced a young boy playing in a Nordic environment.
A booming voice pierced the tranquility, though, eventually leading to the wonderful reveal of Kratos and, subsequently, Sony Santa Monica’s God of War. You’ll notice that the PlayStation exclusive doesn’t come bearing the numeral four, nor is it in any way a sequel to Ascension; instead, the team at Sony Santa Monica are holding up Kratos’ debut on PS4 as a “new beginning.”
Word comes by way of PlayStation Blog, where Cory Barlog recounted the early days of development on God of War, and why this new entry in the action-adventure series is considered a soft reboot in the gameplay department, as opposed to a narrative overhaul.
I knew I didn’t want to simply reboot the franchise, starting over with a retelling of the origin story. I wanted to reimagine the gameplay, give players a fresh perspective and a new tactile experience while delving deeper into the emotional journey of Kratos to explore the compelling drama that unfolds when an immortal demigod makes a decision to change.
For Kratos, this change means breaking the cycle of violence, distrust and deception that his family, the Greek pantheon, perpetuated for so long. That cycle drove a whole host of bad decisions – the ill-fated deal with Ares, the murder of his family and a rage fueled descent into madness and vengeance that ultimately ended with the epic destruction of Olympus.
That means God of War PS4 takes place after the events of God of War 3, though we understand that the story will circle back to the events of Olympus in some respects. Perhaps explaining how Kratos became a father in the first place?
There’s no word of a release date for Sony Santa Monica’s PS4 tentpole at this time, but we’ll continue to keep you updated as we learn more.
