Till last week, God of War (2018) was the best PC game that was never played. In a first, PlayStation gave in to the loud demands of the wider gaming audience. God of War, previously a PlayStation exclusive, finally released for the PC. In a gaming-only newspaper, announcement of the release would feature the front-page. It would say: “The beginning of the end of a worldwide console war: Sony initiating a ceasefire with this iconic release”. The picture would show an anthropomorphic PlayStation and a computer mouse shaking hands.
Buying the game is not really a difficult decision if you have not played it before. 2018 Kratos is a significant improvement over his previous toxic avatars. In this game, we watch him struggle to develop a wider spectrum of emotions. In addition to being angry, he has now unlocked the “sad” emotion. He travels the realms of Nordic mythology with an angsty pre-teen son. The friction between Atreus and Kratos brings some good dialogue. They also fight magically enhanced mosquito creatures on occasion. As we know from most games, fighting is a team-building activity. As the game progresses, Kratos and Atreus grow less resentful of each other, and bond over their love for Faye.
The real question now is if you should buy the PC game if you already have a PlayStation. The answer is not a definitive no. Having finished the game on PS4 before, I found some noticeable differences. I was levelled up, and my senses were heightened. Combat covers a major part of the game, and I found that reflexes felt faster, and the environment cues were sharper: mini bosses had nothing on Kratos. Skill-building, weapon upgrades, gameplay progression — all else remain the same. However, if you do buy the PC version, ensure that you have a controller.
The game wasn’t originally designed for a PC, and although this port is excellent, it remains that the haptic feedback of the Leviathan axe is 90% of the Kratos experience. This latest PC port also serves as a friendly reminder to “Ragnarok”, the next in the series which is to release later this year. It’s a great time to play the game and get that completion trophy before Ragnarok is out!