God of War (2018 video game)



God of War is an action-adventure game developed by Santa Monica Studio and published by Sony Interactive Entertainment (SIE). Released worldwide on April 20, 2018, for the PlayStation 4 (PS4), it is the eighth installment in the God of War series, the eighth chronologically, and the sequel to 2010's God of War III. Unlike previous games, which were loosely based on Greek mythology, this installment is loosely inspired by Norse mythology, with the majority of it set in ancient Scandinavia in the realm of Miðgarðr. For the first time in the series, there are two protagonists: Kratos, the former Greek God of War who remains the only playable character, and his young son Atreus. Following the death of Kratos' second wife and Atreus' mother, they journey to fulfill her request that her ashes be spread at the highest peak of the nine realms. Kratos keeps his troubled past a secret from Atreus, who is unaware of his divine nature. Along their journey, they encounter monsters and gods of the Norse world.

Plot
Many years after Kratos' defeat of the Olympian gods, he now lives with his son Atreus in ancient Scandinavia in the realm of Midgard. After cremating the body of his wife, Faye, and after a short hunting/survival lesson with Atreus, Kratos is confronted by a mysterious man with godlike powers. The two battle and Kratos seemingly kills his opponent, after which Kratos and Atreus begin their journey to honor Faye's last wish: to scatter her ashes at the highest peak in the nine realms.

Reaching the Lake of the Nine, the pair encounter the friendly World Serpent, Jörmungandr, the last remaining Giant. When they find their path blocked by impenetrable black mist, the Witch of the Woods appears and instructs them to use the Bifröst to travel to Alfheim and secure its Light to extinguish the mist. Successful, they reach Midgard's peak and overhear a conversation between the mysterious man—revealed to be Baldur—Modi, Magni, and the imprisoned Mímir. After they leave, Kratos and Atreus confront Mímir, who reveals that their goal is in Jötunheim, but the Giants have blocked travel there to keep out Odin and Thor. Knowing of another passage, Mímir instructs Kratos to behead him and have his head revived by the Witch of the Woods, whom he reveals to be Freya upon resurrection. Kratos' longstanding hatred of gods causes him to immediately distrust her, but both Freya and Mímir warn him that he must tell Atreus about his true nature.

In search of components to open Jötunheim's portal, Kratos, Atreus, and Mímir are attacked by Modi and Magni. After Kratos kills Magni, Modi flees but later ambushes the protagonists. Kratos fends him off, but Atreus collapses, suddenly ill, due to the contradiction of a god believing himself to be mortal. Freya offers to help Atreus and instructs Kratos to retrieve the heart of a specific troll in Helheim; however, his frost-based Leviathan Axe is useless in the icy realm. Kratos returns home to unearth his old weapons, the fiery Blades of Chaos, and is haunted by Athena's spirit. After retrieving the heart, he has a haunting vision of Zeus, and Mímir pieces together Kratos' bloody past. Freya revives Atreus and Kratos tells him that he is a god. Atreus becomes increasingly arrogant and, against Kratos' orders, murders a weakened Modi, who was beaten by his father Thor for leaving his brother Magni to die. At Midgard's peak, Kratos and Atreus are ambushed by Baldur, resulting in Jötunheim's portal being destroyed and the group falling into Helheim.

Atreus makes amends with Kratos, and they learn of Freya and Baldur's familial relationship as well as the immortality spell that she cast on him. Returning to Midgard, Mímir realizes there is another way to reach Jötunheim, but he needs his missing eye. After obtaining it from Jörmungandr's belly—the eye was contained within a statue of Thor that the World Serpent swallowed—they are attacked by Baldur again, but Freya intervenes. During the fight, Baldur is pierced by Atreus' mistletoe arrow, breaking Freya's spell. Baldur is defeated, and despite being given an opportunity to retreat, he attempts to strangle Freya, forcing Kratos to kill him. A grieving Freya swears revenge and taunts Kratos about hiding his true nature. Kratos finally tells Atreus about his own past and how he killed his fellow Greek gods, including his father, Zeus. Atreus laments this cycle of violence, and Kratos tells him that they should learn from their experiences and not repeat the mistakes of their predecessors. A silent Freya leaves with Baldur's corpse, and Mímir hopefully suggests that she will eventually move on and realize that Kratos did the right thing.

In Jötunheim, they find a temple with a mural depicting their adventures, showing that the Giants had vaguely foretold the future. In addition, they discover that Faye was a Giant who decided to stay behind in Midgard, meaning that Atreus is half Giant, one-quarter god, and one-quarter mortal. Their fight with Baldur was shown, revealing that he was after Faye the whole time but was unaware that she was deceased. It is also revealed that Atreus was named Loki by his mother. Kratos and Atreus then fulfill their promise and spread her ashes at the peak, overlooking a valley of Giants' corpses. Afterward, Kratos reveals to Atreus that his given name was that of a compassionate Spartan comrade. Returning to Midgard, Mímir warns them that the three-year-long Fimbulwinter has begun, meaning Ragnarök—which was not supposed to occur for another hundred years— is soon to follow.

In the game's secret ending, Kratos, Atreus, and Mímir return home and slumber. Atreus has a vision that Thor will arrive at the end of Fimbulwinter to confront them.

Gallery

 * Characters