God of War (2018 video game)

While the first seven games were loosely based on Greek mythology, this installment is loosely inspired by Norse mythology, taking place several centuries after God of War III (2010).[25] Six of the nine realms of Norse mythology can be explored. Predating the Vikings,[24][26] most of the game takes place in ancient Scandinavia in the realm of Midgard, which is inhabited by humans and other creatures. It is the same realm in which the Greek world existed. As more dangerous creatures began appearing, many humans fled. Other realms visited as part of the story include Alfheim, the mystical home of the light and dark elves; Helheim, the icy land of the dead; and Jötunheim, the mountainous land of the Giants. Optional explorable realms include Niflheim, a realm of poisonous fog with a maze-like structure of rewards; and the fire realm Muspelheim, featuring the six Trials of Muspelheim—completing each trial grants rewards and advances Kratos and Atreus closer to the top of a large volcano. Access to the other three realms—Asgard, home of the Æsir gods; Vanaheim, home of the Vanir gods; and Svartalfheim, home of the dwarves—has been blocked by Odin, the ruler of Asgard and the Æsir gods.[27] At the center of the realms is the mythical tree Yggdrasil, which connects each realm. Although each realm is a different world, they exist simultaneously in the same space. Travel to and from realms can be done by using the Bifröst from a root of Yggdrasil contained within Týr's Temple at the center of the Lake of the Nine. The temple was created by its namesake, Týr, a peaceful God of War who traveled to other lands and learned about their mythologies; it was told that Odin had him killed as he believed Týr was secretly aiding the Giants and would try to overthrow him.[25]

The game's protagonists are Kratos (now voiced by Christopher Judge) and his young son Atreus (Sunny Suljic). Kratos is a warrior originally from Sparta who became the Greek God of War and is a son of Zeus. After ending up in ancient Scandinavia following his war against Olympus, he met his second and now deceased wife, Laufey (addressed as Faye), who died from an unknown cause. She bore their son, Atreus, who at the start of the game does not know about Kratos' past or his divine nature but can hear other beings' thoughts. The main antagonist is the Æsir god Baldur (Jeremy Davies), the half-brother of Thor, whose sons Modi and Magni (Nolan North and Troy Baker, respectively) assist him. Baldur's parents are Odin, the Allfather and King of the Æsir, and the Vanir goddess Freya (Danielle Bisutti), the former Queen of the Valkyries. Freya tried leaving Odin, after he began corrupting her Vanir magic. He in turn stripped her of her Valkyrie wings, banished her to Midgard, and cast a spell on her that prevented her from causing harm to others and from leaving the realm. She then hid her identity under an alias, the Witch of the Woods. To protect her son from a prophecy that foretold his death, Freya cast a spell of immortality on Baldur, which also prevented him from feeling pain or pleasure. The effects of the spell caused Baldur to greatly resent his mother. The only thing capable of harming him was mistletoe, a fact which Freya kept secret.[28]

Other characters include Mímir (Alastair Duncan), who claims to be the smartest man alive, and the Huldra Brothers—Brok (Robert Craighead) and Sindri (Adam J. Harrington)—dwarves who appear at various points in the world and assist Kratos and Atreus by forging new gear. Weapons forged by the Huldra Brothers, including Thor's hammer Mjölnir, were used by the Æsir gods. They also forged Kratos' Leviathan Axe, which originally belonged to Faye, who also gifted Kratos her Guardian Shield.[15] The spirit of the Greek goddess Athena (Carole Ruggier)[lower-alpha 3] makes a cameo appearance, and Zeus (Corey Burton)[lower-alpha 4] appears to Kratos as an illusion in Helheim.[28]

Many years after defeating the Olympian gods,[lower-alpha 5] Kratos now lives with his son Atreus in the realm of Midgard. After cremating the body of his second wife, Faye, Kratos is confronted by a stranger with godly powers. The two battle and Kratos seemingly kills the stranger, 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. Along the way, they encounter the kindly Witch of the Woods, who recognizes Kratos as a god, as well as the Huldra Brothers, Brok and Sindri.

Reaching the Lake of the Nine, the pair encounter the friendly World Serpent, Jörmungandr, the last remaining Giant. Continuing on their journey, they find their path blocked by impenetrable black mist; the Witch appears and instructs them to use the Bifröst to travel to Alfheim and secure its magical light to extinguish the mist. Successful, they reach Midgard's peak and overhear a conversation between the stranger—revealed to be Baldur—his nephews, Modi and Magni, and the imprisoned Mímir. After they leave, Kratos and Atreus confront Mímir, who reveals that the highest peak is actually 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 upon resurrection, he reveals to be the goddess Freya. 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 trio. Kratos fends him off, but Atreus collapses, overcome by illness 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 they are gods. Atreus becomes increasingly arrogant and, against Kratos' orders, murders a weakened Modi, who was beaten by his father Thor for not avenging Magni. At Midgard's peak, Kratos and Atreus are ambushed by Baldur, resulting in Jötunheim's portal being destroyed. Their battle descends to Týr's Temple and the group end up in Helheim after Kratos opens its portal with the Bifröst.

Atreus makes amends with Kratos, and they learn of Freya and Baldur's familial relationship as well as the spell that she cast on him. Returning to Midgard, Mímir realizes there is another way to reach Jötunheim, but he needs his missing eye, located in the statue of Thor that Jörmungandr had ate. After obtaining it from the serpent's belly, they are attacked by Baldur once more, but Freya intervenes to protect her son. During the fight, Baldur is pierced by Atreus' mistletoe arrow, breaking Freya's spell. After Baldur is finally defeated and given an opportunity to retreat, he attempts to strangle Freya and Kratos is forced to kill him. A grieving Freya swears vengeance on Kratos, leaving Atreus confused since they just saved her life. Kratos finally tells Atreus about his own past and how he killed his own father, the god 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.

Leaving Mímir with Brok and Sindri, Kratos and Atreus open the portal to Jötunheim. On the other side, they find an abandoned temple with a mural depicting their adventures, showing that the Giants, renowned for their gift of prophecy, had foretold their entire journey. Furthermore, they discover that Faye was a Giant who had decided to stay behind in Midgard, meaning that Atreus is half Giant, one-quarter god, and one-quarter mortal. Their fight with Baldur is shown, revealing that he was after Faye the whole time under orders from Odin, unaware that she was dead, and that Atreus was referred to as Loki by his mother and the Giants. Kratos sees a covered mural depicting what appears to be Atreus cradling a dying Kratos, but chooses to ignore it. They then fulfill their promise and spread Faye's ashes at the peak, overlooking a valley of Giant corpses. Afterward, Kratos reveals to Atreus that his given name was that of a compassionate Spartan comrade. Returning to Midgard, they retrieve Mímir, who warns them that Baldur's death has caused the three-year-long Fimbulwinter to begin nearly a century earlier than prophecised, meaning Ragnarök is soon to follow.

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

Christopher Judge does the voice and cinematic motion capture for Kratos in the game, replacing longstanding voice actor T.C. Carson, who had voiced Kratos since the original 2005 game, and also did the motion capture for him in 2013's Ascension.

During early development, there was talk of having a different protagonist for the game. Some of the team said that Kratos was "annoying" and felt Kratos' story had run its course. Barlog said it took a lot of convincing to keep Kratos.[6] Referencing the Nintendo character Mario and the Mario games, Barlog said that like Mario, "Kratos is intrinsically tied" to the God of War series.[24] In regard to the new changes, Barlog said that:

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.[52]

Barlog explained that Kratos had to change his cycle of violence and learn to control his rage. He said Kratos had made many bad decisions, which led to the destruction of Olympus. He wanted to know what would happen if Kratos made a good decision. The birth of Barlog's own son influenced the idea of Kratos' character change.[52] The canceled live-action Star Wars television series was also an influence; back on his days working at LucasArts, Barlog had been allowed to visit Skywalker Ranch and was able to read some scripts written by writers of The Shield and 24 planned for the show, particularly starring Emperor Palpatine in an emotional and sympathetic origin story that depicted his fall into villainy after being wronged by a heartless woman.[53] The bond between Kratos and his son is at the heart of the game. Barlog said, "This game is about Kratos teaching his son how to be a god, and his son teaching Kratos how to be human again."[20] Referencing the Marvel Comics character Hulk, Barlog said that in regards to Kratos, "We've already told the story of The Hulk. We want to tell the story of [Bruce] Banner now."[20] One of their goals was to make Kratos "a more nuanced and interesting character."[54] In changing the narrative focus, Studstill said, "I think we inherently knew the franchise needed to evolve in that emotional beat and be something meatier for the older generation of gamers."[54]

Christopher Judge, best known as Teal'c from Stargate SG-1, replaced Terrence C. Carson as the voice of Kratos; Carson had voiced Kratos since the original God of War. Commenting on the change, Carson said, "Sony went in a new direction."[55] Carson later explained that he understood the reason for the actor change and that Judge's casting made sense for what Sony was wanting to do. He also said that losing acting jobs is part of the business, but he did feel a lack of respect as he was not contacted by anyone at Sony to be informed of the change.[56]

In explaining the actor change, Barlog said that the way the previous games were made, they were able to have someone else do the motion capture instead of the voice actor. Although Carson had done the motion capture for Kratos in Ascension, Barlog said the actor change was made because of the type of camera work they wanted to do. For the new camera work, they needed someone who was closer to Kratos' size to do the motion capture along with a child. Carson was unsuitable for this because he was much shorter than Kratos, who is over 6-feet tall: "Offsetting [Carson's height] for the size of a child, it turned out it was going to be almost impossible to try and actually shoot them and go in and redo the animations."[57] Judge was chosen because he was 6-foot-3 and had the body of a professional football player. He was also chosen because of the chemistry with his then-10-year-old co-star, Sunny Suljic, whose opinion was also sought in making the decision; out of all the auditions, he liked Judge the most. The two bonded well, and Judge described his time with Suljic as time he had missed with his own children. In stepping into the role of Kratos, Judge took it as an opportunity to add something new to the character. He researched the character and Carson's performance but decided not to imitate it. Since Santa Monica was going in a new direction, he decided to start fresh. Judge was thrown off when he first read the script, saying it "was a real script," and not just "a way to get into battles," which is why he decided to take the role.[57] He said, "it was really this great story of this relationship and this crazy mythology."[57] While Judge did all of Kratos' motion capture for the cinematic scenes, stuntman Eric Jacobus did Kratos' combat motion capture; Jacobus was found by God of War's animators on YouTube. Instead of going directly to Santa Monica to audition, he recorded an audition tape and sent that in and was hired immediately.[58] Former WWE wrestler Shad Gaspard also performed some of the motion capture for Kratos; Gaspard's body was digitally scanned as the model for Kratos' new look in the game.[59]

During E3 2016, GameSpot mistakenly reported that Kratos' son's name was Charlie, which Barlog laughingly denied.[60] In January 2017, after a fan downloaded the God of War overture and saw the track's details that said, "An introduction to Kratos and Atreus", Barlog confirmed on Twitter that Atreus was in fact the son's name.[61] Barlog said Atreus was unaware that Kratos was a demigod and did not know about his past.[4] They did not reveal details of Atreus' mother before the release because she was a critical part of the story.[25] Barlog said that during gameplay, Atreus would be "like magic, an additional combat resource, and [the player is] training him and teaching him."[24] The developers said Atreus would not be a burden during gameplay.[15] The team experimented with several different approaches for Atreus to ensure he was an empowering presence. Barlog said he did not want the game to be an escort mission where the artificial intelligence caused a problem for the player. Their goal was for Atreus to enhance Kratos' capabilities without becoming a liability. This resulted in the developers having Atreus act freely unless the player uses a button to issue specific commands to him.[22] Atreus was also designed to call out enemy locations during combat. Since the camera is closer to Kratos, some enemies might be difficult for the player to see. Jason McDonald said it took a lot of iterations with the enemies and Atreus to make it all work together.[41]

Early in development, it was suggested that Atreus be cut, or his role significantly reduced because of the many developmental challenges and their costs. Barlog stated the game could have worked without Atreus, but it would have been completely different, likening it to the 2013 film All Is Lost. Barlog said that with just Kratos, it would have been "one character who talks to himself occasionally, but generally, it will be very silent and everyone will talk in old Norse, so that you won't understand anything anybody's saying."[62] After hearing Barlog's case, Sony gave him the freedom to incorporate Atreus. Lead level designer Rob Davis also noted that Atreus allowed for "significant gameplay and storytelling opportunities that might not otherwise [have been] possible."[62] After God of War was revealed at E3 2016, it drew comparisons to Naughty Dog's The Last of Us (2013), a game that also featured a father-child type story and gameplay. Barlog felt it was "fantastic" to be compared to that game and found it odd that some people considered the similarities a negative thing. Although he did not directly state they were influenced by The Last of Us in developing God of War, he did say, "I think we're all inspired by each other."[63] He did, however, use The Last of Us as an example to show the development team how an in-game companion could work without the game becoming an escort mission.[6]

God of War: A Call from the Wilds is a text-based game playable through Facebook Messenger. To help further promote God of War, Sony partnered with Facebook, Inc. to develop the play-by-web game, which released on February 1, 2018. Completing the game unlocks downloadable concept art. The short story follows Atreus on his first adventure in the Norse wilds. After archery training and learning runes with his mother, Atreus ventures into the wilderness after telepathically hearing the voice of a dying deer; he finds it covered in blood and stays with it during its final moments. A couple of draugrs appear and Atreus attempts to fight them but is injured. He is saved by his father, Kratos, who was out hunting. The two then battle a revenant before returning home.[85][86][87]

God of War: Mímir's Vision is a smartphone companion app that was released on April 17, 2018, for Apple and Android devices. Using alternate reality, it provides some background for the Norse setting of God of War.[88][89]

Raising Kratos is a YouTube documentary of Santa Monica Studio's five-year process in making the game, showing the "herculean effort" that went into reviving the franchise. The documentary was announced on April 20, 2019, the one year anniversary of the game's launch, and was released the following month on May 10.[90][91]

The Art of God of War is a book collecting various pieces of artworks created for the game during its development. It was written by Evan Shamoon and published by Dark Horse on April 24, 2018.[92]

An official novelization of the game, written by Cory Barlog's father, James M. Barlog, was released on August 28, 2018, by Titan Books.[93] An audiobook version is also available, narrated by Alastair Duncan, who voiced Mímir in the game.[94]

The novel retells the events of the game, but unlike the series' previous two novels, this one closely follows the source material with a few notable exceptions. The game never revealed how or why Kratos ended up in ancient Norway, or how much time had passed since the ending of God of War III, but the novel gives some indication. Kratos chose to leave ancient Greece to hide his identity and change who he was.[95] At some point after leaving Greece, he battles some wolves and is saved by a cloaked female figure, presumably Faye.[96] Later, during their journey, Kratos, Atreus, and Mímir see a mural with the wolves Sköll and Hati. This causes Kratos to have a flashback to that battle and makes him wonder if they dragged him to this new land and if so, why.[97] There was also some retconning. At the end of God of War III, Kratos had the Blades of Exile, but this novel says he had the Blades of Chaos after killing Zeus. It is also mentioned that he tried several times to get rid of the blades, but by fate they kept returning to him. (For example, he threw them off a cliff, but they washed up on shore near him.) Sometime after ending up in Norway, he decided to hide them under his house and never use them again. This moment was said to have occurred 50 years before the start of the current story. When Kratos does recover the Blades of Chaos, he hears Pandora's speech about hope from God of War III.[98]

In the game, Kratos sees one last image on the mural in Jötunheim. It seemingly shows Atreus holding Kratos' dead body, but in the novel, this mural is partially broken and does not show the corpse that Atreus is holding.[99] Brok and Sindri also reveal why they made the Leviathan Axe for Faye. She had come to them as the last Guardian of Jötnar and needed a weapon to protect her people. The Huldra Brothers crafted the Leviathan Axe for her to be Mjölnir's equal. Mímir also mentioned that Faye, or rather Laufey the Just, thwarted many of the Æsir's plans, including freeing slaves, and Thor could never find her.[100] Kratos' Guardian Shield is never mentioned, and Modi does not ambush them, resulting in Atreus falling ill. Atreus falls ill shortly after the first encounter when Kratos kills Magni.[101]

God of War: B is For Boy is an "ABC storybook for adults" in which the story of the game is retold in an abridged format with illustrations. The title comes from Kratos referring to Atreus as "boy" for most of the game. It was written by Andrea Robinson, with the illustrations being provided by Romina Tempest. It released on September 1, 2020, by Insight Editions.[102]

God of War: Lore and Legends is a tome that recreates Atreus' journal from the game. The book features new expanded lore that was written in collaboration with the writing team for the game. It was written by Rick Barba and published by Dark Horse on September 9, 2020.[103]

God of War received "universal acclaim" according to review aggregator Metacritic,[104] tying it with the original God of War for the highest score in the franchise.[118] It has the fourth-highest score of all-time for a PlayStation 4 game, and the highest score for an original, non-remastered PlayStation 4 exclusive.[119] It was the highest rated PlayStation 4 game of 2018 until the release of Red Dead Redemption 2 in October, which pushed God of War to second.[120] It is also tied with the Xbox One version of Celeste for the second-highest score of 2018, regardless of platform.[121] God of War received particular praise for its art direction, graphics, combat system, music, story, use of Norse mythology, characters, and cinematic feeling. Many reviewers felt it had successfully revitalized the series without losing the core identity of its predecessors.[122]

The story was well praised. Nick Plessas of Electronic Gaming Monthly (EGM) said the story's most memorable moments were the interactions between Kratos and Atreus. He also noted, "there is often some comic relief to be found when Kratos' curtness and Atreus' charming naivety collide."[107] He felt the presence of Atreus showed a side to Kratos not seen before, and that Kratos had evolved emotionally: "The rage and pain of his past is in constant conflict with his desire to spare his son from it, which comes across in even the most subtle actions and words, demonstrating the effort he is putting in." Plessas said Atreus' character was similarly complex. He commented it is easy for child characters "to succumb to a number of annoying child archetypes," but Atreus is more like a young man who is doing his best in an adult world.[107] Game Informer's Joe Juba similarly praised the story, particularly the relationship between Kratos and Atreus: "The interactions of Kratos and Atreus range from adversarial to compassionate, and these exchanges have ample room to breathe and draw players in." Juba said that Kratos conveys more character than in any previous game.[108] Peter Brown of GameSpot felt that although Kratos and Atreus were enjoyable, it was Mímir who stole the show. He also said that regardless of which character the player meets, the cast of God of War is "strong, convincing, and oddly enchanting."[110] Writing for Game Revolution, Jason Faulkner praised Santa Monica for creating a sequel that new players would be able to understand without having played any of the previous games, while at the same time providing story references to those past games that returning fans would appreciate. Speaking of the relationship between Kratos and Atreus, Faulkner wrote that, "Watching the two grow throughout their journey is incredibly rewarding," equating it to that of Ellie and Joel from The Last of Us or Lee and Clementine from Telltale Games' The Walking Dead.[109]

In terms of the game's combat system, Plessas said that unlike previous games, which often relied on the player to use many combos in a sequential fashion, this game is "more about individual moves strung together in response to the assortment of enemies being fought." Although that difference may be small, he said that the independent attacks of the axe "feature benefits and drawbacks players will need to understand and master to be as effective as possible." Furthermore, although the axe is "conceptually simple", it is "mechanically fascinating". It "succeeds as both a versatile means of dismembering foes and as a key element in puzzle solving." He felt the axe and all of its features was "distinctly rewarding to use" and that it had more versatility than all of the weapons in many other games.[107] Juba said the Leviathan Axe is "a well-balanced and entertaining tool of destruction." He liked how it "emphasizes a more calculated style of combat; instead of zoomed-out, combo-driven encounters, Leviathan makes you a tactician." He also enjoyed how the combat system gradually unfolded through the course of the game; although seemingly restrictive at first, he noted players will be rapidly alternating between weapons and skills.[108] While some reviewers greatly enjoyed the ability to call the Leviathan Axe back to Kratos' hand,[108][113] Chris Carter of Destructoid felt it got old after a while.[106] Atreus' implementation was praised. Plessas said Atreus is "surprisingly useful" and that he "lands in the perfect spot on the spectrum between independence and reliance."[107] Faulkner noted that, "The interplay between Kratos ax, fists, and shield, and Atreus' bow makes for an impressive fighting system."[109] Despite its different approach to combat, compared to the previous games, GamesRadar+'s Leon Hurley felt the game was "every bit as brutally unflinching as previous games."[111]

Writing for Polygon, Chris Plante praised the camerawork as a technical marvel, noting the seamless nature of the game shifting from cinematic back to the gameplay.[114] Juba said the decision to shift the camera closer to Kratos "[proved] immensely rewarding during big moments by giving [the player] an intimate view."[108] Faulkner, however, claimed "it can be difficult to control the camera and keep a bead on the enemies you're fighting."[109] In his review for IGN, Jonathon Dornbush felt the intimacy of the camera makes all the emotions "more real and impactful."[113] Speaking of the game's visuals, Faulkner said the game looks amazing, "and with 4K and HDR this game goes a step beyond what even games like Horizon Zero Dawn showed us was possible on this platform."[109] Brown noted that "God of War is a technical and artistic showcase. It is without a doubt one of the best-looking console games ever released."[110] Dan Ryckert of Giant Bomb claimed that games like Uncharted: The Lost Legacy and Horizon Zero Dawn "made great cases for a PS4 Pro and a 4K television, but God of War's visuals are a bigger selling point than anything I've seen on Sony's platform to date."[112]

Despite the game's grandeur, Plessas felt that the boss fights "do not hit quite the same frequency as they did in the past few games." However, the few boss fights in the game "do the series proud".[107] As to the vast world of God of War, Faulkner said that, "The great thing about the exploration in God of War is that you can participate in it as little or as much as you want." He said an excellent design decision is that during main plot points, the game keeps the player on task, while in between, the player can explore, allowing God of War "to have the best of both worlds".[109] Plessas noted that although the puzzles require thought, they were not "hair-pullingly" difficult as some were in previous games.[107] Juba also found that the puzzles were not too challenging, saying they were fun.[108]

Plessas felt that the RPG elements present in the game make this installment "unique" compared to previous entries. He said the game allows players to "specialize Kratos to meet the specific task at hand, or develop a build that best suits a preferred playstyle." Although this did not make the game easier, he felt it did make it more manageable.[107] Juba noted that although this type of upgrading "may be less exciting" compared to previous games where Kratos just learns new moves, it still "provides a powerful incentive to explore."[108] Ryckert was disappointed by this type of customization. He felt the presentation was "half-baked" and that some materials were confusing as there was little explanation given for their use. He did, however, say it was "cool" to see new armor on Kratos.[112]

In terms of flaws, Plessas said that "God of War is so good that its most egregious failing is not letting fans play more of it", as New Game Plus was not an option at the time of the review.[107] Juba said that "God of War's momentum rarely falters, and when it does, the inconvenience is brief." One example he gave was the map, saying that although players have freedom to explore, it can be difficult to track Kratos' position. He also felt the fast-travel system was "weirdly cumbersome" and that it opens up too late in the game.[108] Although he enjoyed these features, Faulkner noted some players may dislike that God of War has a lack of player agency, and players have to explore the majority of the game on foot or by boat since the fast-travel feature is unlocked late in the game.[109] Brown felt that if anything in God of War was a letdown, it was the final fight against Baldur: "He's great from a narrative standpoint, unraveling in a manner that changes your perspective, but it's the fight itself that leaves you wanting. There are plenty of big boss battles and tests of skill throughout the course of the game, yet this fight doesn't reach the same heights, and feels like it was played a little safe."[110] Hurley said his only criticism was that, "You can occasionally find yourself unsure if you're doing something wrong, or don't have the right equipment yet."[111]

During its release week in the United Kingdom, God of War became the fastest-selling entry in the franchise, selling 35% more physical copies than God of War III.[123] The game remained at the top of the all format sales chart for six consecutive weeks through April and May, setting a record for a PlayStation 4 exclusive having the most consecutive weeks at number one.[124] It sold 46,091 units in its first week on sale in Japan, which placed it at number two on the sales chart.[125] The game sold over 3.1 million units worldwide within three days of its release, making it the fastest-selling PlayStation 4 exclusive at the time.[126] The game was the fastest-selling game of the month of its release and contributed to the PlayStation 4 being the best-selling console of that month.[127] In total, the game sold over 5 million units in its first month, with 2.1 million in digital sales.[128][129] By May 2019, the game had sold over 10 million units worldwide, making it the best-selling game in the series.[130][131] By August 2021, total sales of the game had exceeded over 19.5 million units, making it the best-selling PlayStation 4 game.[82] By March 2022, the PC version had sold 971,000 units, giving a total of over 20.4 million units sold.[132] By November 2022, the game had sold 23 million units.[133]

God of War won Game of the Year awards from several gaming publications, including British Academy Games Awards,[134] The Blade,[135] CNET,[136] Destructoid,[137] D.I.C.E. Awards,[138] Empire,[139] Entertainment Weekly,[140] G1,[141] The Game Awards,[142] Game Developers Choice Awards,[143] Game Informer,[144] Game Revolution,[145] GamesRadar+,[146] IGN,[147] Nerdist,[148] New York Game Awards,[149] Polygon,[150] Push Square,[151] Slant Magazine,[152] Time magazine,[153] Variety,[154] and VideoGamer.com.[155] The game was named among the best games of the 2010s by Areajugones,[156] BuzzFeed,[157] GameSpew,[158] GamesRadar+,[159] Gaming Age,[160] GamingBolt,[161] The Hollywood Reporter,[162] IGN,[163] Metacritic,[164] Slant Magazine,[165] Stuff,[166] and VG247.[167] It was voted as the winner of IGN's Best Video Game of All Time.[168]

The game was nominated for Game of the Show, Best PlayStation 4 Game, and Best Action Game at IGN's Best of E3 2016 Awards.[169] It won the award for Game of the Year, Best PlayStation 4 Game, Best Action-Adventure Game, Best Art Direction, and Best Story at IGN's Best of 2018 Awards.[147][170][171][172] It was a runner-up for Best Graphics,[171] and was nominated for Best Music.[173]

• Barlog, James M. (August 28, 2018). God of War – The Official Novelization. God of War (1st ed.). United States: Titan Books. ISBN 978-1-789-09014-7.
• Juba, Joe (February 2018). "Worshipping at New Altars: How Sony is Reinventing God of War". Game Informer. No. 298. Minneapolis, Minnesota: GameStop. pp. 34–45.