God of War

For my first entry to the GoW games series, this is very well executed overall (story, pacing, writing, combat, graphics, sound design).

PC port is really well done too.

Great game, good combat and story.

Bought this game with some of the money i got on my birthday last year and once i pressed "new game" and the game immediately started there i knew this was going to be a great journey.

When i started this episode, i wasn't hyped at all. As a long time fan of the franchise, i love the first 2 episodes, but GOW 3 pissed me off (too many destructions, too much anger, TOO MUCH, even though it's visually spectacular).
I love the franchise again, thanks to this episode, thanks to the characters, the story tellings, the relationship between the dad that can't do what any dad should : being kind to his son.
If you add a solid gameplay, a great game design, a lot of exploration in a marvelous atmosphere brought by the great artistic direction, perfect sound design, etc... you end up with a masterpiece that you won't forget anytime soon.

PS
The moment when Kratos has to reveal his true nature and get his chains back is one of the most memorable moments in my 40 years of gaming

Very fantastic game for multiple reasons I'll break down for anyone interested:

Pros

- Fantastic story and visuals that rivals most games out there. Camera is always zoomed in over the shoulder for ultimate cinematic experience, especially in combat

- A nearly perfect combat system that has been reworked from the ground up, being completely different than the original God of War trilogy

- A perfect world built in Norse mythology, some changes made to the original mythology for the stories sake, but very welcome as it is done beautifully

cons

- Combat may seem super appealing, But the camera being zoomed in for a cinematic experience makes combat awkward sometimes as you cant see enemies all around you at once, once adjusting to it it isn't too bad, but still worth noting

- Fast travelling and revisiting old areas can be very boring as no new dialogue for the most part and a ton of hidden loading screens, unless absolutely necessary be sure to be vigilant and get most or all of the items you believe are in an area to prevent having to revisit


Overall I'd HIGHLY recommend this game, It's perfect for what it's trying to accomplish making it a masterpiece, sure the flaws can be glaring at times but overall very amazing and I can't keep coming back to replay this game at least once or twice a year it's actually so fun and investing

Every second of this game was enjoyable... except for when you have to lug a huge boar or log around for minutes on end. But the combat felt so nice. Visuals were stunning. I didn't necessarily like how the story progressed (i.e. "you need to get this item, but first go here and get these two items, and suddenly its now broken so go back over here!"), but the growing relationship between Kratos and Atreus really made up for that.

The story for this game is absolutely beautiful and the boss fights are incredible. One of the most cinematic video games ever created. The voice actor for Kratos is perfect too.

Personally one of the best story driven games ever released. I love this game. Gonna 100% one day.

If you like rich story telling and lore and exploration then stop reading and play it.

Best story telling, excellent graphics for 2018, fun combat, and we all love Kratos

I really liked the original trilogy. I wanted to like this game too. Really. But I can't. It's just boring. I mean compared to the original. It doesn't feel grand. It feels empty. Most of the time It's just a really easy platformer. I mean platforming is practically automatic in this game. Combat is very interesting because it's incredibly overcomplicated and uninteresting at the same time. I mean Kratos is made up to be a mighty, and powerful god in the story. The god of war, as the title says. But the Kratos I know could finish 20 harpies and 50 undead soldiers backed up by 2 minotaurs in under 3 minutes. This Kratos is fucking around with 10 Draugr and an Ogre for 20 minutes. It's ridicoulus.
Also in the first 3 games you always had the feeling of something great happening wherever Kratos went. I mean it starts with the siege of Athens. There are soldiers in the background, and warships and stuff. Here it's just going around in dead f-ing silence.
The game may be interesting if it was played by somebody who doesn't know much about norse mithology. But I'm nearing 40, I already know all my share of all mythology.
So this game is unfortonately quite meh...

I remember listening to people talk enthusiastically about this game on podcasts from my work cubicle 7 years ago. I was missing out on it being a PlayStation exclusive and hoped it would one day come to PC, which seemed like a long shot.

Then it did. Many exclusives did. I'm glad that's in our timeline.

I initially started my playthrough a few years ago on the Steam Deck, on a work trip and from what I remember it was a lot of fun on the Deck. However, I dropped it because I was surprised to see THPS 1 + 2 finally come to Steam. Then I waited until I upgraded my PC. And then I waited a little longer...

Yeah this game is pure cinema. I loved the father and son dynamic throughout the whole game. I am thankful I had the chance to play this. There were a few times I struggled on second lowest difficulty (Give Me A Balanced Experience) but all in all the gameplay was satisfying.

My only complaint really is the upgrading and crafting systems. They felt cluttered and weren't intuitive for me. I'm sure I would have had a better time in some fights if I had optimized my build but I managed. Besides that, there wasn't anything to complain about for me.

This one was a lot of fun, definitely worth giving it a shot! It was fun on the Steam Deck but I am glad I played most of my playthrough on my desktop.

BOY!

Backlog Games Beaten 2025
19/50

Amazing game! Great story line. Makes you feel as if you are Kratos. Definitely recommend this game to many. Run very good on mid grade computers and is even better on higher end. Game runs smooth. Only thing that I wish is that the game had a slightly longer story line.

Overall here are my ratings:

- Graphics 9/10
- Performance 10/10 (Runs good on a mid grade PC with integrated graphics ie. Radeon 780M with only 4GB of VRAM, And 8GB of DDR4 RAM, Small computer is an ACEMAGIC Mini PC) Runs smooth at mid/high settings. To the point there isnt a noticeable difference between running on my highend to midrange pc.
- Gameplay mechanics 10/10 (Easy to get use to and zone into the controls. )
- Story Line 9/10 (As I said above could have been a smidge longer but was still very full and very immersive)

As said before I would definitely recommend this game to many users who want a chill but challenging gameplay. For anyone with questions feel free to ask. I'd be happy to explain more on the game. :)

Finally completed 100% today! Thank you
I really enjoyed the game.

Great game, beautiful graphics and well written story.
But this is not God of War. This is a neutered version made for a wide audience and has nothing to do with the original series. Also if I want to search endless ruins for lost treasures, I'll buy Tomb Raider, dont need this in a "God of War" game.

10/10 Flawless Gem. Game Mechanics are amazing, challenging boss fights (plus optional ones), Story is top tier-- up there with Witcher 3. Only about 50 hours or so for 100%, so a little lacking there, but for a damn near perfect game, who could complain?

Theres a lot going right with this game. Great graphics, beautiful scenery, great writing, exciting gameplay

Overall good game . The game has depth especially in character of kratos which is very admirable.

Without a doubt one of my favourite games of all time. If you haven't already, do yourself a favour and play it.

Don't listen to any dumbass saying this game is bad, this game is immaculate, truly my favorite game of all time.

Great game. good stories and characters with fun combat. bosses are challenging and fun to fight.

Loved God of War since its platformer times. This game is amazing, they did a great job releasing it on PC. Little kid is a nightmare though, 10/10 belt recommended.

amazing title, all the games are good. definitely worth picking up.

First of all, I had never played God of War before, so this version of GoW was the first one I played. I finished the GoW story in mid-April, and in my opinion, the game is absolutly great. The cinematics, gameplay, graphics, and especially the story—everything was fantastic. I bought the game on sale for €19.99, but it's one of those games that's well worth the €49.99 price tag. Definitely recommended!

everything was beautiful, i almost climaxed when i opened the game

I might have a controversial opinion here. I cannot recommend these Sony games to anyone.
Sony trash has implemented region restrictions and for that reason I cannot play or buy GOW Ragnarok unless I change my steam region to valid countries (which is technically illegal)
So my choices are either pirate the game or do that mentioned above, both of which are illegal and Sony trash is directly responsible for it.
Why can't you simply enable it to all regions like how rest of the fucking gaming publishers release?

The game itself is good, they made it seem like it's one of the greatest games of all time, it really isn't. It's mainly a story based game and the open world isn't really that open. It certainly is a good game and deserves positive reviews.

This technical help thread documents my struggles (and my computer specs). It says "resolved", because it does not tell the whole story. After seemingly fixing the issue and playing for 11 more hours, the game started lagging again. I reinstalled my OS, installed all my OS updates and graphics card updates, and reinstalled the game, which was the exact same thing that fixed the game last time. It didn't work. I tried it again. It didn't work. So I gave up, borrowed a PS5 from someone else, and played the game there. I don't know why I couldn't play it on my computer when 96% of everyone else seemed to have no issue, but unfortunately that was what happened.

✅ Engaging story even for a person not familiar with the franchise
✅ Enjoyable and quite easy combat system with satisfying finishers
✅ Beautiful graphics and great norse mythology vibes

❌ Low replayability
❌ Short and shallow story
❌ There are only a few finishers so they become repetitive and annoying in the later stages of the game
❌ There are many sections where you have to crawl, squeeze through tight spaces, or slowly climb — almost like the game is disguising a loading screen

This game was awesome on the Steam Deck, I completed 100% of it and then replayed the main story in NG+ , those were a couple of great weeks.
The default video settings didn't look the best so I turned them up and only had a few moments of FPS dropping.
The story is incredible and the world is massive.

This was my first time playing a God of War game. I expected a solid action-packed hack-and-slash, but what I got was a layered mythological journey that blends emotion, violence, and discovery in a way few games manage. Kratos, who I always thought was just a brutal rage machine, shows far more depth and restraint than I anticipated. His relationship with Atreus adds a natural emotional arc that develops meaningfully as the story unfolds.

Exploring the different realms was one of my favorite parts. Each one had its own distinct atmosphere, and despite the game being nearly a decade old, some of the landscapes genuinely made me stop and take it all in. There’s a handcrafted feel to the world that makes digging into every corner worthwhile. The gear system is also impressively designed—upgrades aren’t just about boosting numbers; they noticeably affect gameplay. The variety in armor sets gave me a reason to experiment with different builds, and the style upgrades were a nice bonus.

The movement is sharp, the combat feels limitless, and the skill tree never comes off as filler, every unlock actually matters. It’s one of the few games where upgrading your weapon feels like progress, not a chore. That said, I did run into a few technical hiccups, a crash here and there, plus the occasional texture glitch, but they were minor in an otherwise smooth experience.

Rating: 9/10 – A mythic, brutal, and surprisingly personal game that still feels fresh years later.

How do i even start to review this...
God of War (2018) is the perfect sequal to the Greek saga of Kratos.
The story is amazing in so many means, it's about fatherhood, excitement and loss. As Kratos is no longer the killing machine he was. He's a father.

The combat is also a great aspect of the game, it feels smoth rather than niche, and really fun overall, so are the bosses.

Visualwise, it's perfect. Beautiful graphics. Every location in the game is unique in it's on way and I really like it.

There's not much for exploration, but the side stories and Brok & Sindri's favors were really enjoyable to complete. Especially the part about the dwarf king.

Overall, this is a great game, probably the best story i ever experienced in a game and it managed that while keeping the combat enjoyable too. 10/10.

10/10 game, it deserves all the praise it gets.

Idk why I've slept on the God of War series this long, this was awesome to play. Looking forward to playing the sequel now!!

Waited a long time to get this game in PC
If you are a die-hard GOW fan and curious what's the next chapter for Kratos after GOW3, then this game is the perfect sequel. This is the 1st game I've achieved 100%.

Kinda disappointing that Ragnarok is not yet available to all region as of May 2025.

An amazing game! Highly recommended! Overall score: 9/10

God of War (2018) is a masterclass in storytelling, game design, and emotional depth. It respects the legacy of the franchise while reinventing it in a way that feels both fresh and meaningful. I found myself deeply invested in Kratos and Atreus’ journey—not just for the action, but for the heart at its center. The mix of intense combat, breathtaking visuals, and a resonant narrative makes this one of the most memorable games I’ve ever played. Whether you're a longtime fan or a newcomer, this is a must-play.

Story: 10/10

God of War presents a bold reimagining of the franchise, trading in the revenge-fueled chaos of its predecessors for a more mature, emotionally resonant tale. Set in the world of Norse mythology, the story follows Kratos and his son Atreus as they journey to fulfill a promise to scatter the ashes of Atreus’ mother from the highest peak in the realms. What begins as a simple task evolves into a deep, character-driven narrative about fatherhood, grief, and legacy. The writing is nuanced, the pacing well-measured, and the development of the relationship between Kratos and Atreus is truly compelling.

Graphics: 8.5/10

Visually, God of War is stunning. The game's single-shot camera technique enhances immersion, pulling players into the richly detailed environments without a single loading screen or cutaway. From snow-covered peaks to fiery realms, every location is designed with cinematic quality. Character models are incredibly detailed, and facial animations effectively convey subtle emotions—especially important in a story so centered around personal growth and connection.

Sound: 9/10

The sound design in God of War is exceptional. Bear McCreary’s epic orchestral score perfectly matches the game’s tone, ranging from hauntingly somber to thunderously intense. Voice acting is top-tier, with Christopher Judge’s performance as Kratos bringing a new depth to the character. The sound effects—from the satisfying crunch of the Leviathan Axe returning to Kratos' hand to the roars of mythological beasts—are powerful and immersive, contributing heavily to the game's emotional and dramatic weight.

Gameplay: 10/10

The combat system is a major evolution from previous entries, favoring a slower, more tactical style that balances brutal melee action with strategic thinking. The Leviathan Axe is a standout weapon, offering both satisfying physicality and utility through ranged throws and elemental attacks. Atreus also plays a crucial role in combat and puzzle-solving, adding variety and depth. The RPG elements—such as skill trees, gear upgrades, and runes—offer customization without overwhelming the experience. Exploration is rewarding, filled with optional challenges, lore-rich side quests, and hidden secrets.

Replay Value: 8.5/10

While the core story is linear, the game offers a significant amount of post-story content. Players can revisit areas to uncover secrets they missed, tackle optional bosses like the Valkyries (some of the toughest fights in the game), and complete side quests with meaningful narratives. Though it doesn’t have traditional new game plus (at launch—it was added later), the combination of exploration, combat mastery, and collectibles offers plenty of incentive to return.

Favorite quote:
"We win because we are determined. Disciplined. Not because we feel ourselves superior." - Kratos

mamma mia... It's really THE GAME

The Game that does everything well, from the narrative to the gameplay mechanics.
I didn't notice the time passing while I was playing it at all, because the game is constantly throwing something new at you: you are either interested in continuing because of the story or because of new gameplay mechanics - it is simply constant rollercoaster, which does nothing but speed up.

Moreover, because of a certain interest in Scandinavian mythology, we went through the game together with my wife (she just sat near to me and watched how I played), she had never played such games before, and in general is not immersed in the world of video games, but she was absolutely thrilled. She also spoilered me and myself with a plot twist, as she decided to explore the Scandinavian gods a bit more to get more immersed in the game.

All in all, the game is so incredible that I got all the achievemnts - the game deserved it.
My hand was already even reaching to start NG+, but I stopped myself.

Good story, great voice acting, epic fights, simply put a real fun game.

incredibly good game. good story, characters, environment - and lets not forget the fighting mechanics. all in all, a wonderful game

talented, brilliant, incredible, amazing, show stopping, spectacular, never the same, totally unique, completely not ever been done before, unafraid to reference or not reference, put it in a blender, s*** on it, vomit on it, eat it, give birth to it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

great va great story great world design everything super cool but
gameplay incredibly boring feels too repetitive and the combat doesn't feel open enough

Satisfying combat with a deeply emotional and mature story. A must-play experience from start to finish.

Six years after release, we all know what this game is: an intravenous injection of pure adrenaline and dopamine (both arms).
I can't wait to wait another six to beat "Ragnarok."

Amazing story. Insane fight animations. Wide variety of move sets. 10/10 game

The worst combat design I have ever witnessed. The game is difficult in the worst possible way. Even the weakest enemy you will ever encounter can kill you with 2 hits, whilst you need 20 to kill it. It gets worse though, when the game throws 4, 5, 10 of these enemies in a 2m² room with uneven walls which make you get stuck and die. You can block hits, yeah, but you have to almost perfectly face the incoming hit for it to actually block, a thing that get pretty hard when you get surrounded by the swarm in the tiniest corners a god ever put its feet on. Oh, but you have special attacks to deal with the unkillable basic enemies... special attacks that take absolute forever to cast, a cast time so wide it actually makes you vulnerable, since you cannot cancel the animation nor block during it. Oh the cast time is big? Wait till you see the cooldown on these abilities. But sure, you get to play, you level up, buy some new skills, and it gets somewhat easier...? No. The progression feels like it means absolutely nothing. You play and grind for hours and still die to 2 hits from the weakest enemy possible in the game. The camera is also a shitty point. It is always too fucking close to kratos, to the point that it occupies the whole screen during swing attacks, making impossible to maneuver in the tiny room filled with 16 unkillable lvl 2 enemies. I am definetely going to finish the game since I cannot refund it after almost 50 hours, the story is really good, and as an old GOW fan, feels good to play Kratos again, but the combat is horrible. Whenever you get past through a new area and finally kill the enemies, no joy is ever felt. A giant waste of time. The leveling up system of items and equipment also suck. You spend a ton of in-game currency and see no actual upgrade at all. A ton of good, half-baked and poorly done ideas, unfortunately. It is unexplainable how this game won GOTY over RDR2. A friend of mine told me that some of these issues are fixed in Ragnarok, but I don't think I will ever give it a chance after this painful experience. As someone who enjoys challenges, and hard games, GOW may be it, but with zero fun. There is also no variety of enemies. You will encounter and defeat the same enemies over and over. Even different enemies have the same attacks. This game is a solid 2/10 at best, because graphics wise it looks really good. The gameplay sucks

This game is easily one of the best games I have ever played. Graphics are incredible. I spent 75 hours, did 2 full playthroughs and got all the achievements

Great game! Really good story, awesome fight mechanics, great sense of progression, and the graphics are stellar.

A masterpiece reborn on PC. God of War (2018) is everything an action-adventure game should be—visceral combat, rich storytelling, and a world that feels alive with myth and mystery.

Kratos isn’t just an unstoppable warrior anymore—he’s a father trying to do right by his son. The bond between Kratos and Atreus is the emotional core of the game, and it’s told with surprising nuance. The Leviathan Axe alone is worth the price of admission—throwing and recalling it never gets old.

PC version runs great: high frame rates, ultra-wide support, customizable graphics, and DLSS/FSR options make this the best way to play.

Pros:

Deep, emotional story

Addictive and weighty combat

Gorgeous Norse world

Smooth PC performance

Atreus is actually helpful (seriously)

Cons:
– A bit linear for some tastes
– Puzzles can feel repetitive late-game

Whether you’re here for the lore, the combat, or just to yell “BOY!” at your monitor—you’re in for something special.

⚔️ 10/10 – God-tier gaming.

1st thing that comes to mind is amazing combat system. Plus just beautiful game

Solid 9/10 game.

Pros
- Great store/lore/characters
- Incredible set pieces and presentation
- Excellent combat
- Perfect length and little to no filler

Cons
- Puzzles and level design annoyed me on occasion

Such a shit god of war game, after AC series introduced rpg mechanics into their game it managed to infect GoW series as well and now it suffers from " a regular enemy taking 5 minutes to kill " syndrome.

Honestly always wanted to play these games when they first came out but for whatever reason, never did. So, this title is my first really experience where I planned to spend some time and hopefully decide to play more GoW games. But, I'm kinda in disbelief that I'm only 10 hours in and just bored of it, and annoyed in other ways. I mean I'm to the point where nothing is compelling me to pick it back up and I'll even be uninstalling it after I post this review.

Here's where it lost me:

- Combat was okay, but even with practice of some of the more 'advanced' button combos, it still just felt a little meh. I did change out the runic attacks and move stats around to see if it helped, but still just felt meh.
-- I will say that part of me wondered if I invested more time if more options would open up, but I only have so many hours to game these days, so just wasn't worth the gamble to me.

- Exploration. Seemed okay, but there's only so much climbing up or across a wall or moving a badly controllable boat around that I really want to do - just to then have lukewarm combat or annoying and repetitive puzzles waiting for me - only to move on to a new spot and do it all over again.

- The Puzzles. Really just not a fan of the 'hit 3 specific "things" in a short time frame to unlock a chest' approach. Super repetitive and annoying to me as damn near all of them require you to throw your axe, recall it, then quickly throw it again while repositioning yourself and trying to aim. Only to get an item that you need 3 of to do anything with. Or in some areas, throw your axe, move to recall it through a combination of 'things' in order to enter an area. Bad part is that many weren't super challenging, the whole thing just got old.

- The interactions with the kid. Was any effort really put into this? I mean half the time Kratos just grunts at the kid, calls him 'boy' and there's just like such a lack of any reason for me to care about their relationship. The mother died - got it. You're probably going to bond in some 'speaking-very-few-words' kind of way - got it. Honestly do not care.

- General gameplay. In 10 hours, I encountered so many points of just non-compelling gameplay. Like I had to walk up a mountain, brandishing some elven light to banish the darkness so I could get to my next area - by way of SLOW walking up this path for several minutes. Or other times this manifested similarly where I needed to pick up a light crystal and move it to a fixture where it can be used - also moving super slow for minutes at a time to achieve this. This is what I just don't get - how is this fun? It's more like I'm trapped in bullshit that rapidly deteriorates any desire I had at wanting to play more. Want to take a shortcut and ride a lift to the top of the mountain? Get ready for the slowest ride of your life. Seriously, this is filler crap that needs to go.

Maybe I picked the wrong title to start with in this franchise - but with so many other truly great games out there, this was just a big disappointment.