What We Want From God of War IV

After a multitude of possible leaks concerning its development, a new God of War title potentially being in development might end up being another one of Sony’s “worst kept secrets” in the video game industry. The official reveal might now be finally upon us, with a PlayStation Facebook post possibly teasing a new God of War announcement tomorrow. Whatever the circumstances are behind the next installment, God of War is now a franchise that spans two generations of home consoles (not to mention two handheld installments) and certainly could use some new features. Listed below are some things we’d like to see included in the next God of War game.

Warning: Contains minor spoilers regarding GOWIII.

1. Bring Back Kratos Or Make A New, Equally Interesting Protagonist

Topping Kratos’ fit as the protagonist of the Greek mythology-powered God of War titles may be hard to do, as he is the embodiment of the kind of character players could expect to read about in a Greek tragedy. He not only fits in with the series’ mythos, but he is the personification of the game’s combat system as well: a raging, revenge-driven spirit with little concern for the well-being of others. So, designing a replacement for him may prove to be a bit difficult. Kratos found some kind of end to his journey in GOWIII and story-wise, allowing him to have that would be a nice idea. However, if creating a new protagonist proves to be too difficult, then Kratos needs to come back.

2. A New Set Of Gods

Kratos nearly completely destroyed the Greek pantheon of gods in the existing God of War titles, so regardless of if it’s him as the protagonist or someone else, the main character should get to face off against a new set of gods. Egyptian gods would be an interesting set of enemies, especially if they were to resurrect Kratos, as ancient Egypt had a number of mythologies concerning death. No matter what set of gods is chosen, going back to the Greek gods may not be a good idea, as they could prove to be a bit repetitive at this point.

3. Open Up The Gameplay

The God of War games were linear and very short, with a focus on adrenaline-pumping combat. GOWIII, however, opened up the series a bit more with some more platforming and puzzles than had been seen in previous installments. The GOWIV protagonist should be able to explore his world a bit more — maybe with some side quests — to break up the same combination of combat, puzzles, and platforming that has been seen in previous installments. Plus, with side quests, some of the gods would get a chance to be more fleshed-out characters and receive more detailed backstories. Now, no one’s suggesting that GOWIV turn into an RPG or anything of the sort, but introducing some more variety would help the franchise out a bit.

4. Battles Of Enormous Scale Must Return

The Hydra in GOW and the battle on the back of the Titan in God of War III remain as some of the most memorable battles in the franchise’s history. Why? Because these battles featured impossibly enormous creatures and a sense of scale unlike most anything seen in video games today. “Regular-sized main character vs. enormous boss” is a working formula for the God of War franchise and as long as there are surprises and new elements of battle contained within these battles, players getting tired of these intense bouts is unlikely.

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