There aren’t many gamers out there that would argue against the fact that the God of War franchise is quite over-the-top when it comes to violence. From brutal kills to buckets of blood, the team at Sony Santa Monica doesn’t hold much back. However, it appears that they do have a few lines they do not wish to cross in their upcoming prequel, God of War: Ascension.
Speaking to IGN in a recent interview, design manager David Hewitt made it clear that they team plans to steer clear of violence against women.
There are some things we’ve pulled back from. I think where this has been an issue is with violence against women – the team’s pulled back from some of that and assessed that a little more carefully. There are certain things that carry has a different kind of resonance that we don’t want to get into. This isn’t about statement-making in that regard. It’s about fleshing out this character.
Hewitt also is careful to point out the fact that they don’t make light of the violent acts that Kratos commits, noting that no level of enjoyment stems from the killing.
The team has a set of rules that define those sorts of things very clearly. Where it shows itself is how the combat designers and animators have designed Kratos’ moves.
He’s always leaning forward, he’s always moving forward. He’s seeking revenge and he’s after his ultimate objective and he will tear through enemies – rip them in half – as quickly as he can. But there’s not a lot of flourishes, there’s not any kind of enjoying the moment. There’s nothing about this that he’s enjoying.
God of War: Ascension is set to arrive in stores on March 12th.
