God of War is officially on PC. That’s something I never thought I would ever say, yet here we are, four console generations later, and four years after the release of the highly acclaimed God of War on PS4. A masterpiece that still stands strong, now fully playable to even more gamers thanks to the help of Jetpack Interactive. PC gamers, get ready to experience the AAA quality that PlayStation gamers have had for the last few decades.
A Masterpiece Just Got Better
If you were to ask me what I thought about God of War on the PS4 back in 2018, I would tell you it’s an absolute masterpiece that to this day still feels unmatched. It was my personal Game of the Year, and as a PS4 exclusive, it was the game to showcase the sheer power of the platform. Heck, looking back today it still impresses. It’s timeless, an essential that every single gamer should play at one point in their lifetime.
And for the longest time, that place to play has always been the PlayStation ecosystem, as Sony has made great strives to build the platform identity around a plethora of exclusives. Well, that all but changed as of recently, as older PlayStation titles have made their way over (legitimately) to the open PC platform. It started off with Horizon Zero Dawn, and Days Gone, though arguably those ports weren’t exactly providing the top of the line quality that PlayStation gamers have been experiencing the past couple of decades.
So it’s fair to say that with the announcement being made last October that God of War was finally coming to PC, many PC gamers were skeptical in the company delivering a good port. Well, if you still have some skepticism about this release, you can put those to rest, as this is without question the best PlayStation to PC port thus far, improving on every aspect to deliver a sublime experience that even PC gamers may find difficult to top.
My rig isn’t exactly top of the line, but it does sit fairly above most out there, at least enough to fully utilize a RTX 3060 GPU. With my settings set to “Ultra” first, and with a resolution of 1440p, I was averaging around 50-60fps (frames-per-second). Sure, that’s right about where the original release is sitting with the 60fps patch for PS5, but in terms of overall picture and graphical enhancements, the original isn’t going to compete at the same level. That’s not to downplay the console version by any means, but naturally, the PC version has added bonuses if you have a good enough rig for it.
Nonetheless, on a performance level I was absolutely floored by how amazing it ran on my PC. For a title that was designed specifically for a closed platform, it’s astonishing how this release feels right at home on PC hardware.
Image quality is superbly crisp and clean on my 1440P monitor, with the frame-rate at a near 60fps lock. All that, running on Ultra setting and with no slowdowns whatsoever or heating issues. It’s a very optimized experience, something that console players are all too familiar with when it comes to PlayStation titles.
Other graphical improvements also include higher detailed shadows, which appear less pixelated and more smooth and natural in their appearance than the original PS4 version. Reflections have also been improved, though sadly no ray-tracing as they’re still based on space reflections.
If your using one of the Nvidia RTX line of GPU, you’ll also get full DSLL (FidelityFX for supported AMD GPUs) support that boosts frame rate while maintaining the image quality. My system was running closer to 75-90fps with this option turned on with Ultra presets, even higher on lower settings.
For the everyday PC gamers out there, this is without a question the best version to play, though I do recommend you use a controller over a mouse and keyboard setup.
Additionally, while Santa Monica and Jetpack Interactive aren’t supporting mods with an official tool release, that hasn’t slowed the community down, as there are already custom mods available. God of War looks incredible on PS4, and the official PC release even more, but community mods will go a long way. And a year from now there will be some impressive visual mods. A lot of potential there — one that PC gamers aren’t strangers to.
What’s more, when the Steam Deck finally releases, God of War will be fully playable on the go, and natively. Sure, it won’t compare to a fully decked out system, but the option of having it available on the go that makes this PC port so exciting.
Either way, what we have here is an excellent port of an already excellent experience. No compromises made just for the sake of a quick cash grab. This being the first PC port handled by Jetpack Interactive for Sony Interactive Entertainment, I say they’ve earned another chance to work on future ports.
A Tale of a Father, Risking It All for His Son
It’s been over a decade and a half since God of War made its debut on the PS2. For me, it was a game like no other with its immense level of violence, all propelled by a rage fueled, ruthless, uncaring, god killer. Kratos was a savage, an animal that only sought self pleasure and not once showed any remorse for his own actions.
Sure, he had his past brought to light, as well as some emotions outside of anger displayed in the latter God of War games, but for the most part Kratos was known as the angry bald guy. I never had an issue with that, and absolutely consider the God of War series as one of the best out there. However, Kratos’ revenge seeking story concluded with God of War 3 with a cliffhanger that left many wondering where Santa Monica would go with the franchise.
The answer to that question was a soft reboot, one that would prove to be largely risky with a payoff equally as big.
God of War 2018 was a massive departure from the series in general. It moved away from its fast paced combat to a more personal, over the shoulder hack-and-slash experience which would divide fans. However, the biggest change would be to Kratos himself, that would solve the biggest criticism out there. How do you turn a character with 15 years of history as being known as nothing as that “angry generic bald guy” to someone more relatable? By giving him a completely fresh start without ignoring anything before.
I would have been fine with Santa Monica developing a God of War game that followed the same vein as the last ones, but God of War 2018 certainly isn’t that.With the realm of Olympus destroyed, Kratos finds himself in Norse mythos. It is here that he has been able to once again fall in love, and start a new family of his own. Those brief moments of humanity that Kratos has shown previously are now fully embraced by the god killer, no longer seeking the blood of his enemies.
Where God of War (2005) opened up to Kratos being tricked into killing his own family, thus starting his path of revenge, God of War 2018 opens to Kratos coming to the acceptance of the death of his new wife and taking responsibility to his son in fulfilling her last wishes. A stark difference between the Kratos of now and the one from a decade ago.
However, despite wanting to change and be better, Kratos is haunted by ghosts of his past. Unable to forgive himself, this self portrayal prevents him from forming the fatherly bond that his son Atreus seeks, creating a dynamic between the two that is full of conflict. So much so, that the duo eventually finds themselves crossing paths with the gods living in this new realm. Having no quarrel with them, Kratos must learn to finally let go, making the story of God of War not about the lust of revenge, but the journey and the bonds that form during it.
It’s a compelling story that is highlighted by the strong writing, performed incredibly by its actors. All the characters are as much as relatable as they are believable in this newly created world. I didn’t care much for Kratos on a personality level before, and despite his past and all his flaws, I absolutely love his newly added depth. It’s revitalizing to see his transformation,and his evolution from brute to a loving father.
His son, Atreus, is the one to thank for that, as while I typically find child actors in video game to be annoying, his growing relationship with Kratos is one that left had me look deep into my own emotions.
Even the gods in this realm all are relatable, despite how little interaction you have with some. They boast power, yet there is fear in their eyes; a hint of humanity that lends vulnerability to these characters. Baldur, the main antagonist is essentially an unstoppable, unkillable machine, yet all he wants is to be able to be like everyone else. To be able to feel pain, to be at risk of potentially dying any moment, yet he is cursed by his mother to never feel pain. There is a pain that can be heard in his own voice that drives him to push others. Kratos sees a lot of himself in him, which creates a kind of connection between them, despite their differences.
Simply put, I loved it — every minute from start to finish. The story of God of War is one well worth venturing through.
A World to Play God In
The portrayal of Kratos isn’t the only drastic change that God of War 2018 brings. As noted before, the gameplay has shifted from its frenetic, fast-paced, combo-chaining combat to something that feels personal, with an over-the-shoulder camera and undeniably, slower paced combat. It’s still a hack-and-slash game, but it blends itself on the side of being geared towards an RPG.
For longtime fans of the series this may be the part where you either like it or don’t. It’s a drastic change, and on the part of Santa Monica, extremely ballsy to essentially give fans a completely different game with an established IP. It shouldn’t work, yet miraculously it does.
The combat feels familiar in a sense that you can still perform a number of combos tied to snazzy flashy attacks. However, you aren’t taking on hundreds of enemies at once, but instead a few or maybe 10 enemies (tops). To this effect, you lose the blood fest that you got from previous God of War games, but it’s replaced with combat that feels more impactful, and more adjustable to suit a player’s playstyle.
Gear, for example, have different attributes, and weapons can be upgraded with different mods. It’s not about facing off against the next boss to get a new weapon, but now about how much you can do with what you already have. This gives the general combat a RPG touch, as you can make builds that are suited for damage, defense, speed, amongs other things.
Seeing all this in the new perspective makes it all so satisfying, especially since weapon swapping returns. Going from using the Leviathan Axe, to Kratos’ own fist, there was a joy that I got from past God of War games. The axe is an incredible weapon, far different from the Blades of Chaos, but Kratos’ own fists? It’s like the brutal showdowns from God of War 3, only with every encounter. There are lots of variety and customization for the players to explore.
Speaking of exploration, God of War is no longer a linear hack-and-slash, but a semi-open world game. I had my doubts when I first heard God of War was heading in that direction, mostly because I firmly believe not every game needs to go open-world. However, Santa Monica didn’t default to making a cookie cutter world, but instead pumped out as much life into it as they could. There are a plethora of side missions available to players to complete, as well additional story content to be experienced. Not once did I ever feel like I was playing a game of repetition when diving into the side content of God of War. That enjoyment is only further enhanced as Atreus and Mimir will use the opportunity to tell stories of epic quests of the gods of this realm. I found that I learned more about characters such as Baldur, Thor, Odin, and many other than the main quest had. In short: side quests was content that offered more than just gameplay.
A God Conquering Machines
If the God of War PC port is anything to go by for the future of PlayStation titles on PC, then I say to all PC gamers out there — be excited. While PlayStation started their venture on PC to a rather rocky start with ports of Days Gone and Horizon Zero Dawn (both plagued with technical issues), they have certainly taken notes, delivering their best when it comes to the rerelease of God of War. This is the AAA quality that PlayStation gamers have been experiencing for over the last three decades, and now, it’s finally time for this greatness to arrive to a whole new audience of gamers.
Score: 10/10
Pros:
- The story is an absolute masterpiece propelled by its strong writing, and incredible acting.
- A blend of classic and RPG elements makes the combat superbly satisfying.
- Side content well worth playing through. No cookie cutter missions here.
- Didn’t mention music in review, but composition is spectacular.
- Visuals are stunning, as is the performance. Very optimized
- As a PC port, this excels every expectations. Tons of options to play around with. The best port from Sony yet, and sets a gold standard for the company.
Cons:
- Long time fans may feel alienated by the story and gameplay changes from past God of War
God of War review code was provided by the publisher. Main version tested was PC. You can read SP1st and MP1st’s review and scoring policy right here.
