Over the course of the lifespan of the God of War series, the game has traded hands and shifted around developers and directors as it progressed over multiple console generations and portable spin-offs. One person who has consistently backed the series, even it has gone in new directions, is the original God of War creator David Jaffe, who recently started playing the newest title for the first time.
The God of War and Twisted Metal creator has recently began a playthrough on his YouTube series where he plays through what he refers to as Barlog's God of War. An additional tagline also takes an authoritative stance over the series claiming it "Better be good Barlog!" as he judges how well Santa Monica Studios has continued his creation.
In a recent video in the Let's Play series, Jaffe reaches the segment just before heading to Helheim where Kratos retrieves and uses the original Blades of Chaos for the first time in the new game. Since more of the game focuses on the new God of War's Leviathan Axe, this is often referred to by most players as when the game starts to feel like the PS2 and PS3 era of the series again. Jaffe, for one, seemed to enjoy the chance to play around with the weapon, saying "There's my boy, awe. Hello son" as he starts hacking and slashing through the hoard of frozen Hel-walkers.
In an additional tweet, responding to fans enjoying the moment, Jaffe admits that the moment with the Blades of Chaos was nice to see and thanks Cory Barlog and Santa Monica Studio for keeping Kratos and God of War alive. It's a nice moment as fans are assured that Jaffe at the very least approves of how the classic weapons were implemented into the game and how the new game has captured the character. That doesn't necessarily mean that the latest God of War has gone without any criticism from the series creator, but it does still capture some of that original intent in some areas.
Considering that how well received 2018's God of War has been, there is plenty for Barlog and Santa Monica Studio to be proud of. Hopefully, this also extends to make Jaffe comfortable to see his creation continue forward under new management, although it can be difficult for a creator to see someone else move forward with something they made. There's a close type of connection between creator and creation that would compel Jaffe to exclaim "hello son" during a playthrough, and might lead to some hypercritical analysis of certain features.
God of War is available now for PS4 and PS5.