There's no denying that the upcoming God of War title is a departure from the usual franchise formula in a lot of ways. Although the change in tone is incredibly exciting for many fans, there is a portion of the audience who is unhappy with the idea of seeing this new, potentially more vulnerable side of Kratos. The naysayers have been out in full force on social media and the game's creative team has definitely noticed.

God of War's game director Cory Barlog in particular has taken note of the criticisms that are arriving before the game is even in circulation and he thinks players just need to wait a few more weeks and give the title a fair chance. In a recent interview with Kotaku, Barlog chatted for a bit about his reaction to the criticism appearing on social media.

Here's an excerpts from the interview...

"I know there are a lot of people who are out there saying, 'It's totally different. They're changing a lot of things. Hashtag Not My God Of War. Hashtag Cancel My Pre-Order... But I think a lot of people have to play it...

"We've been very restrictive of the information and what we're showing visually, and part of that is my paranoia. I want people to experience this game as a whole. Everybody who made this game--or a good portion of this team--has been a part of God of War from the very beginning. Nothing has changed cynically or under pressure or just willy-nilly. All of us put a lot of heart and soul into this game, and the DNA of what this franchise is still pumps through the blood of this game."

Although a fair amount of footage has been shared in ads and at conventions (including 15 full minutes of gameplay), it sounds like there is still a ton of unseen gameplay for the title. Although fans obviously have the right to be unhappy with a change in direction for the franchise, it does seem like the community needs to see more of the game before passing a final judgement. Cancelling a pre-order until there are more facts, footage, and reviews totally makes sense; but launching a #NotMyGodOfWar campaign seems pretty extreme.

The game's release is only a few weeks away and we're looking forward to diving in and seeing whether or not it lives up to the hype and shatters any expectations. The game looks gorgeous from what we've seen and, if nothing else, it should be visually stunning. Keep an eye out for our review and guides in the coming weeks.

God of War releases April 20, 2018 exclusively for PS4.

Source: Kotaku