God of War (2018), developed by Santa Monica, continues the story of Kratos. The murderous warrior with a bad temper finds himself taking on a whole new role when he is left to raise his son Atreus after the death of the boy’s mother, Faye. As Kratos and Atreus go on a long journey to throw Faye’s ashes at the highest peak of the Nine Realms, Kratos learns that violence does not solve all problems while Atreus learns not to be intoxicated by power.
Although the game has spent years as a PS4 exclusive, God of War, like many PlayStation games recently, has been ported to PC. This allows for a wider audience to experience one of the best games in recent years. For PC gamers who are going to explore the Nine Realms for the first time, consider using a controller to enhance the experience.
God of War Is a Sensory Experience
God of War is a series that is steeped in mythology. Kratos is inserted into the epic tales of the gods, and he faces enormous monsters and hellish realms. Since the first game was released in 2005 God of War games have drawn lots of influence from Greek mythology although, with God of War (2018), the game takes the series in a new direction and explores Norse mythology instead.
In any game dealing with gods and mythological creatures, magnitude is important. Feelings of sublime terror have to be induced if players are to truly believe that they are witnessing otherworldly beings. One of the ways God of War achieves this is by activating the senses. The most obvious sense used is sight. Kratos finds himself up against trolls that tower over him and can kill him with a single stomp of their foot. Sound is also used, such as in cases when the horrifying roars of a dragon can make one’s heart stop. All these elements can be easily replicated for players that are using a mouse and keyboard, but there is one sensation that cannot be mimicked – touch.
At several intervals, moments are made more epic through the use of vibration. The first time the world serpent reveals itself is an unforgettable experience that ensures players are well aware that they are staring at a creature of monumental power, and that point is emphasized by the vibration of the controller. The impact of this moment is dampened when using a mouse and keyboard, as the rumble cannot be felt. Vibration is also key to how combat feels. Kratos is a brawny warrior wielding weapons of immense power. Using the leviathan ax to cleave and hack through enemies feels more impactful when controller vibrations are felt. Without vibration, the game is still action-packed, but it does lack a certain punch.
The Leviathan Ax Feels Better with a Trigger
In God of War, Kratos is sporting a new weapon. The leviathan ax is an ice-cold blade that can be thrown and recalled at will. Once players get the hang of it, the leviathan ax is as deadly as it is fun to use and there are a few nifty tricks that can be pulled off with it. As the game progresses, Kratos eventually regains his fiery blades of chaos, but the leviathan ax still proves itself to be incredibly useful. When one is using a controller, depressing the right trigger correlates with Kratos cocking his arm back and readying himself to throw the leviathan ax. It increases immersion, and this is ruined when throwing the ax is reduced to merely pressing a button on a keyboard or mouse.
At the center of these issues is the fact that God of War is a game that was originally designed for console play. While a PC port allows the game to be played with greater fidelity at higher frame rates, some elements are lost in translation. Hence, although a mouse and keyboard certainly get the job done, they may occasionally provide an inferior experience.
God of War (2018) is available now on PC and PS4.