Since the initial reveal of the upcoming God of War sequel, fans have quickly begun to speculate what might be in the game and how Santa Monica Studios intends to push the PS5 further than the previous game could have gone. As a result, the high bar that the PS4 release has already set means that the next God of War already has hurdles that it needs to clear before players have even seen what the world or characters look like on PS5.
With the power of the PS5 at God of War's disposal, everything from loading times to the freedom of having no polygon limits in engines like Unreal Engine 5, Santa Monica Studios is looking at near limitless possibilities. Not to mention, the incredible strides that 2018's God of War took to bring the series from the PS2 and PS3 eras and utilize PS4 technology to the best of its ability means that the developer has already proven what it is capable of, and here's a few things it could to keep that trend going.
Updating the Bifrost
One of the most impressive features from the most recent God of War is the one shot camera, which some unrelated titles may even be attempting to replicate due to its success. However, while the effect is stunning, there are a few places where the developer had to utilize a few tools to make the camera effect work correctly. Specifically, this comes down to both the Bifrost and the Mystic Gateways, which would force the player to sit in one space while the new level loaded in the area outside of the small space they were stuck in.
Now that the series is moving on to the PS5, there's no need to limit fast travel and the transitions between realms the way that the last game did in order to hide load times. This could even open up for a more fluid version of the Bifrost that allows players to consistently swap back and forth between realms in order to inch forward through puzzles and encounters where obstacles only exist in one area and not others. These are only a couple ways that God of War can utilize the PS5's insane load times, not just to remove the an older nuisance, but to create features with new technology in mind.
Grander Boss Battles
The boss fights in God of War are easily the most memorable parts of any game in the series, and the most recent entry on PS4 certainly didn't disappoint in this area either. One of the most notable boss encounters from the most recent title is the fight against Baldur on the back of the dragon Dagsetr, sending the player flying over the world and eventually being sent through the Bifrost to Helheim. Most of this fight is accomplished by using camera tricks and hiding load times and the actual distance travelled through the game's expert cinematography.
While moments like this and other boss fights that send the player flying throughout the arena are incredible to play now, using the new power available on PS5 can let Santa Monica Studios skip the tricks and make these events real. A flight on a giant Norse creature can set up for moments in God of War Ragnarok where the characters split up, or place Kratos in different arenas for the final fight based on where they actually are when completing a section of the fight. Using the new PS5 hardware can break the previous boundaries of God of War's semi-open-world by allowing combat encounters to send the player flying across the map due to the scale of the bosses.
Dynamic Encounters
Aside from boss fights that send the player across the map, another way to step up the game with the PS5 is to have more dynamic encounters that travel across the map that might attack the player at any time. Freya in particular, who may be reappearing in God of War Ragnarok as a new boss, would be a strong contender for a dynamic boss that could stalk players as she hunts Kratos down for killing Baldur. The constant threat, combined with environmental warnings of where the enemy might be, isn't exactly something that couldn't be accomplished with modern hardware, but it can be heavily enhanced on PS5.
Utilizing the 3D audio and haptic feedback can help the player feel the tensions of being followed by slightly altering the atmosphere and giving subtle sensations of where the hunter is through the DualSense controllers' most prominent features. Next-Gen technology goes far beyond the SSD's ability to cut down load times, or the controller's ability to pull players into the moment. However, considering how well Santa Monica Studio was able succeed with the PS4's technology, it's likely that the next leap will only improve the feel of playing as Kratos.
Step Deeper Into Kratos' Shoes
Between the visuals that the PS5 can reach natively and the haptic feedback within the DualSense controller, Sony's Next-Gen console promises to give the most immersive experiences yet. Combining this with the close, over-the-shoulder style that the previous God of War went for and the next entry may be those closest to feeling like Kratos outside of a VR release. It will require more than a few fancy features, but it is likely that the next time players throw around the Leviathan Axe in God of War Ragnarok will far exceed that last time they did the same.
It's still difficult to tell exactly how the PS5 will change gaming without a hands-on experience with the DualSense, so much of how the haptic feedback will feel is still mostly speculation. With the way that Sony has been advertising the Next-Gen console, any new game coming to it has a lot to prove if any developer wants to make the most out of the technology available. Looking at the way the latest God of War felt to play, that potential of a new system means that Santa Monica Studio has a lot of hype and expectations to live up to.
A God of War sequel is set to release in 2021.