We’re starting to know more about this new version of Kratos. While the new God of War looks like a Norse reboot, this is definitely still the same Ghost of Sparta we know and hate to love. But it’s a changed Kratos — and we’ll get to see him during a large period of change, as he set out on an adventure as a single father for the first time.
Between the last time we saw Kratos and the new God of War, there’s a gap large enough to drive a trilogy through. That’s no mistake. After we’re done murdering our way through the Norse pantheon, perhaps we’ll go back in time to Kratos’ Egyptian love story. Who will the mother be? Isis? Nephthys?
For now though, Sony Santa Monica is concerned with Kratos learning how to become a father. He’s still an angry ghost of few words, but now his emotional distance is calculated. During our early play session, there were several moments of potential tenderness which Kratos didn’t engage in — either because he was incapable, or because he sees it as his role to toughen up his son Atreus.
Aaron Kaufman has been at the studio for many years, managing the God of War communities and seeing various iterations of the Ghost of Sparta come and go. In the above video, he talks about how Kratos was recreated for a new type of game. He also talks about a trip to Iceland which completely changed how the art team was approaching the game.
Certain things were left behind, too. While we’ve always thought the God of War games were the best at doing quick-time events, Kaufman says they’re an “old mechanic” that should be left behind. Time will tell, but it’s hard to imagine the sex minigames the franchise has become known for creeping into this modern God of War.
