The original God of War was released more than 10 years ago on the PlayStation 2 — on March 2005 to be exact. It has gone through many iterations since, but has always kept its system largely the same.

The game centers on Kratos, a rage-filled Spartan warrior who is set on a path of revenge armed with his trusty Blades of Chaos. His last foray of destruction was in 2010’s God of War III on the PlayStation 3, which was universally acclaimed but felt like the culmination of a series that had only been able to improve established gameplay elements with each iteration, rather than completely restructuring them.

There are many things that make the latest God of War such a strong experience. But its smartest move is its use of one continuous camera shot which, unless the player dies, will never cut away from the action.

It stays close to Kratos, hovering just a few feet behind him and providing a feeling of intimacy and urgency to the proceedings, whether traversing the world, having conversations with other characters, or battling enemies.

This, of course, means that the basic combat system fans of the series will be familiar with has been almost completely overhauled.

Unlike previous games, God of War pulls the camera in intimately, spending most of its time a few feet behind Kratos, over his shoulder. On the surface, one might think this was done solely for the purpose of storytelling, but it turns out it has more ramifications once you dig a little deeper.

Kratos has rid himself of his blades and now utilizes the Leviathan Axe, which means that fights will center more on effective use of attack choice rather than the smashing of buttons.

Kratos uses his axe like Thor uses his hammer, as the weapon can be thrown and it will boomerang back to him, using his hands to smash enemies in the meantime. Light and heavy attacks result in different combos as well as various runic attacks that can be customized with the axe, giving you a wealth of options for battle tactics.

Fans will delight in utilizing Kratos’ famous rage, which levels up in a meter and can be used to unleash a special melee attack — especially useful against the many awesome big bosses here.

The entire setting for the story has also completely changed, as where the previous games were based on Greek mythology, the new God of War is based on Norse mythology. This means new supernatural foes such as ogres, trolls, draugrs and magic-drenched revenants.

Then there is the fact that Kratos is now a father to a son named Atreus — a non-playable character who has a major role in this journey, staying by his father’s side throughout and helping out in battles (there are instances when players can passively control Atreus, however).

The story’s emotional beats rest heavy on the relationship between Atreus and his tough-as-a-rock literal-god father, with a natural dialogue and strong character writing that carries through the whole adventure wonderfully.

Far more optimistic than the gloom-ridden and angry Kratos, Atreus forces his father to exhibit many previously unseen emotions, from empathy to humor — adding a powerful dynamic to the adventure.

Having lost his wife at the beginning of the story, Kratos is left with her last wish of having her ashes scattered from the peak of the universe’s tallest mountain. The journey, and a surprise attack that comes just as father and son are about to depart, sets the scene.

The game runs about 30 hours, and throughout players will run into numerous names, faces and places. Though not exactly an open-world game per se, God of War offers an extremely massive world to traverse. A compass helps players find their way to the next objective, but keeps things mysterious enough by withholding path and objective details, thus sustaining a sense of discovery throughout.

And there is plenty to explore. From gigantic caves to the high peaks of snow-covered mountains, there is no shortage of additional enemies and challenges here — and they are almost all worth trying out. The presented puzzles are challenging without being frustrating, and often result in currency and materials for crafting — an important part of upgrading Kratos’ abilities and power level. God of War succeeds on every level, and best of all, its story and conclusion feel earned. Dramatic and exciting, the game shifts the series in a completely new direction, giving it a fresh start for hopefully a new set of Kratos adventures in the coming years.

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