The mythical saga of Kratos and his war with the Gods has been an inspiring script in the lore of modern gaming. The God of War series, which relied heavily on the antics of its lead protagonist Kratos is planning to clip the wings of this mythical character. Developers Sony Santa Monica are planning to tone down the game and its exquisite game play to make Kratos less ‘violent’ to the female characters in the game. David Hewitt of Sony Santa Monica had mentioned in an interview with IGN that his team ‘has pulled back’ on Kratos’ ‘violence against women’ and ‘assessed that a little more carefully’. Now, the game would stay course on the story line of revenge, which fuels Kratos towards eliminating his adversaries and achieving his goals.
Although, Hewitt admits that this time around the ‘God of War’ would be ‘more vulnerable with some of the enemies’ and his approach would be in a manner which ‘makes sense for a real human individual’. Now the crucial aspect of game’s success has been the super human image of the character, which has also given the game its distinct identity. The sudden shift by Sony on the persona of Kratos could spell doom for the action hero as the sequences would be toned down as well. The script narrates the rise of Kratos after he is tricked into murdering his family.
Although, the script demands it as a necessity, it would be unique to see the new combat style of Kratos. There have been some new additions to the weaponry as well. There is the new weapon through which he can tether and drag his enemies. He can bring them closer or can hook them onto their bodies while attacking them.
Although much criticized for Kratos’ brand of violence, Sony should refrain from any major changes to the franchise. After all, dismembering, shedding loads of blood and fast paced action has been the USP of the game. Director Todd Papy has also mentioned in a recent interview that they want to make Kratos more ‘likeable’. He has also suggested that he was ‘somewhat ruthless’ at the beginning but now they wanted to put forward a more appealing character. One wonders whether this character would lose its ‘original’ sheen and will the fans accept this new side of Kratos. Toning down the violence and the gore is a reactionary measure from Sony owing to the response from E3. But it remains to be seen whether critics have got the pulse of the fans or whether the gamers would like to keep it sacrosanct. But then again, fans do respect Sony’s approach in the development of this edition and may also side with the new found side of Kratos. The God of War may after all remain the God of Gaming as well. Come March 12, 2013, one will know!
