Sony made a huge impression on gamers when the first God of War game debuted. Gamers were impressed with how fun the combat was (even if it was full of button mashing), and how the game’s story drew you into its world. With the success of the first game, Sony commission another, and another, and (you guessed it) another. Kratos instantly became a character who was hard to forget.
Kratos served the Olympian gods as a soldier before things began to go south. Kratos was tricked and betrayed in the original God of War. This sent Kratos on a journey of revenge. He went onto defeat Ares once and for all — and become the new God of War after he ascended to Mount Olympus.
Now, with the newest installment of the God of War franchise, Kratos is older and has more responsibilities besides hunting down gods. He’s a father who doesn’t know exactly what he’s doing, but he’s trying his best (sadly without the help of his wife). Being a dad isn’t exactly easy when you’re a god who’s trying to keep your real identity secret from your son, but Kratos has his reasons.
God of War is a great series, but there are a few things that people constantly get mixed up about the story, and while we can’t wait to see what the next installment might have in store for us, here is what everyone gets wrong about God of War.
Spoilers Ahead! You have been warned!
20 It’s Nothing Like Dark Souls, Like At All
When God of War for PlayStation 4 was first revealed, gamers all over the internet lost their collective marbles yammering about God of War suddenly looking like Dark Souls. However, other than them both being video games (albeit ones with RPG-style loot) they don’t really have anything in common. Dark Souls is a slow, methodical game with tough-but-fair bosses that take patience, and can’t be bested with OP gear. God of War on the other hand, is a way more cinematic affair, prioritizing style over hit-boxes. They serve different purposes (oh they’re also both terrific — I guess that’s another thing they have in common).
19 People Think It Has No Replay Value — They Are Mistaken
Single-player games get a bad rap for not having repeatable content. Some games do it better than others, but God of War has replayability in spades, and that is largely due to its superb combat. Yes, you would get most of the different techniques on the trees by the time you are done playing, but that hardly means you’ll be able to use those techniques on the early enemies you face before you have the gear to cope with them easily. Try challenging yourself by skipping the most powerful upgrades — it’s a whole different game.
18 They Don’t Follow Actual Mythology
Obviously, God of War does an incredible job interpreting mythology to weave its incredible narrative, but realistically, they play fast and loose with their source material. They introduce a lot of the same character who come up time and time again inside Greek and Norse mythologies, but they don’t have the same tragic ends or character traits that they do in the originals. God of War is a fun way to experience some of these characters — but it’s not a proper reading of the texts.
17 Atreus’s Fate Isn’t What You Think
If you’ve already played the latest installment of God of War then you know all about Kratos’s son Atreus. Atreus is an amazing young character and he can be very charming. At the end of God of War (skip this part if you haven’t beaten the game yet) Atreus’, true identity is revealed. He is the god known as Loki, but that doesn’t mean he will become the trickster god we all know and love. Given how fast and loose God of War is with its interpretation of Mythology, it’s fair to say Atreus might end up a wildly different character than fans are expecting.
16 Kratos’s Age
Kratos’s age isn’t exactly common knowledge. You’re just left to calculate how old he might be since the last God of War installment. That being said, he appears to be a man in his late 40s early 50s — this is of course false. Since he’s a demigod we know he’s creeping into immortal territory, but there is a solid piece of evidence that points us at his age. The temple in God of War PS4 (with all the Greek treasure) was ‘asleep’ for 150 years — meaning it’s been at least that long since God of War 3. However, if you take a deeper look at when these mythologies take place, you could easily estimate Kratos at over 1000 years old. Crazy.
15 Yes, The New Kratos Is Voiced By Christopher Judge (From StarGate)
If you’ve been following the God of War games you would know that the main voice actor was originally Terrence C. Carson. The latest installment in the franchise has embraced a new voice for the anti-hero: Christopher Judge. Of course, he does a phenomenal job at bringing the character to life. The voices are different, but at the same time, they sound similar enough you could mistake one for the other if you weren’t paying attention. Christopher Judge’s voice is older and wiser, while Terrence C. Carson has a much younger vibe to it.
14 Atreus Was Almost Cut From The Game
Atreus is a great character and we can’t wait to see where he ends up when the next installment of the franchise comes out. Now that we know he is the god Loki, it’s hard to imagine the game without him. Not only is he helpful, but his character leaves an impact on you. However, believe it or not, Atreus was almost cut from the game completely. Luckily, the developers realized that the game wouldn’t have done as well with just Kratos going on a journey by himself. Ultimately, Kratos’ son eneded up being at the very core of the game itself.
13 God Of War Isn’t A “Manly” Franchise Anymore. Kinda.
The latest God of War flips the script on its testosterone-fueled fundamentals in the original trilogy. While a lot of people (rightly) criticized the originals for being dude-centric (and with their steamy mini-games who couldcan blame them), this newest entry really looks at Kratos as a man. Growing into a father isn’t easy, and there are even more insecurities that come from fatherhood than from the younger years of a persons’ life. Kratos has changed to reflect his age — and it’s a whole different take on “manliness.”
12 It Always Had More In Common With Zelda Than Devil May Cry
The original God of War games were tremendous action games, to be sure, but they also had elaborate puzzles to be solved (and collectibles to be found). Gamers who are tuning into the God of War franchise for the first time definitely don’t realize what they were missing. The original games did have some button-mashy elements, fair enough, but it’s unfair to think they were one-note games — the God of War franchise was always more than that. Now if only people would give Kratos’ complex character more credit.
11 Kratos’ Height
From the gameplay alone, Kratos doesn’t look to be that tall. In fact, in the original trilogy, he spent a lot of time crouching, which made him look pretty short. However, it turns out Kratos is pretty darn tall! He is exactly 6 feet and 6 inches tall.
Bet he could take on a few well-known basketball players
Now, given that he is a god, that might be considered short, but keep in mind that Kratos was a man before he had any kind of divine powers. His height is decidedly realistic.
10 Atreus Isn’t A Bad Kid
Spoilers (duh!) Once Kratos reveals to Atreus that he is a god, Atreus takes his fathers words to heart … Aaaaand kinda turns into a little monster. But if you unpack that a little, realistically how would you feel if you found out that you’re this great being who’s been lied to their whole life? It would go to your head a bit and you would the need to start calling some shots. Ultimately, Kratos is the one who made the mistake not telling his son (or so we think for the moment). Finding out you’re a god is a hard thing to come to grips with, and Kratos laid it all out on his son without any notice.
9 Atreus’ Mother Is Not A God
Yes, Atreus is a god, but he’s not completely a god. Atreus mother, Faye was a giant — who (if you were paying attention) are not divine. At the end of God of War, when they finally ascend to the highest peak in Jotunheim, they see that it is a Giant graveyard. They also see the prophecy that was predicted for Kratos and Atreus long before they even existed. Not only was Faye a giant, but she knew everything that would happen during their journey on their way to scatter her ashes. She documented it as her final message.
8 Kratos Has Brothers
Kratos has an interesting and complicated past. Anyone who has played God of War III will be acquainted with much of his family, including his brother Deimos. But of course, if you are familiar with Greek mythology at all, you know Zeus has another infamous son — that’s right: Hercules is Kratos’ half-brother. The demi-God (and world famous Disney star) is related to the rage-filled Kratos. It’s an interesting twist, and definitely one that most PlayStation fans don’t consider going into the newest title on PlayStation 4.
7 You Can’t (Really) Mash Buttons And Hope For The Best
God of War isn’t just a game where you mash any button and hope for the best. They’re combos involved which you have to learn in order to land effective attacks. Even in the earlier games having the right combos made you successful in your battles. Some gamers say this game is a button masher because you hit the same buttons over and over. When the reality is if it’s a good combo then, of course, you’ll hit the same buttons over and over.
6 Kratos Is NOT Angry All The Time
Ok, so he’s not the kind of person you would invite to a potluck, but he has a lot of down time in between slaying Gods and screaming about it. In fact, his reserved persona in the PlayStation 4 God of War game is indicative of a stoic late-life you might expect of any warrior who had been to literal Heck and back again. While he may not be the most happy-go-lucky guy around, he’s a bit more nuanced than most gamers give him credit. Even in the latest game, his character is conflicted in a strikingly realistic way.
5 Being A God Isn’t All It’s Cracked Up To Be
So Kratos might have some cool blades and a wicked axe, but come on — the guy is struggling. He doesn’t know how to be a father, he barely knows how to read, and he couldn’t protect his wife. And that’s just his second (Norse) life. Kratos is a terrific anti-hero precisely because of how rough things are for him. So no, being a god isn’t fun — unless you’re playing a great video game staring a god, that’s fun.
4 Freya Won’t Be Atreus’s New Mom
Freya was loved right from the beginning … and then things took a bit of turn (but we still loved her). With the relationship being built between Kratos, Freya, and Atreus, a lot of fans thought she would eventually be filling the ‘mother’ role in the narrative. Unfortunately, Freya showed her true colors when Kratos and Atreus battled Baldur (gods will be gods after all). She did everything in her power to protect her son, and, ultimately, Freya swore she would take revenge on Kratos. Don’t keep your hopes up for her character to return to her formerself anytime soon.
3 Kratos Does Have Feelings
As we mentioned, Kratos isn’t just this giant brute who goes around smashing things. He’s had a tough life and he’s seen some imaginable things. This doesn’t make him a soulless person. This god has feelings and we witness this during a particular part in God of War when Atreus falls ill. Leaving Kratos with a difficult choice of revisiting a difficult part of his past just to save his son.
Would a god with no feelings go through all of this? No.
2 Thor Is Coming To Face Kratos
Yes, Thor is coming to face Kratos and Boy—I mean, Atreus. If you return back home after watching the credits roll, fans are treated to a little bonus teaser for the next God of War game. It’s not much, but it does have one crucial detail: that everyone’s favorite hammer-wielding son of Odin is ready to trade some —presumably harsh— words with Kratos, the god of war. Of course, we don’t have an expected release date for the next God of War game, but we’re going to guess it will take some time to craft a story as good as the last one.
1 The Realms Aren’t All Ready For Circulation
During the journey in God of War, there are realms that are off-limits players. This came with the assumption that those realms would soon be available to explore later on in the game — like Asgard, for example. The director of God of War explained that developers never planned on players visiting all 9 realms because that would be a continuation of the story. That leads us to believe that those realms are being saved for the next game (or a piece of planned DLC).
