In the 2018 video game God of War, Kratos’ quest to unravel the mysteries of a brand-new Norse universe brings both him and the players to magical worlds, sets us against mythological creatures, and introduces an epic cast.
But Kratos’ relationship with his son Atreus is what drives everything. Every step of his journey reflects his learning about what type of father he should be in contrast to the person he was, and about the kind of man he wants to raise Atreus to be.
It shouldn’t come as a surprise that one of Kratos’ most difficult times occurs when Atreus becomes ill and the only place where he can find salvation is in Helheim, where no fire in any of the nine realms is known to burn. Of course, Kratos is aware of fire from another realm that he can use, and in one amazing scene, we see him unearth the ghost of Sparta as he reclaims the Blades of Chaos to save his son. To go back to the past he has worked so hard to leave behind him is a difficult decision. But it also shows that Kratos will stop at nothing to save Atreus.
Before Kratos eventually collects the Blades and faces everything they stand for, the team at Sony Santa Monica lets the player feel the weight of that terrifying moment as well.
Late in Kratos’ voyage, The Blades come as a surprise. Additionally, a large portion of the team initially worked without even considering the blades as a potential component of the project, according to art director Raf Grassetti. The developers were able to concentrate their efforts on giving the iconic Leviathan Axe, Kratos’ new weapon, its due. However, when the art team started to conceptualize the Blades, they wanted to make sure they were keeping the qualities that fans loved about them while also bringing them up to par with the rest of the work already completed. In its most basic form, a portion of that labor involved adapting to this new adventure’s more realistic appearance.
The art team tried to improve the appearance while preserving the Blades’ distinctive look because they didn’t want to interfere with what was working. The work done on the Leviathan Axe and knowledge of how gameplay features like upgrades and runes will affect weaponry helped them with some of the improvements they did make.
Maintaining the Blades’ original appeal concerned more than simply how they seemed; it also concerned how they felt mechanically. One of God of War 2018’s largest differences from previous games in the series was a lower, behind-the-back camera perspective, which the team had to take into consideration when moving the blades forward.
The internal reaction made it evident that this was the right course of action when the crew returned to the blades and their associated chains, and progress was made toward giving the blades a comfortable mechanical feel. Going back to the camera-shift concerns, that feeling of familiarity had to extend to Kratos’ animation as he swung those swords around.
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