Speaking recently in an interview with EPNdotTV, game director, Cory Barlog, revealed that God of War’s more mature storyline, which will focus in some depth on the relationship between Kratos and his son, has been inspired by Naughty Dog’s The Last of Us.
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The shift in narrative, from all-out war and revenge to a much deeper tale that gets players thinking, will see players being challenged to an extent not experienced in previous God of War games.
“The Last of Us is an amazing game, Naughty Dog is an unbelievably talented team, and to be compared to them is awesome,” said Cory Barlog. “But for me the influence is a lot more like the transition from Resident Evil 3 to Resident Evil 4. And the expansion and the audience being ready for more mature stories, and not mature as in ‘mature,’ but really as in dramatically challenging people, to dig a little deeper, not handing all the answers to them.”
He continued: “The Last of Us has had a role in this, and I’m happy. Apparently we are entering a period in which the players are looking for this type of content.”
In a previous interview, Barlog also said that the studio also took inspiration to humanize Kratos from a cancelled Star Wars live action TV series.
In terms of gameplay, Sony Santa Monica Studio are also considering re-visiting some past scenes from God of Wars games, which players may be able to enjoy in the form of flashbacks! God of War will also feature an in-depth RPG system, epic cut-scenes, and the ability to craft resources.