God of War developer Sony Santa Monica Studio has spoke at length about the game’s combat and lack of Quick-Time Events, comparing it to FIFA.
Speaking in the latest issue of OPM UK, the game’s director, Cory Barlog, revealed that even if the game had not featured a new character in Kratos’s son, the studio would still have eschewed QTEs from the equation.
“Without the son I would still want to move away from QTEs. I think some people are nostalgic for that, but for me I feel like there’s just so much more we can endear. But definitely Atreus is a way for us to create a connection to a character that is always present,” he said.
He went on to compare the game’s combat to FIFA:
“It’s the same game every time you play but it’s extremely sort of non-deterministic. Every game is different, despite every game being the same; there’s this drama that exists in every single match, even when you’re playing the same teams.
“There’s magic to videogames encapsulated in the idea that I don’t ever want to lose even if I am making something that’s trying to tell a story, and we develop these characters to allow you to feel like there’s freedom here, and that is the joy of games.”
God of War release date set for next year
Sony announced God of War as a PS4-exclusive at E3 2016, and confirmed earlier this year that the action-adventure title will ship at some point in 2018.
The game is something of a soft reboot for the multi-million selling franchise, with Kratos now battling against creatures based on Norse mythology instead of the usual Greek-flavored monstrosities.
God of War is said to be the ‘most brutal’ entry in the long-running series to date, and will take full advantage of the PS4’s technical prowess.
Source: OPM UK Issue 140 (October 2017)