Since theGod of Warseries is turning 20 years old this year, many are hopeful that Sony will release a remastered bundle of the series' Greek installments to commemorate this milestone. The first twoGod of Wargames, in addition toGod of War: Ascensionand the PSP-exclusive spin-offs, are not natively playable on modern PlayStation consoles or Windows PCs, so a compilation of these titles would make a lot of sense. Plus, given the fact that Sony launched a remaster ofGod of War 3on the PS4 to celebrate the series' 10th anniversary, an announcement like this doesn’t seem outside the realm of possibility.
Over the last few months, there have been rumors pointing towards the existence of thisGod of Warremaster collection. A few weeks ago, an insider alleged that the nextGod of Warproject would take place in Ancient Greece. Some gamers assumed that this meant that the project would be a remaster or remake of the series' earlier entries. However, it appears that this isn’t the case. A few days ago, the reputable insider Jeff Grubb claimed thatthe GreekGod of Warprojectis not a collection of older titles, but rather an entirely new spin-off game that’s set in Ancient Greece and is scheduled to come out later this year.
God of War’s Rumored Greek Game Should Retain the Combat System from The Norse Saga
Even if fans aren’t getting a remasteredbundle of the oldGod of Wargamesanytime soon, the fact that the series is seemingly returning to Greece with its next installment is a huge deal. TheGod of Warfranchise has, in recent years, shifted away from the Ancient Greece setting of the original games in favor of focusing on Norse mythology.God of War(2018) and its 2022 sequel,God of War: Ragnarok,both take place in ancient Scandinavia and feature an entirely new pantheon of gods, with Kratos being one of the few returning characters.
The Norse and Greek God of War Games Have Completely Different Gameplay Styles
The Norse saga ofGod of Wargames are different not only in terms of settings, but in terms of combat systems, as well.God of War(2018) andRagnarokfeature an over-the-shoulder camera perspective and a more open-ended approach to level design compared to their predecessors. In these games, Kratos can only damage a handful of enemies at a time withthe Leviathan Axe, his primary weapon of choice in the Norse saga. Since the Leviathan Axe can’t kill dozens of enemies at once like the Blades of Chaos can, combat feels more focused and personal inGod of War(2018) and its sequel.
The Blades of Chaos are the main weapon that Kratos uses in the earlyGod of Warinstallments. Although it does appear inGod of War(2018) andGod of War: Ragnarok, the weapon is not as destructive as it is in the OG titles.
When it came to combat, the original GreekGod of Wargames were far more bombastic than the recent Norse duology. They featured larger-than-life boss fights, over-the-top set pieces, and brutal, gory gameplay sequences. Thanks to their fixed cinematic camera perspectives, the combat in these titles felt very fluid and fast-paced, perhaps more so than inGod of War(2018) andRagnarok.The earlyGod of Warinstallmentswere true hack-and-slash action games at their core; they prioritized combat and spectacle more than anything else.
A Greek God of War Game With Norse-Style Combat Could Be Very Interesting
The Greek and NorseGod of Wargames both have great combat systems, so it’s frankly hard to pick a favorite. However, if Santa Monica Studio is truly working on a newGod of Wargame set in Ancient Greece, as rumors suggest, it may be wise for the company to use the over-the-shoulder gameplay style of the NorseGod of Wargames instead of the one from the Greek entries. Santa Monica Studio has already releasedsixGod of Wargameswith the traditional hack-and-slash combat system, so there’s no urgent need for more installments like this. It would be more interesting for the company to release a Greek-eraGod of Wargame with Norse-era-style combat than for it to wholeheartedly replicate the series' past installments without making any innovations to their formula at all.
