God of War (2018): Overview & Critic Reception
This is a research-based overview compiled from publisher information, official patch notes and published critic reception. It is not a hands-on review and ParryStack assigns no score of its own. How we research and verify · Report an error
Critic reception
Metacritic (critic aggregate): 94 (PS4) · 93 (PC)
Source: Metacritic, checked 12 Oct 2026. These are third-party critic scores, not ParryStack ratings.
Summary
God of War (2018) is Santa Monica Studio's reboot of the series, set in Norse mythology and following Kratos and his son Atreus, with an over-the-shoulder camera and the Leviathan Axe.
Combat and Camera
Unlike the previous games, which mostly used a fixed cinematic camera, God of War uses an over-the-shoulder camera, and it is presented in a continuous shot with no camera cuts or loading screens. Kratos no longer uses the Blades of Chaos as his signature weapon and instead fights with the Leviathan Axe. According to Wikipedia, EGM's Nick Plessas described the axe as “mechanically fascinating”, and Polygon's Chris Plante praised the camerawork as a technical marvel.
Story and World
The game follows Kratos and his son Atreus in a setting loosely inspired by Norse mythology, in which six of the nine realms can be explored. Wikipedia reports that the story was well praised and that the dynamic between Kratos and Atreus received particular acclaim.
Critic reception
Wikipedia reports that God of War received “universal acclaim” according to Metacritic, with particular praise for its art direction, graphics, story, world design, music, combat system and characters, and that many reviewers felt it had revitalized the series without losing its core identity. A Windows version was released on 14 January 2022. We have not benchmarked any version and give no performance figures.
Pros & Cons
- Critics praised the story and the dynamic between Kratos and Atreus (Wikipedia, reception)
- Continuous shot with no camera cuts or loading screens (Wikipedia)
- Received “universal acclaim” on Metacritic (Wikipedia, reception)
- One reviewer (Faulkner, per Wikipedia) found the camera difficult to control and keep a bead on enemies
Sources & fact-check
Release facts, mechanics and boss details on this page were checked against these sources on 12 October 2026. Spotted an error? Tell us.
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