I'm a huge fan of RPG games, but God of War 2018 is totally another level. It takes Kratos story from Greek mythology to Norse mythology to a different level.
The game starts with Kratos chopping down a huge tree in preparation for his second wife's cremation to gather her ashes. From here, Kratos and his son Atreus journey begins, as they fulfill his wife's last dying wish.
I like the combat style compared to other hack and slash RPG games I have played. You wield a runic axe and a shield on Kratos' left hand that expands and shrinks by command. What I really love about this is the runic axe can be thrown and comes back at your will like Thor's hammer. That is because the same blacksmith made both weapons!
I usually love swords and did not like using shields in RPGs but this game changed my mind. I thought I would never enjoy another RPG after the Witcher III but God of War brought back the fun and excitement! God of War may not be an open world like the Witcher III but the story is rich and gives you a good dose of Norse mythology.
I am usually annoyed by inventory slots getting full and God of War has removed this problem so you can carry as much as you want without worrying about inventory getting full discarding items time to time. Devs also put a small note on an item that says "This item has no other uses on your journey" so you can sell it for Hacksilver ( game currency).
I played on the hardest difficulty called "Give me God of War" and even tried no HUD ( Immersive mode ). At first, I was really having a hard time in fighting basic Draugr's but then you'll get the hang of it. It is really really satisfying and allows you to really focus on your moves and be aware of surrounding enemies, not just randomly hack and slash. You have to know which enemy to deal with first if you are fighting multiple enemies. I also like the part where you can feel the axe hacking thru enemies, you can feel the weight and force.
Boss fights are really hard in this mode. If you're just randomly using moves, it will take you hours or even days to defeat an enemy. You have to watch cues on their next move so you can predict when to counter, parry, or dodge. Even watching the direction of where they are going and listening to what the enemy says will give you a hint on what's next which happens really fast if you don't focus. So watch out!
Some other helpful tips I can share is don't be afraid to use your Hacksilvers and Exp, you will get a ton of this as you progress in the game, and just upgrade your gears as fast as you can. Max out your skills, weapons, and armors. It is most important to also upgrade Atreus armor as he will help you a lot in this game during fights.
There are two final bosses to fight, the main story final boss and the Valkyrie queen ( optional ). I mainly have the longest and spent more hours defeating the Valkyrie queen, but its really worth it!
The game performance in the PS4 Pro is really smooth! I wanted to get the maximum fps so I locked the game on Performance mode at 1080p to get a steady 50 - 60 fps. But you can still enjoy the game in 4K or supersampling mode like I did in the beginning of the game. The graphics is stunning, best in PS4 so far!
Overall the game is definitely a 10/10 and looking forward for God of War II! Good luck!