issue 29 // vol 44

  

 

Peter Tran
Contributor

 

t’s not often that a sequel can take a

well-established franchise and provide
a refreshing new take on its gameplay,
characters, and world. However,
God of War manages to do just that,
delivering an experience that retains
the charm of the previous games and
yet manages to find its own identity.

This tale follows a father, Kratos,

and his son, Atreus, on a journey to
scatter his wife’s ashes at the highest
peak. From the beginning, this game is
markedly different from the intros of the
previous games. Gone is the epic opening
boss battle, gone is the bombastic
orchestral soundtrack, gone is the world
of Greek mythology, and gone are the
Oscar-worthy sex scenes involving
wiggling your joystick (just your joystick,

 

now). As different as this game is from
everything that has come before, it is not
a reboot but rather a continuation of the
series, this time with the beautiful world
of Norse mythology as its backdrop.

The new third-person camera
is a welcome addition, giving players
freedom over how they view the
breathtaking realms they explore.

This camera never cuts. Cutscenes
transition seamlessly to gameplay as
story beats weave in and out during

any point—whether that’s in a boat,

on foot, or during combat. The camera
stays with Kratos during the whole
journey and sits with him through happy
moments as well as painful, which

puts you in the same boat he is in.

The game constantly impresses with
the way it blends gameplay and story
together with the same mechanics. The
intro scene already gives the player the
control to chop down a tree, teaching

s dl

basic controls within its first seconds
while also pulling the player closer to
Kratos during a sombre moment.

The story is gripping, filled with
nuance and small poignant moments.
Centring around a father-son dynamic,
I immediately related to the story
because of the communication struggles
I have with my father, who is almost
as stoic as Kratos himself. While the
cast of characters is small, they are
all memorable and essential to the
plot. This is a treat for lovers of Norse
mythology, even if your knowledge
ends at Marvel’s Thor: Ragnarok.

Combat in this game is hard-
hitting and thoughtful. The new
Leviathan axe is satisfying and
simple: Lobbing light hits, heavy hits,
or simply hurling it never get old.
Combat requires you to pay attention
and react accordingly, rather than
button-mashing your way through it.

Phe Rw AA CO

Pcie Ci : |
a eee oa

Image from ‘God of War’ via FayerWayer

 

Exploration breaks up the combat
sections with slower moments. Exploring
delivers players a childlike wonder
of being lost in a fantastical world,
wanting to see everything it has to offer.
The game encourages backtracking as
you learn more skills to unlock areas
previously blocked off. Something
is always just within your grasp,
begging you to take the scenic route.

While the tale is written for new
and old fans alike, I cannot express
this enough: Avoid spoilers at all costs.
There are moments in this game that
are best experienced alone (no, it is
not a sex scene, you heathen). It’s
rare when a game's story conjures up
instances that make you say, “No way!”
so don’t rob yourself of these legendary
moments. If you have been itching for an
unforgettable single-player experience,
there’s no need to pray to the gods, for
Santa Monica Studio has delivered.

Chairman of the Board: Battling ships

> ‘Sonar’ board game review

Ed Appleby
Senior Columnist

 

wkkeknknx

he thing about board games is that

they have a lot of turns. Players wait
for other players to act, and in complex
games this can lead to people bogging
down the game by over-analyzing. What
if there was a game where everyone
was frantically acting at the same time
towards the same goal? What if that
game wasn't pushed forward by a timer,
but rather another team working in real

time to destroy you? I’m glad you asked.
Sonar (2017) is a team game for two
to eight people designed by Roberto
Fraga and Yohan Lemonnier and
published by Matagot. In the game,
players form two teams—each the crew
of their respective submarines—and
are assigned roles; in the two-player
version, each player takes on all roles
for their sub. Each team gets a grid
map in order to track their location
and record clues as to where the other
submarine might be. The goal of the
game is to locate the other ship and

cause enough damage to destroy it.

In the original game there are two
roles—Captain and Radio Operator—
with the roles of First Mate and Engineer
being added through expansions. The

Captain decides what actions to take
and what heading to travel, the First
Mate allocates energy in order to get
systems online, the Engineer mitigates
damage to the ship, and the Radio
Operator listens to the other team and
tries to locate the other sub. Each crew
member has their own game board, and

communication among the crew is vital.
Damage can be caused to the ship

by overloading the engines or taking

hits from the other crew’s weapons.

The engines overload by traveling

too long in one direction and can

be repaired by changing the ship’s

direction based on Engineering’s

recommendation or by surfacing, but

doing so reveals to the other team

where your ship is on the map.

With so many moving parts and
specific rules for each specific crew,
the game can feel daunting. But once
play begins, everything begins to
move at a rapid pace. This is one of the
few games where I find the suggested
play time to be pretty accurate, and
you may spend more time reviewing

the rules than playing the game.

Full disclosure: I played the game
with eight players and it was amazing.
The action is fast paced and everyone on
the crew has an equally important role to
play. I would definitely recommend this
with the full expansion and a big group
of players who like to shout at each other.

  

Illustration by Ed Appleby