“God of War” has a surprising amount of different gaming elements in it. What’s even more surprising is that it does each one of those extremely well. The story, gameplay, writing and level design are all expertly crafted. This is the kind of the game that comes around once a generation.

I was skeptical for the longest time that “God of War” would be able to pull off satisfying combat. There have been a lot of comparisons to “Dark Souls” because of how the gameplay looks, but they’re very different. “God of War’s” combat starts off simple and as Kratos gets more and more skills and moves it becomes harder and more engaging.

Different enemies require different approaches and you’ll often be put into fights against a variety of foes. Switching weapons and tactics multiple times in a fight can get really tense and it forces the player to think quick.

The story of Kratos and his son, Atreus, journeying to scatter the ashes of Kratos’ wife, Faye, is gripping. Norse mythology makes for great source material as all the characters and environments fit the themes of past games.

Atreus is young and he struggles with the true nature of being a god and having to grow up in a dangerous world. Kratos is a lot more patient and wise. He realizes the mistakes of his past and does his best to make sure his son doesn’t end up like him. Their relationship grows and changes over the course of the game and it’s done in a believable way that gets you to care about both of them.

There are few games that can come close to the visual spectacles in this game. I’ve never played a game where I’ve stopped dozens of times just to take a look around. The game’s cinematics are extremely impressive due to the one-shot style of the camera.

This new “God of War” is a lot larger and more open than past games. As the player goes through the main story they will find plenty of opportunities for exploration and discovery. Going off the main path is always worth it since you’ll find rewards and upgrades that are all useful.

If you’ve never played a “God of War” game, it’s still worth playing this one. The only thing that’s really similar to past games is the main character and genre of gameplay. The series needed to evolve in order for it to continue and it’s done that better than any other game series. There some slight flaws with the combat and I have a few nitpicks with the story, but they’re pale in comparison to how impressive the game is. It would have been hard for this game to live up to the hype, yet it still does and it earns five stars.

[Final Score: 5/5

]Ulises Duenas can be reached at [email protected] or @OrionUlisesD on Twitter.