After I finished writing my article about needing more 3D Metroidvanias, a random thought came to me: “Is the God of War reboot a Metroidvania?” On paper, there’s plenty of mechanics in the game that are Metroidvania-esque, like the early interconnected levels and some instances of gated progression. Upon further research, it became clear that this game is just too linear to be in the search-action genre.
It’s really close, though.
Playing the pseudo-reboot, it’s clear that this could have been a full-on 3D Metroidvania like Batman: Arkham Asylum or Metroid Prime. However, its focus on telling a linear cinematic story with only a couple of things to backtrack for makes this more like a standard action RPG. That’s not a bad thing, as the game has some great combat encounters and story elements.
But how cool would it have been if Kratos’ 2018 reboot went full bore on gated progression and exploration? With rumors of a 2.5D God of War game coming to PS5 in the near future, I look back at the game’s mechanics and think of its Metroidvania potential.
Kratos Can Search for Action
If you’ve played any Metroidvania games in recent years, you can see some of those mechanics fit in really well in the 2018 game.
At the start of God of War (2018), Kratos has an ice axe that can be used to freeze enemies and act as a key to open specific locations. Later on, his son Atreus also gets elemental arrows that not only damage enemies, but can also take care of specific obstacles, often blocking the path to optional areas. Kratos also gets his signature Blades of Chaos, which can burn down specific ice blockages, in addition to being a great combat weapon.
These options should offer plenty of ways to get through various areas and unlock some new goodies. Unfortunately, outside of some minor backtracking, these weapons are mostly used for fighting and light puzzle-solving. While exploring the game’s various areas can be a treat, going back to old areas doesn’t lead to any cool rewards that can make Kratos stronger, aside from generic health and magic upgrades, or some gear to boost your stats.
While there are a decent number of side quests blocked by these obstacles in God of War, the rewards don’t fundamentally change Kratos or the game itself. For example, beating the Valkyrie Queen gets you some cool armor, but no extra abilities that offer unique offensive or traversal techniques. Going through these side quests is fine for world-building and a meaty challenge, but anyone hoping for more in-depth exploration will be disappointed.
God of War-vania
Just to be clear, not being a Metroidvania doesn’t make God of War (2018) a bad game, not in the slightest. While I do prefer the more linear combat-focused entries in the series, this soft reboot is still a very good AAA game. I don’t blame Sony Santa Monica for going the linear action RPG route, but the Metroidvania potential does leave me wanting more.
How cool would it have been if beating the Valkyries had gotten Kratos wings that meant he could glide, allowing him to reach different areas he couldn’t before? Imagine being able to use Kratos’ Blades of Chaos as a grappling hook for more varied platforming and exploring? The lack of awesome traversal options really hammer it home that this isn’t a Metroidvania game.
Think about how Metroid gives Samus’ ball form the ability to move up ceilings, or how Batman: Arkham Asylum powers up the grappling hook so it can tear down specific walls. It’s that cool mixture of traversal and power-ups that makes these search-action games so interesting, and Kratos’ 2018 adventure just doesn’t have any of that.
Obviously, there’s plenty of basis in God of War (2018) and its sequel Ragnarok to make a proper Metroidvania game in the future. We don’t know if Sony will actually do that, especially with rumors of that 2.5D game, but it would spice up the company’s current exclusives library. Currently, it's open-world games, third-person shooters, and Helldivers 2, so a Metroidvania would spice things up.
Sony Santa Monica’s God of War reboot isn’t a Metroidvania, and that’s okay. It’s still a story-rich RPG with fun gameplay. It also manages to do the impossible and make Kratos a likable character. Seriously, his writing here is so good that you forget he essentially killed his world in God of War 3, for the sake of good old revenge.
But maybe the next one can be? Not every exclusive has to be a linear cinematic game or a huge open-world title, after all.
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