God of War Director Addresses Fan Criticism of Changes

Cory Barlog, speaking with Kotaku, has addressed some of the fan criticism aimed at the new God of War. Some fans are complaining about the changes to Kratos as a character and such. According to Barlog, no changes have been made randomly, or cynically.

God of War is evolving, whether people like it or not. It’s taking a much more mature, subtle approach. Well, speaking relatively, compared to the rest of the series. How that will work out, we’ll have to wait and see. However, some fans have been very critical of the changes made. Some are even calling it a sell-out of sorts. Their argument is that the changes the devs are introducing serve only to make the series more appealing to the mainstream audiences. There is a significant number of third-person adventure games doing well. The father-child mechanic, at least to some, seems like intentional aping off of The Last of Us. They complain that this evolution of Kratos is forced and completely out of character.

Now, whether or not this is the case, I can’t say for sure. I don’t know what was in the minds of the developers, and I want to stay as impartial as possible. That said, Cory Barlog, the creative director behind God of War, has responded to the criticisms in a recent comment to Kotaku. He said: “I know there are a lot of people who are out there saying, ‘It’s totally different. They’re changing a lot of things. Hashtag Not My God Of War. Hashtag Cancel My Pre-Order. But I think a lot of people have to play it.” He also added: “Nothing has changed cynically or under pressure or just willy-nilly. All of us put a lot of heart and soul into this game, and the DNA of what this franchise is still pumps through the blood of this game.”

So, there you have it. Personally, I lean more towards Cory Barlog’s side. I like the evolution of Kratos as a character. Either way, we won’t know for certain until the game comes out on April 20th.