God of War III Review

The combat comes to a head in a series of intense boss battles. Neither gods nor Titans are safe from Kratos' wrath, and plunging your sword into divine flesh is a savage delight. Every boss you encounter requires a different tactic, forcing you to learn their patterns on the fly to strike them down before they get the better of you. The more craven of your colossal foes will call forth additional support to help even the odds a bit, but others are content to fight you one-on-one, and these prove to be the most difficult duels. Matching blows with a Greek god is no easy task, and your life will likely be stripped away once or twice before you figure out how to take them down. During turning points in battle, a quick-time prompt will command you to attack your oversized foe in a dazzling way, breaking up the battle with some well-earned brutality. These interludes do a great job of keeping fights diverse and interesting, urging you forward to see what heinous crime you'll commit next. At the conclusion of each of these battles, you are given a chance to finish your foes off in style, and these bloody moments are incredibly rewarding.

Helios better hope his neck is stronger than Kratos' hands.

God of War III isn't just about meting out barbaric vengeance, though. There are clever puzzles sprinkled among the dramatic battles for supremacy, and they do a good job of forcing your brain to shift thought patterns. Although you have to partake in a few requisite box-pushing puzzles, the majority thankfully do not rely on this tired game mechanic. One of the more interesting puzzles takes place in Hera's maze garden. Reaching the next section by normal means is impossible, but by using a magic stone, your perspective is skewed, causing pathways that were previously unconnected to momentarily attach. Wrapping your brain around how to create paths from this warped perspective takes a fair bit of thought, and finally making your way through this area is as satisfying as crushing the life from a siren. Puzzles in God of War III are neither as prevalent nor as difficult as those found in its predecessor. Because of this, the experience is much more streamlined now, placing the focus squarely on the explosive combat. The result is a slightly more predictable adventure, but the fights are full of enough raucous moments to almost make up for the lack of diversity.

God of War III embraces violence like few other games, but the brutal combat never feels overwhelming. There is a delicate balance between the grotesque combat and the more cerebral, slower-paced sections. This restraint adds a lot to the experience, making the brutality more affecting and the quiet stretches a welcome respite from the bloodshed. The ease with which the game shifts between these moods is impressive, seamlessly flowing from deicide to puzzle solving to peaceful exploration without stumbling. The epic scale is also used sparingly, but to great effect. You always have a sense that you are part of something larger even when the environment doesn't necessarily reveal the majesty all around you. Kratos finds himself in tight, cramped corridors, using every trick in his combat arsenal to survive. And when you finally break free from your confined state into the open air and see miles of freedom beyond you, and a towering Titan leering down from thousands of feet above you, the overwhelming scale carries more weight.

Two heads are better than one. The same can be said of blades.

Whether you're in a cramped cave or riding on the back of a furious Titan, the visuals in God of War III are stunning. The ease with which the camera zooms in and out during epic battles is jaw dropping, but it's the attention to detail that puts this game over the top. Kratos is animated with such painstaking care that it is striking at times. While riding atop a lassoed Cerberus, you can see Kratos' legs and arms flex with each step as he desperately tries to corral the wild beast, hanging on for dear life. The same care is given when you're swimming underwater, taking flight with Icarus wings, or ascending a flight of stairs, and it's a marvel to see how lifelike Kratos' movements are. This care is transferred to the creatures and gods you fight as well, making the battles feel more personal and the impact more painful. The lighting effects are equally stunning. Torches flicker realistically on surfaces and characters, creating an eerie effect. And these technical wonders are further enhanced by an artistic touch that gives every section of this game a unique look that is a joy to stare at. God of War III is simply gorgeous.

God of War III sticks to the strengths already established by its predecessors, but what it lacks in innovation it more than makes up for in execution. The combat is simple to pick up, but the added moves and weapons give it more depth than before, and the spectacular visuals make fights even more brutal. But God of War III is so much more than its satisfying combat. The imaginative visual design and moody classical score balance your quest for vengeance with artistic pleasures, and the well-crafted puzzles further tap into your cerebral vein. God of War III is a brilliantly paced, meticulously detailed adventure that thrills and satisfies until the very end.