It's the definitive [good-design game-loop]. It is so [good-design game-loop] even I have finished it. Maybe also for the combat, which I thought was pretty nice and flashy.

I couldn't care less for the crafting, side missions, looting, collectathonics and similar gibberish, each moment I had to see an upgrade screen for my gear I was a step closer to quiting.

Really interesting when people say this is showing real maturity from the story, when it is the same shit from previous games, although this time more needlessly complicated. They have concepts and ideas, sure, but neither Kratos nor the gods know what they're doing at any moment, following the age-old journey of the "AAA-gymkhana-open-world-extravaganza", where parenting still means crushing the skull of your enemies to the pulp (so mature and a real departure from previous games!). The supremacist tantrum from Atreus in the middle without any repercussions is also super funny. Again, it seems better than previous games because the acting is good and Kratos now looks at his scars, like every Serious and Important story about damaged parents must do.

The game has some nice vistas and it is technologically pretty, but the whole long take gimmick is SO SO SO unnecessary and inconsequential that reads more as, again, some prestige self-seriousness than anything that could add to the energy of the scenes, cause some of them end up looking really fucking dull.

Writing this it seems it's fucking awful, but really I don't think is as bad as some in here put it, it is salvaged for the most part by the combat and by having a nice tight structure (although sometimes bloated) if you avoid any side stuff. However, thinking this is some sort of "big next step for Kratos" or "a mature game about complex relationships" is beyond me.

Also, is Freya, the only female character in the whole game, the only person that doesn't emote???