zomg101
2019
+ Satisfying action gameplay. Combat generally feels really good to play around with. Props especially to the psychic powers that you gradually obtain throughout... probably the best implementation in this genre of both telekinesis and a later-game power.
+ Destructible environments and (especially combat) particles look great
+ Some pretty fun lore and worldbuilding, alongside plenty of collectibles and secrets
- Combat, while generally fun, tends to drag a little bit. Lots of "oh, there's still more?" waves of enemies that don't provide additional challenge or intrigue
- Some questionable design choices with combat alerts and lighting sometimes led to damage/deaths feeling a little cheap (I died more from falling into pits I didn't see than literally fighting enemies). Felt like the game couldn't decide whether to lean more towards action or horror at times
- Characters are mostly dull and uninteresting
- A couple weird design choices here and there. Most prominent one that comes to mind is that gear is randomly generated and unlocked through grindable random resource gathering? I never felt weak in my own playthrough, but weird decision to make it that way in the first place.
+ Destructible environments and (especially combat) particles look great
+ Some pretty fun lore and worldbuilding, alongside plenty of collectibles and secrets
- Combat, while generally fun, tends to drag a little bit. Lots of "oh, there's still more?" waves of enemies that don't provide additional challenge or intrigue
- Some questionable design choices with combat alerts and lighting sometimes led to damage/deaths feeling a little cheap (I died more from falling into pits I didn't see than literally fighting enemies). Felt like the game couldn't decide whether to lean more towards action or horror at times
- Characters are mostly dull and uninteresting
- A couple weird design choices here and there. Most prominent one that comes to mind is that gear is randomly generated and unlocked through grindable random resource gathering? I never felt weak in my own playthrough, but weird decision to make it that way in the first place.
2022
+ Fun, satisfying gameplay with lots of distinct combat and gear options, as well as enemy variety
+ Looks and sounds great
+ Occasional fantastic story beats and character moments, mostly between Kratos and Atreus
+ Lots of content and map to explore...
- ...Unfortunately a lot of it is pretty bland
- Narratively kind of a mess
- Significantly worse, almost Marvel movie-esque, writing for nearly all new and returning characters - ended up being very distracting with how much emphasis the game places on its narrative and characters. It was kind of impressive introducing this many new characters and having basically none of them land for me
- Pacing issues throughout main story and side quests (many insignificant main story chapters that felt like filler, noticeable amount of dead time walking around with no dialogue or interesting environments between areas or even within certain puzzles, fast travel a bit too sparse before postgame, etc.)
Difficulty: Started on "Give Me Balance" but I thought the enemies felt a bit too damage-spongey. Changed to "Give Me Grace" about 15-20% in and the moment-to-moment combat felt a lot more satisfying to play. Completed on recommended difficulty for Valhalla DLC.
Completion: Finished main story and free Valhalla DLC, beat all the endgame optional side bosses, ~80-95% completion for each realm.
+ Looks and sounds great
+ Occasional fantastic story beats and character moments, mostly between Kratos and Atreus
+ Lots of content and map to explore...
- ...Unfortunately a lot of it is pretty bland
- Narratively kind of a mess
- Significantly worse, almost Marvel movie-esque, writing for nearly all new and returning characters - ended up being very distracting with how much emphasis the game places on its narrative and characters. It was kind of impressive introducing this many new characters and having basically none of them land for me
- Pacing issues throughout main story and side quests (many insignificant main story chapters that felt like filler, noticeable amount of dead time walking around with no dialogue or interesting environments between areas or even within certain puzzles, fast travel a bit too sparse before postgame, etc.)
Difficulty: Started on "Give Me Balance" but I thought the enemies felt a bit too damage-spongey. Changed to "Give Me Grace" about 15-20% in and the moment-to-moment combat felt a lot more satisfying to play. Completed on recommended difficulty for Valhalla DLC.
Completion: Finished main story and free Valhalla DLC, beat all the endgame optional side bosses, ~80-95% completion for each realm.