➤ Kratos' Second Revenge 🎮

In a relatively quiet period in terms of videogame releases, God of War III arrives in Remastered version on PlayStation 4, after in 2010 he had caught a sound 9.6 on these pages thanks to a fabulous technical-artistic mixture, a wise use of violence at the service of gameplay and some of the most exciting moments ever given by a video game.

However, five years are an eternity from a technological point of view, memories can be better than reality and it is often better to leave them as they are, rather than discovering the bitter truth of a title that has not withstood the passage of time. Certainly, the sensitivity on this aspect changes from person to person, and not everyone has played it at the time, either for having owned different platforms, or for lack of time, or - too often we forget - for lack of budget.

The remastered have the advantage of bringing these productions to current systems, updated at least from the point of view of fluidity and resolution. and, net of plots and marketing strategies that can undermine the development of completely new titles, they are aimed precisely at the categories mentioned above, often at a price that makes them even more competitive. Those who have already played the original title do well not to spend any more money, unless it was exceptional for them; who has not done so has one more chance, the important thing is that he is ready to "face" a technical component that is not necessarily of the very first hair and a gameplay that inevitably some signs of failure can have it. In the writing of this review we had many doubts on how to evaluate the Remastered version of God of War III, doubts that have arisen on the final vote and on some considerations that we share with you. The title is offered at a price of around 40 Euros and is clearly aimed at those who have not played it on PlayStation 3. It has a strong narrative component and starts exactly where the second chapter ends ... why, then, not convert the two previous ones, albeit even more aged from a technical and gameplay point of view? Also since, speaking of the latter, apart from extraordinary cases such as Bayonetta 2, the genre has not undergone major evolutions or upheavals and the God of War series has always shone for involvement rather than technicalities, pad in hand, aspects in the which can be said to have aged more. Among other things, technically the remastering work was quite basic, almost automatically exploiting the increased computing power of PlayStation 4. It is clear that, once these premises have been treasured, God of War III still remains a very important title in the action adventure scene.

We tried God of War III in Remastered version on PlayStation 4, and here's our verdict

War of mythological proportions

The story of Kratos is centered on remorse, the tireless suffering of the protagonist and the revenge against Olympus all, with a multitude of nuances that can only be grasped by having played the other titles of the saga. His figure is complex, multifaceted and for this reason charismatic, he does not know pity, he is willing to do anything to achieve his goal and will not have peace until I have brought it to completion. The advice is to read at least the background of this third chapter, which represent a big plus because the developers have drawn heavily from Greek mythology., reinterpreting the role of each character as appropriate and tying it perfectly with that of Kratos, for a result full of twists and memorable moments, two of the factors that have strongly contributed to the success of the saga.

Elements sublimated precisely by this third chapter, the initial part of which can be defined among the most exciting ever experienced in a video game: Kratos is on the back of the Titan Gaia while he is climbing Olympus, accompanied by the other giants intent on recovering what was removed after the Great War. However, Zeus still has many allies in his ranks: Poseidon, Hades, Hermes, Elio and others, united for a clash that promises to be epic and no holds barred. In this first hour of the game, the developers have indulged themselves by proposing a fight against Poseidon that is simply exceptional, which develops several times with an exhilarating visual and emotional impact, to the point that the first phase of relative calm allows you to recover from what you experienced previously. . The automatic (and only such) positioning of the camera also contributes to the effect, if we want a bit anachronistic but counterbalanced by an exemplary direction, able to always offer the best view and to give a series of postcard shots. It is absolutely true that nowadays it is natural to think of having full control of the camera for aesthetic and functional needs, but we do not feel we see this feature of the saga as a defect; rather as an element that begins to feel the weight of the years and that deserves at least a hybrid behavior, like Uncharted to be clear. That said, God of War III thrives on arrembante events and inevitably yields more in these situations, putting on the plate never banal clashes in terms of spectacularity, complex in their gait and that really show how the developers have made the maximum effort with this third. chapter in terms of imagery and characters with whom one interacts, to the point that it is difficult to imagine how a possible fourth chapter can offer antagonists and events of equal caliber. As for the actual gameplay, "thankfully" there is still so much that can be improved, since the game of Santa Monica rests its foundations on an appreciated formula (in the service of brutality and spectacularity) but not particularly developed in terms of challenge and required skill, although in this third chapter the puzzle sections are better designed and airy, especially in the second part, while the classic combat scheme offers some variations on the theme.

PlayStation 4 Trophies

The trophies of God of War III Remastered are essentially identical to the PlayStation 3 counterpart, but they are added to one's gamertag and therefore there is no risk, for platinum collectors, of being "screwed". The total is 36 trophies of which 18 secrets related to the story and the bosses. The others are obtained by completing the game, performing a 1000 move combo (!), Upgrading weapons and completing some of the extras. Those who want to try to get Platinum by completing the game only once, must immediately select the highest difficulty level among those initially available.

From the game to the Remaster

Weapons and spells now move in symbiosis with each other, each weapon that is obtained is associated with the digital cross, which in turn brings with it a different spell, which can be activated immediately with the R2 key. The blades supplied to Kratos have for example the phalanx of Sparta, the claws of Hades can release souls of various kinds that attack enemies and so on, and the beauty is that each weapon is suitable for different types of enemies or to have the best on some objects, which leads to varying their use depending on the situation, leaving you free to manage them according to your preference for one or the other. This great interoperability is also reinforced by the fact that all weapons can be changed "on the fly", using the aforementioned digital cross or with the combination L1 + X, which allows you to not interrupt combos while attacking enemies. Other moves in Kratos' repertoire include a claw grip to execute a headbutt, the ability to ride some enemies to take advantage of their greater attack power, or use others as a shield and run madly to overwhelm anything, also because the ladder of the fighting has increased compared to the past, and it is also possible to face dozens of enemies on the screen at the same time. To make everything even more dynamic and fluid, in addition to dodging, counterattacks and so on, this third chapter introduces a third energy bar, dedicated to the use of the objects that the main protagonist acquires during the adventure. For example, we have the arch, which can incinerate enemies and elements of the scenario that block the road, and then move on to Hermes' boots that allow you to throw enemies into the air with an acceleration while running and reach high places otherwise inaccessible. The quick time events, of which God of War was one of the major supporters after Shenmue, are obviously present and dedicated to the final killing of bosses and rather difficult opponents, as always accompany bloody and spectacular actions and also in this case they have been slightly modified, as the front keys of the pad appear on the four sides of the screen, leaving the focus fully on what is happening.

After five years, everything remains fun and engaging in the moments in which the game puts bosses and important events on the track, there is also no doubt that the greater inclination towards spectacular rather than skill with the pad denotes some signs of failure, because the desire to know what happens next takes over the pure pleasure of playing. The extras (described in the appropriate box) are identical to the original title while the longevity is between nine and ten hours the first time the game is completed; in short, God of War III remains a title of undoubted quality, but it lacks that freshness that it could have had five years ago. Let's go back to the present day with the analysis strictly linked to this Remastered, starting from the control system: the command scheme has not been adapted to the DualShock 4 nor is it modifiable, even if thanks to the less sensitive triggers there is no problem of activating the spells with R2 when not wanted; with Start you access the upgrades for weapons and objects thanks to the souls collected following the killings, with the touch pad at the bottom right you get to the options, at the bottom left to the photo mode. The latter - you can appreciate the photos we have taken in this article - allows you to manage the zoom of the camera, the glow, the brightness, the filters with their degree of intensity and the frames, for a level of customization lower than other titles such as The Last of Us, but which still allows for excellent results thanks to the remarkable visual impact that the game still manages to give today. Not for particular merits of this re-release, though: God of War III Remastered runs at 1080p and 60 frames per second, with visibly more defined textures and some more refined post processing effects.

Operation that allows you to enjoy a smooth, clean title with an excellent response to commands, but with a job that compared to the original for PlayStation 3 represents the minimum wage, also affected by the fact that the movies remain anchored to thirty frames per second with the same compression of 2010, denoting a difference, for the worse, with respect to the sequences shown directly with the game's graphics engine. It is therefore fortunate that God of War III Remastered benefits from a base that was exceptional at the time, with a high production value. We are talking about an important polygonal mass, very varied and detailed settings, a quantity of enemies and objects on the screen that contribute to making the action spectacular. If we add a flawless and fascinating artistic realization, made of landscapes saturated with color, a good stroke (accompanied by a rather good anti-aliasing) and a design of enemies and structures that are clearly uncommon, we have a package that is very valid even today. In short, there are several titles developed for the current generation of consoles that pay duty towards God of War III Remastered, and this is a credit for the production of Santa Monica, but also a demerit for the others who have not managed to do. better with five years more on the rump.

The extras of the game

The extras of God of War III Remastered seemed similar to those of the original title and can be accessed, with the exception of a part of the making of also available with subtitles in Spanish, following the first completion of the adventure. It starts from the classic additional difficulty level, up to the possibility of facing the game again with the hidden objects that are scattered around the environments and that allow you to enable infinite energy, increase the damage inflicted and suffered, access the final combos and so on. , bearing in mind, however, that in this case the trophies are deactivated. Then we have the Challenges mode, which offers several clashes with some specific rules and finally the combat arena, which is unlocked after successfully completing the first mode. Last but not least, there is the possibility to view the videos of the game, which unfortunately are identical to the originals, as written in the body of the review.

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God of War III Remastered is still an essential title for action adventure lovers, unreservedly recommended to those who have not played the original title. Spectacular, fun and engaging, it brings the best of Greek mythology to the track and some of the best boss fights ever made. He has aged well also on a technical level but the changes made by the developers represent the minimum wage, where for example a much more elaborate job was done for The Last of Us. The gameplay has lost a bit of polish, although in these five years there have been no major evolutions, but it is above all the positioning of this remastering that is a little strange: addressed first of all to those who have not played the title on PlayStation 3, not supports the other two chapters of the saga, which should be recovered on another platform. In short, there are a whole series of variables to consider when purchasing, but the quality of the package is still undoubtedly high.