2/28/2023 0 Comments God of war ascension hourglassIt’s not just that it’s hard – God of War games have always been tough, and a stiff challenge is something I relish whenever I spend more time with Kratos – but there are times when it actually feels unfair, because occasionally there’s literally nothing you can do to avoid death. Many of the crutches I'd relied upon earlier – the ability to save often or top off my energy – are suddenly pulled from under our feet, and the resulting chapter is tougher than anything I’ve played in a God of War game before. Then there's one section – the Trials of Archimedes – that will likely frustrate even the most skillful of players. Dying in such situations feels cheap and frustrating. But at times Ascension takes challenge to the next level – not necessarily by making enemies tougher to kill, but by throwing so many bad guys on screen it’s hard to actually figure out what’s going on. Checkpoints are in abundance and health chests are generously scattered around, so much so this is probably the easiest of all the God of War games overall. Play Difficulty throughout is, for the most part, balanced and well-considered. Often, it’s moments when Kratos is overwhelmed with enemies that magic provides his only lifeline. It’s a positive step because it really encourages you to think wisely about where to allocate experience points rather than being the ultimate badass from the outset. The magic system has changed slightly, too: super-powerful magic attacks are locked away much further down the weapon upgrade tree, meaning you cannot rely on them as heavily as you might’ve done in previous games. While I found them useful in the early stages, they rapidly became superfluous as my Blades got upgraded. There are secondary weapons, too – limited-use additions to your arsenal like the javelin, which is useful for ranged attacks, or the attack-blocking shield. It’s a subtle but effective way of getting us to mix and match our attacks, but also provides a strategic lifeline when there’s no energy re-gen chest nearby. For example, vaporise an enemy using lightning and you’re rewarded with magic-restoring blue orbs do the same with the Soul of Hades and green health-giving orbs are yours for the taking. Learning how to use each power effectively is another source of depth. It’s no great loss though, because instead variety comes as you imbibe different powers into the Blades along the way – the Fire of Ares torches enemies alive Ice of Poseidon freezes foes Lightning of Zeus delivers a vicious electric attack and the Soul of Hades calls upon the undead for help. There have been tweaks to the combat however, with Kratos now only using the Blades of Chaos rather than discovering new weapons along the way. Weapon upgrades provide much-needed depth and variety without ever becoming overwhelming so while it’s possible to punch and kick your way through most of the campaign using just a handful of basic moves, there are countless combo-strings to discover should you wish to experiment further. It’s business as usual when it comes to combat, and therefore, it’s as satisfying as ever. Play Thankfully the tempo ramps up quickly, and Ascension rapidly settles into the high-octane groove fans will be familiar with.
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