The Replay Value of God of War+

Disclaimer: This is meant to be spoiler-free, but include some gameplay reveals that may want to be avoided for fans who haven’t finished the game.

It’s easy to forget God of War (2018) is barely five months old. Not only does spring seem to be forever ago, but the game became such an instant classic that it’s hard to remember the world before it came out – in the long, long ago. Hyperbole? To some, but the game received a heap of critical praise, commercial success, and “Boy!” memes. At the basic level, Santa Monica Studios managed to bring the God of War franchise, and its haggard hero Kratos of Sparta, back from death.

Santa Monica Studios packed so much content into the game that many Handsome Phantom team members have barely gotten through it, including a very doable but challenging Platinum Trophy. Fans seemed divided about the lack of DLC plans, but consoled themselves that director Cory Barlog and the rest of the team were hard at work on a sequel. Thankfully, God of War recently released New Game Plus, and a game filled with content just exponentially increased its replayability.

After hacking through the main story and ripping apart thousands of monsters for the Platinum Trophy, New Game Plus still holds some new secrets for fans, as well as new armors, and some reworked gameplay encounters.

Whats New+

Playing through the beginning of God of War in New Game Plus develops an even greater appreciation for the narrative beats of the story. Kratos’ resigned moments and outbursts are even more poignant, knowing the secrets and emotions he’s holding back from his young son. The appearance of the game’s primary antagonist, and later a rare friend and local witch, drips with foreshadowing gone unappreciated before. It hadn’t been that long since I completed the game. That the narrative could still be so powerful when its still so familiar is a feat unmatched by many other titles. However, skipping cut scenes is also an option, if certain narrative moments have lost their luster.

The new armors are fun to see. Players unlock the Cod of War set from the start. This aquatic inspired set references a joke from Barlog’s last turn as director for the franchise, God of War II. The set looks alright, but the perks that create explosions and shields after picking up health look pretty cool, and can have a dramatic effect on combat encounters. A set similar in silhouette to the blue Viken set is inspired by Ares, and the Greek homage blended with the Nordic frame fits the story just right.

Other sets have been given visual reworks, such as the sets available from Brok and Sindri, or the sets from Niflheim and Muspelheim. Some sets, such as the Traveler’s and Ancient’s sets have hardly changed at all. What the game has done, is allow players to melt the two previous sets into enchantments that offer the full effect of the armor set, and can be slotted into your favorite piece. This means the Ancient’s set can be turned into an enchantment that offers a significant resistance to fire, frost and poison. Having trouble getting hacksilver to fund these upgrades? Players can now sell unneeded experience points for money. It’s like cash for gold but its not a scam.

The new armor sets, including some powerful reworks that combine all the best perks for Atreus, really unlock Kratos’ godly abilities. This is where the New Game Plus mode gets its strongest push to recommend. The Platinum Trophy for God of War (2018), is very fun, but can be a little difficult or grindy. The new armor creates more deadly versions of Kratos that make some encounter in the postgame easier, but in a lot of ways, makes them more fun as well. Hacking through the nine Valkyries, or completing the challenges in Muspelheim and Niflheim might be a bit easier with a fully loaded Dad and Boy.

So far, the only part of New Game Plus that is lacking is the absence of new trophies. New trophies aren’t needed, and new trophies doesn’t guarantee they’d be fun or meaningful, but it would foster a sense of completion and achievement that would complete the New Game Plus experience.

It’s good to know that New Game Plus is waiting for players coming back to the game. With a sequel far off, but a busy schedule of new releases set for fall and winter, God of War (2018) will be waiting patiently whenever you’re ready to dust it off. When that happens, be sure to check out the Platted That! and don’t miss out on adding that sweet trophy to your profile.

As always, tweet us and let us know what you think! When are you planning to go back to God of War? Do you even want to? If you’ve played the New Game Plus, what’s been the best part of going back? Are we ever gonna find out what Kratos did with the rest of his gear from the original trilogy? Like, is there the severed head of Apollo also sitting underneath their house? What’s the deal Cory?

Be sure to check out our recent review of HYPERGUN!