{"id":2795,"date":"2010-12-05T04:58:59","date_gmt":"2010-12-05T04:58:59","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/danielprimed.com\/?p=2795"},"modified":"2012-03-16T05:57:30","modified_gmt":"2012-03-16T05:57:30","slug":"god-of-war-iii-%e2%80%93-primary-mechanics-analysis","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/danielprimed.com\/2010\/12\/god-of-war-iii-%e2%80%93-primary-mechanics-analysis\/","title":{"rendered":"God of War III \u2013 Primary Mechanics Analysis"},"content":{"rendered":"

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I made it a goal of mine to complete God of War III<\/em> before I left for China some 8 months ago. I beat the game in time and have since left my stack of notes untouched. Finally, after dwelling on the game for so long I’ve gone back to my notes and now have something substantial to post, 5 articles in fact. I’ll be starting with the primary mechanics, please enjoy.<\/p>\n

Renovating Redux<\/h3>\n

In my review of God of War II<\/em><\/a> I made a point to criticise the weak changes and additions to the combat system which failed to make the sequel any more engaging than chewing through God of War<\/em> for a second, consecutive time.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor continuing players this amounts to a heap redux which God of War II’s largely peripheral additions to the combat system fail to quell. (Newer players will similarly find the combat stretches beyond its means, but perhaps not as immediately as returning players). A smattering of aggressive new moves mapped to the L1 button when used in conjunction with the face buttons, a spiffied up Rage of the Titans (rage mode) and some new spells do fend off the familiar, but fail to sustain player interest through what is a significantly extended play experience.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Combat is the God of War<\/em> franchise’s core component. It is, ultimately, the crux that the rest of the game leans \u00a0upon. So if the combat cannot pull its weight then the game as a whole is weakened on a fundamental level.<\/p>\n

In God of War<\/em>, the excellent \u201cgame feel\u201d<\/em> of Kratos’ brutal ballet, a solid degree of interplay and enemy types which brought the depth of the mechanics to the player’s attention are some of the highlights. For me personally, I made it all the way through God of War <\/em>completely satisfied that I’d gotten everything out of the combat by the endgame.<\/p>\n

In God of War II<\/em>, the \u201cgame feel\u201d<\/em> is still great, but is arguably weakened as it no longer retains that \u201cnew combat system\u201d <\/em>feel. With little added interplay (back-and-forth depth) squeezed into the mechanics and rehashed enemies, God of War II<\/em> is effectively the original game with some minor, non-impactful changes. (A lowdown on the differences can be found here<\/a>). Furthermore since God of War II<\/em> is a longer game than its predecessor, I personally found the combat more trying the more I played.<\/p>\n

With these points in mind, it is imperative that God of War III<\/em> rejigg the combat system. Fortunately it does so, let’s start with the analysis off with the primary mechanics. A follow-up article will cover the secondary and peripheral mechanics along with all round tweaks.<\/p>\n

Starting Base<\/h3>\n

The core ability set from God of War II<\/em> carries over to the 3rd<\/sup> instalment. (That is, everything from God of War<\/em> plus the L1 power attacks and bow). Exceptions include the Barbarian Hammer<\/a> and the Spear of Destiny<\/a>. Peripheral and secondary elements like Poseidon’s Trident (breathing underwater endlessly), the Golden Fleece (re-diverting attacks), and Icarus Wings (floating fall) all return. The core mechanics are quickly taught by an on-screen display of button combinations and their respective attack names while Kratos is on Gaia’s back in the initial opening. Later the peripheral elements are taught once they become relevant, which just so happens to be in the preceding chapter when Kratos returns to the underworld.<\/p>\n

New Core Mechanics<\/h3>\n

The Battering Ram (and the pile-on)<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

The battering ram mechanic is a follow-through mechanic to grab. Once Kratos grabs a smaller enemy, aside from pummelling them some more, tearing them apart or throwing them at other enemies (inclusions from the very first game), Kratos can also use the enemy as a shield and rush forward into other enemies. If Kratos dashes towards a solid surface, he will bash the enemy’s skull into that surface. The video below is a good display of the mechanic:<\/p>\n