{"id":2817,"date":"2010-12-14T13:40:41","date_gmt":"2010-12-14T13:40:41","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/danielprimed.com\/?p=2817"},"modified":"2012-03-16T05:57:53","modified_gmt":"2012-03-16T05:57:53","slug":"god-of-war-iii-%e2%80%93-kratos-villain-anti-hero-or-indifferent","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/danielprimed.com\/2010\/12\/god-of-war-iii-%e2%80%93-kratos-villain-anti-hero-or-indifferent\/","title":{"rendered":"God of War III \u2013 Kratos: Villain, Anti-Hero or Indifferent"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Many times during God of War III<\/em> I felt that the game was trying to make commentary on Kratos’ role, not as an anti-hero but as an actual villain and eventual redeemer. Although it’s obviously intended that Kratos looks and acts like a complete bad ass, God of War III<\/em> occasionally oversteps this mark, portraying him as a cold-blooded killer. The game’s villains (various gods), through their dialogue, all explicitly state that Kratos has stepped even outside of his own bounds and become consumed by his own revenge.<\/p>\n

The God of War<\/em> series is about the spectacle, not about the politics so this commentary puzzles me. The objective lens is turned on far too frequently in God of War III<\/em> to be considered unintentional, yet come the end of the game, the conclusion regarding this critique is unclear, giving me the impression that the objectification is perhaps misplaced or under-realised. I’m left thinking that Sony Santa Monica tried to be serious about its protagonist in the same way it tried to create a meaningful ending, and as we know from the last post<\/a>, the ending was a complete train wreck.<\/p>\n

In any case there is a thread to follow on how Kratos is portrayed as a villainous murderer consumed by his own revenge. Let’s follow this thread and see how it establishes Kratos’ role throughout the game.<\/p>\n

“The measure of a man is what he does with power”<\/h3>\n

The above quote kicks off God of War III<\/em>, giving the player something to ponder and ponder I did. If “The measure of a man is what he does with power”<\/em> and Kratos’ power can be interpreted as his sheer strength then clearly his slaughter of those around him defines him as a villain, if nothing else. Maybe this quote at the start of the game is a little preempt given that we haven’t seen what Kratos does with his power yet or maybe its trying to set a precedence.<\/p>\n

A Bloodied Hero<\/h3>\n

The technology of the PS3 allows Kratos’ body to become stained with blood as he tears through his enemies. This touch of realism quite literally paints Kratos as a more brutal character. Furthermore, aside from the blood washing away in water, the player can’t respond to the blood and neither Kratos in the cutscenes. Therefore, through the player’s inaction Kratos accepts such barbarism as normality.<\/p>\n

Poseidon POV<\/h3>\n

Watch this video from 2:50<\/em><\/p>\n