Although the last two installments in theGod of Warfranchise have been incredibly successful, the series' future is currently a complete mystery. Santa Monica Studio, the lead developer behindGod of War, has neither announced any new installments in the franchise, nor has it given a single hint of what it’s been working on. Some industry pundits have suggested that Santa Monica Studio is taking a break from theGod of Warseries to work on a new IP. Others, meanwhile, have claimed that the company is making a newGod of Wargame that features Atreus as its main protagonist.
A mainlineGod of Warinstallment without Kratos in the lead role would likely cause some controversy among the hardcore gaming community, butgiven howGod of War: Ragnarokended, this doesn’t sound that far-fetched. If Atreus does indeed become the protagonist of the nextGod of Wargame, then perhaps Santa Monica Studio could make up for the absence of Kratos by reusing one of its best tricks fromGod of War(2018).
Santa Monica Studio Could Change the Perspective of the Next GoW Game If Atreus Is Its Main Protagonist
God of War 2018 Was a Big Departure from the OG GoW Formula, In Part Because of Its New Perspective
The 2018God of Warreboot was very different from the originalGod of Wartrilogy. The first three installments in theGod of Warfranchise were intense character action games that were brutal and gory in every sense of the word. In these games, Kratos was chopping off people’s heads to use as flashlights, walking over tormented souls of hell as if they were stepping stones, and ripping enemies apart with chained blades. The combat in the original trilogy, meanwhile, was very much in line with 2000shack-and-slash titles, likeDevil May Cry. Kratos often had to face off against multiple enemies simultaneously and could kill dozens of them at the same time.
What made the originalGod of Wartrilogy especially different fromGod ofWar(2018) andRagnarok, though, was its camera angle. The franchise’s first three games were played from a third-person perspective with a wide-angle view, so that players could see the scale of the giant enemies they were often facing against. The most recent entries in the franchise, on the other hand, areplayed from an over-the-shoulder perspective, and they primarily feature one-on-one combat. While this camera angle does makeGod of War(2018) andRagnarokblend in more with Sony’s catalog of third-person action adventure games, it also makes the gameplay feel considerably more personal compared to the original trilogy.
The Next God of War Game is Reportedly Going to Take Place in Ancient Egypt
If recent rumors are to be believed,the nextGod of Wargamemay be as different from its predecessors as the 2018God of Warreboot was. Apparently, this as-of-yet unannounced title is going to be set in Ancient Egypt and feature gods from Egyptian mythology. Given this alleged change in setting, it would be wise for Santa Monica Studio to ensure that this new installment in theGod of Warfranchise has an inventive gameplay system that stands out compared to previous games in the series.
An Atreus-Led Egyptian God of War Game Could Alternate Between First- and Third- Person Perspectives
If Atreus is the protagonist of the rumoredEgyptianGod of Wargame, then perhaps Santa Monica Studio could pull off a perspective change again like it did withGod of War(2018). Maybe, instead of using an over-the-shoulder camera angle, the next entry in the series could feature a mixture of third-person and first-person perspectives. Exploration in the game could primarily be in third-person, but combat sequences (at least the ones in which players use Atreus' bow) could be in first-person. An experiment like this would certainly be risky, but it could greatly shake upGod of War’s tried-and-true gameplay formula, if handled correctly.
