Players will agree that “God of War 4” was among the best games presented during this year’s Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3). Now, developer Sony Santa Monica, led by director Cory Barlog, is trying to unveil as many details as they could. But of course, they certainly do not want to spoil the fun.
However, in an interview with Polygon, Barlog was not able to contain his excitement and revealed a significant fact about “God of War 4.” He confirmed that, contrary to popular belief, the forthcoming PlayStation 4 exclusive will not offer an open-world experience.
As expected from him, he explained the reason why behind the move.
It is not just appropriate
In previous interviews and discussions, Barlog was pretty much consistent in revealing his utmost desire for the fourth iteration. He unveiled that they want the next title to have a meaningful and engaging evolution, one that is completely different from what the previous titles offered. This evolution should not only cover the gameplay and story aspects of the game, as it should be applied to Kratos’ character as well. However, if the next installment in the series becomes an open-world game, it directly defeats the purpose.
The “God of War 4” creative director said that since the get-go, he himself knew that such elements would not be appropriate in the game.
“I knew right away that I did not want to make an open-world game,” he claimed. Barlog further added that it is not his goal to develop a game in which players feel like a checklist must be completed. This statement of his seems to be a nod to how open-world titles work nowadays.
What the game could offer instead
Barlog assured the fans of “God of War 4” that the absence of an open-world element would not make much of an impact.
That is because they prepared something different -- perhaps way better -- for the players to experience. First and foremost, Barlog confirmed that the upcoming title will offer diverging paths, all of which will be a complete steer from the main course of the gameplay. He even mentioned about various secret areas that players will have to explore on their own.
“Kratos and Atreus have a goal that takes them all over the world,” he said without spoiling the secrets.
The “God of War 4” director said that these secret areas were developed to give players rewards for their curiosity and willingness to step onto the wilderness. However, he iterated that these areas were placed in a way that players would not be forced to do something about them. Again, this is the kind of element that open-world titles provide. Interestingly, he mentioned the titular series from publisher Bandai Namco and developer FromSoftware. Barlog said that, in one way or another, his game shares the same similarities with the “Dark Souls” franchise.
