God of War will have plenty of boat rides, according to a recent interview Creative Director Cory Barlog gave with Game Informer. In fact, boats will serve as an integral form of transportation for Kratos and his son Atreus.
Earlier this month, Game Informer asked Barlog how much time players could expect to spend on boats in the new God of War. Barlog answered with a number that may seem surprisingly high, 25 to 30 percent. Game Informer followed up on these claims to find out why boats are so heavily featured, and it sounds like they serve as a means of both transportation and storytelling.
According to Barlog, boats will be easy to find and use, and players will use multiple craft over the course of the campaign. This means there won’t be any upgrades or customization options. Sailing also won’t be as in-depth as other games, with Barlog saying “It’s not a sailing simulator. It’s not the focal point of the game.”
Previous God of War games have featured swimming, but the team at Sony Santa Monica felt implementing the feature and building the appropriate AI for Atreus would be too difficult. That led to the idea of Viking longboats as a storytelling device. “You can slow traversal down and you can change the pacing and interaction style and point of view,” Barlog said. “All while having these moments that you probably couldn’t get in any other situations.”
Barlog also confirmed to Game Informer that Kratos is still both a god and immortal. Atreus, therefore, is part god. In a confusing move, when asked if there were quick-time events, Barlog said “no” while nodding his head. Looks like we’ll have to wait and see some gameplay footage before finding out the real answer to that one.
God of War will release exclusively on PS4. Sony has yet to confirm a release date mentioned, but the game should hit store shelves later this year.
So what do you think? Are you interested in seeing how boats will be used in the new God of War? What other questions do you have about the next chapter in Kratos’ story? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.
