Not every piece God of War Ragnarok is a step up from its 2018 predecessor, but there’s one area where it’s an undeniable improvement: the action. Like his last adventure, Kratos uses his heavy Leviathan ax to cut down enemies and his Blades of Chaos to rain down hellfire. Both tools look the same below, but have been tweaked with the addition of elemental abilities that bring an additional set of moves and decisions in combat.
However, what stands out to me most about the game’s evolved combat is something less flashy. God of War Ragnarok features a handful of skill trees that allow players to unlock multiple combos. It’s a bit of a run, as it’s become a staple of Sony exclusives in recent years. However, RagnarokThe skill tree goes a step further than most games with a new customization system that encourages players to actually use those skills once they’re unlocked. The feature is so effective that I hope every character-based action game from here on out takes notes on it.
Use your skills
Skill trees in God of War Ragnarok they function pretty much the same as any game that includes them. Kratos earns experience points when he kills monsters and these points can be spent to unlock new skills. Both Leviathan Ax and Blades of Chaos have their own three-pronged skill tree, as does Atreus. Each time Kratos levels up a weapon using resources, more skills become available for purchase. By the end of the game, players have access to a pretty wide range of moves that will force them to hold buttons, combo moves, and more.
There’s an extra layer on top of that though, and that’s the place Ragnarok is unique. Every move can actually be customized within the skill tree. There are three levels for each move that Kratos can reach if he uses them enough times. When the move hits a gold level, players are given the option to boost their attack with one of three options. This can be as simple as dealing a powerful blow with more attack power, or as nuanced as increasing the amount of burn that a Blades of Chaos combo deals to an enemy. It’s essentially a skill tree hidden under a skill tree.
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The psychological effects of this were immediately apparent when I discovered the system. At first I didn’t think too much about my moves. Every time I unlocked a new one, I’d skim through the description and realize I’d eventually stumble upon it. My fighting style was more basic, just relying on standard heavy and light attacks. When I discovered the system, that changed radically. I soon saw the level objectives as little hooks to progress, giving me a series of checklists to aim for. I started using movement skills more often as I tried to grind them to gold level. By the time I got there, they had become a more important part of my arsenal, making the choice to increase them seem like a tangible reward for my experimentation.
It solves a problem that character-based action games often face. Take Bayonetta 3, for example. That game has more unlockable skills than I can count in a whole bunch of weapons. I unlocked what seemed like 100 skills while playing and I just couldn’t keep up with all those combos. Instead, I mostly plodded through the adventure counting on coming across these skills along the way. To PlatinumGames’ credit, that’s largely the experience in Bayonetta as the fluid combat system makes it easy to link attacks together organically. But I’d be lying if I told you that I often made active decisions in each battle instead of attacking my controller and watching the results with glee.
had Bayonetta 3 it encouraged me to learn and use my attacks in a way God of War Ragnarok did, I suspect I would have had a much tighter sense of control by the end. Not only would I learn how to perform each one, but I’d also have a better feel for its role in combat – especially if I had direct control over what that move did.
Naturally, RagnarokSkill access is not a one-size-fits-all solution for any game. However, there’s a lot to be gleaned here from the Santa Monica studio’s ingenious approach to combat customization. The awesome action game makes the player feel like a mastermind who can hack and get out of even the toughest situations thanks to his gun handling skills. Until the end God of War RagnarokI felt like an unstoppable machine running more on brain power than muscle memory.
God of War Ragnarok out now on PS4 and PS5.
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Categories: GAMING
Source: newstars.edu.vn