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[IbizaPocholo]

Kratos’ journey into the mysteries of a new Norse world in 2018’s God of War takes both him and players to fantastical realms, pits us against mythical beasts, and introduces an epic cast. But at the heart of it all is Kratos’ relationship to his son Atreus. Learning what kind of father he should be in contrast to the person he was, and what kind of man he wants to raise Atreus to be, echoes in every step of his journey.

So it’s no surprise that one of Kratos’ most challenging moments comes when Atreus grows sick, and the only answer to his salvation lies in Helheim, where no known fire in the nine realms will burn. Kratos, of course, knows of a fire from another realm he can draw from, and in one incredible sequence we see him dig up the ghost of Sparta as he reclaims the Blades of Chaos to save his son. It is a difficult choice, to revisit the past he has clearly worked so hard to leave behind him. But at the same time, it demonstrates that Kratos will do anything to save Atreus.

That harrowing moment weighs on Kratos, and the team at Sony Santa Monica lets that weight rest on the player too before he ultimately retrieves the Blades and confronts everything they represent. To find out more, IGN spoke to members of the development team about how Santa Monica brought this moment to life, and how it revived the Blades for Kratos’ newest adventure. This is Art of the Level.

 

[Soodanim]

Spoilers, IGN

 

[SeraphJan]

Spoilers, IGN

huge spoiler

 

[NeonGhost]

Spoilers, IGN

The game has been out for 4 years

 

[Alter_Fridge]

Spoilers, IGN

In Space Invaders, you shoot aliens!

Sorry, spoiler alert

 

[solidus12]

Didn’t Kratos lose the chains of chaos in God of War? Then Athena gave the blades of Athena, and finally in god of war 3, Kratos gets the blades of exile.

How did he get the Blades if Chaos again?

 

[Portugeezer]

Didn’t Kratos lose the chains of chaos in God of War? Then Athena gave the blades of Athena, and finally in god of war 3, Kratos gets the blades of exile.

How did he get the Blades if Chaos again?

Hid it under his bed like a chad.

 

[Yoboman]

Didn’t Kratos lose the chains of chaos in God of War? Then Athena gave the blades of Athena, and finally in god of war 3, Kratos gets the blades of exile.

How did he get the Blades if Chaos again?

After killing Ares and taking his place as the God of War, Kratos gained all of Ares' weapons, including the Blades of Chaos though he vowed never to use them again.

The Blades of Chaos when recovered by Kratos in God of War (2018)
Several years later, Kratos had found the Blades of Chaos and brought them with him to the Norse realm, where he hid them, wrapped together in a thick red cloth with a simple Grecian pattern on it, under the floorboards of his cabin, hoping never to use them again.

The novel explains why Kratos kept the Blades of Chaos despite their painful history. He could not be rid of them at all; the blades always found their way back to him under the most contrived circumstances. For example, he tried to dump them in the ocean but the ocean itself rejected them and destroyed his boat. He washed up ashore with the blades next to him. After this incident, he gave up and hid them beneath the floorboards as a forced reminder of his tragic history and explosive rage.

 

[Physiognomonics]

Meh Blades of chaos always sucked. I am very glad they introducted the axe.

 

[Jormatar]

Meh Blades of chaos always sucked. I am very glad they introducted the axe.

Although I very much prefer the axe gameplay more, I can't deny getting those blades back was one of the best moments in videogames last gen.

 

[Daneel Elijah]

Meh Blades of chaos always sucked. I am very glad they introducted the axe.

How dare you !
◼ ◼ ▲ is perfection.
But yes the axe is really good.

 

[Wandering Leopard]

The leviathan axe feels way, way better than the blades - it's actually one of the best in game weapons ever created.

The blades felt too button mashy / loose in 2018 (I remember them feeling a little tighter in previous GoW games but that could be nostalgia).

I don't know if it's possible but maybe SSM can introduce a setting that allows us to tighten or loosen the feeling of the weapons in Ragnarok.

 

[PillsOff]

Non input driven action games are a joke.
end of story

 

[Kuranghi]

This got spoiled for me about 2 years ago after I managed to resist it that long. I feel the need to try again with GoW 2018 soon, gotta play it all to see what all the fuss is about.

 

[Bartski]

Excellent video, I managed to play the game 100% blind and this was one of the most amazing moments in all of gaming last gen. I loved the axe so much I'd have had no issues if that was the only weapon all the way till the end at that point.
I love the fact how deliberate they were in planning the real climax of the whole sequence to be the moment after the fight when you enter the menu and realize they have a skill tree. That just blew my mind.

 

[Punished Miku]

This got spoiled for me about 2 years ago after I managed to resist it that long. I feel the need to try again with GoW 2018 soon, gotta play it all to see what all the fuss is about.

Definitely worth a playthrough.

 

[Urban]

The moment when he picked them up.

"But I am your monster no longer".