Although all God of War games have been developed by Santa Monica Studio, the franchise has seen a significant amount of turnover, naturally due to its nearly 20-year lifespan. During that period, the series has seen plenty of unique design choices and narrative ideas. 2018's God of War reboot found Kratos living a quiet, isolated life with his son Atreus. Throughout the game's story, it becomes clear that Kratos has evolved emotionally, and sometimes uses his all-powerful abilities with restraint. The subsequent God of War Ragnarok continued this trend, as Kratos struggled with his place in the world and with his relationship with his son. Jaffe, who departed Santa Monica Studio in 2007, is not a fan of every new change to Kratos' personality.
In a video uploaded to Jaffe's YouTube, the original God of War creator explained that Kratos has become too personal of a character for his liking. He details that the new games' writers are imparting their own personal issues onto Kratos, leading the Greek demigod to become a weaker version of what he's supposed to represent. He compares Kratos' evolution to Indiana Jones, another character that has seen reshaping in recent titles, and unnecessarily so in Jaffe's opinion.
God of War creator David Jaffee is not happy with the direction that the character of Kratos is taking in the PlayStation exclusive.
— PeterOvo (@PeterOvo5) December 13, 2023
Full Video: https://t.co/FwtmknAq2F pic.twitter.com/L7ELAJjKb1
Jaffe also explains that he would have no problem with new characters being added in to the game who have complex or relatable emotional issues. His problem lies with the significant departure from Kratos' original portrayal.
In contrast to Jaffe's opinion, Kratos' touching moments in recent God of War games have largely been a hit with the franchise's player base. Many fans believe that the character's evolution is a natural progression for someone who has experienced Kratos' life. The new games have been beloved by critics as well, with 2018's God of War and God of War Ragnarok both sitting at a highly impressive score of 94 on Metacritic.
It looks like Santa Monica Studio isn't done telling Kratos' story, thanks to a God of War writer hinting that God of War Valhalla's recent DLC is not the end of the franchise's current narrative. However, this could also mean that Atreus might take on the mantle of being God of War's protagonist.
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Source: https://gamerant.com/god-of-war-creator-new-games-criticism/
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