While it's not the hoped-for debut of Kratos on the PlayStation 4, it's at least a step in that direction. With "God of War III Remastered," another remaster is on the way, which makes me wonder if they've finally lost interest in constantly recycling games.
With its original debut in March 2010, the title isn't actually that old, but compared to today's games, it still seems somewhat dated, especially since the prequel "God of War: Ascension" would have been a far better choice. More on that later.
The story of "God of War III" hardly needs any further explanation. The god of war, Kratos, is closer than ever to his goal of destroying the Olympian gods and, with the help of the Titans, is preparing for the final blow against Zeus, Poseidon, and the rest. The epic story, which still captivates and has kept players up at night for years wondering what will happen next, remains untouched. The ending was simply left open, leaving the player perplexed. This mystery will likely only be revealed with "God of War IV," should the game ever actually be released.
It's just a remaster...
For "God of War III Remastered," the resolution has been boosted to the current standard of 1080p, allowing Kratos to hack and slash his way across the screen at a buttery-smooth 60fps. Beyond this technical upgrade, particular attention has been paid to Kratos' character model, which now boasts new facial animations, improved muscle definition, and a higher level of detail, making it the highlight of the remaster. The environments have also been enhanced with new lighting, stylized realism in the 3D worlds, more light sources, and higher-resolution textures. Despite all these improvements, it is and remains a remaster, which is evident here and there. Occasionally, textures still suffer from significant degradation and appear blurry, and the game world generally feels somewhat barren, sculpted, and simple – an aspect that is becoming increasingly important these days and contributes to the overall sense of life.
A good comparison would be the remaster of "The Last of Us," which was developed with the PS4 in mind, while "God of War III" is a pure PS3 title, released at a time when the PS3's full potential hadn't yet been explored. A complete rebuild would likely be necessary for "God of War III Remastered" to seriously compete with today's games. Since the title lacks such a meticulous approach, it must be accepted as it is, which is by no means to say it looks terrible. In some aspects, the remastered version can hold its own against current titles, but not consistently.
The visual aspect also includes epic boss battles like the one against Poseidon, which is bursting with bombastic animations and sheer scale, and continues to blow you away. There are plenty of such moments in the game, constantly evoking memories for fans and further emphasizing that this is a true God of War game.
The gameplay, apart from the 60fps refresh rate, remains unchanged, so you can expect the familiar God of War experience: button-mashing combined with quick-time events. This can still be quite taxing on your fingers and wrists, forcing you to take short breaks now and then. The clever puzzle elements offer some welcome variety, resulting in a cohesive and engaging experience overall. However, the outdated enemy behavior is a significant drawback. It feels downright antiquated when entire hordes of enemies leap synchronously through the ground textures and charge at you in exactly the same way, as if the entire game only features five animations that are used in rotation. Of course, this excludes the major boss fights, which, as mentioned above, still impress. This also highlights how much games and their mechanics have evolved in recent years, making it perfectly understandable that a potential fourth installment in the saga can't simply continue in the same vein.
"God of War III" redeems itself with its soundtrack, which captivates from the very first note of the elaborate cinematic intro, where epic chants from Mount Olympus wash over you. With a rich surround sound system, you might even notice sounds you weren't previously aware of. The voice actors also deserve high praise for their excellent work on the often-criticized German dub, even if some dialogue doesn't always ring true.
As a small bonus, “God of War III Remastered” also features the popular photo mode, which allows you to create impressive screenshots thanks to various settings and filters.
Developer: Sony Santa Monica / Wholesale Algorithms
Publisher: Sony Computer Entertainment
Release: July 15, 2015
