Sony`s new God of War reboot for PlayStation 4 launches this week behind a glowing critical reception. Here at GameSpot, we thought one of the best parts of the game was the father-son dynamic between Kratos and Atreus. Reviewer Peter Brown said this dynamic `enhances combat and makes Kratos surprisingly relatable.`As it turns out, there was a point in the development where it was suggested that Atreus be cut from the game or have his role significantly scaled back. That`s according to game director Cory Barlog, who told GameSpot that the game would have been possible without Atreus, but it would have been almost completely different. It would have felt like the Robert Redford movie All Is Lost about a man lost at sea.`It would have been very different,` Barlog said about if they went forward without Atreus. `The early phase when they told me, `Man, this might be too hard, too expensive, we`re already looking at so many challenges, it`s maybe too much.` When I went back and said, `Alright, fine, if it was not with Atreus, what would it be?` And, it would have been a very, very different game? The comparison I made was, `Alright, it`s gonna be All Is Lost with Robert Redford` it`s gonna be one character who talks to himself occasionally, but generally, it will be very silent and everyone will talk in old Norse, so that you won`t understand anything anybody`s saying.`Atreus in the new God of WarPresented with this scenario, the higher-ups at Sony gave Barlog the freedom to move forward with Atreus, despite whatever extra cost it might incur.`I think that threat was enough for them to go, `Okay, we`ll take on Atreus.` So, it was kind of the creative director, passive aggressive, `Oh, yeah? Well, we`ll take all the toys away.``Lead level designer Rob Davis added that having Atreus in the mix opens up significant gameplay and storytelling opportunities that might not otherwise be possible. You might think that Kratos being the biggest badass in the world would provid ...
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