On the surface, God of War is a video game with a simple premise. A man and his son set out on a journey to the highest peak in all of the Norse realms in hopes of scattering the remains of a loved one. But Sony Santa Monica's masterpiece is enveloped in that, and much more. Beneath the surface lies a narrative entailing a god's struggle to escape his violent past and his internal-conflict of fulfilling the role of a father to his son.
Upon the game's beginning, the player is immediately greeted with tension between Kratos, a god plagued with lifetime of violence, and his resentful son, Atreus. Following the death of his wife, Kratos returns home to scatter her remains, but also to fulfill her wish of him becoming a father to Atreus. The relationship between the two is fragmented. Kratos has been noticeably absent for most of his son's life, and the young boy begrudges his father for doing so. The distance between the father and son is made apparent in the introduction but not through dialogue. Subtle physical cues such as Kratos' inability to rest a hand on his son's shoulder make the space between the two vividly clear. These actions, coupled with short-lived conversations, showcase Kratos' struggle to be there for his son. It's not that he doesn't want to be a father to Atreus, it's that he doesn't think he can be.
This vulnerability found within Kratos is a first for the series. Previous installments followed his path of destruction that culminated with the proclaimed "God of War" slaughtering the gods and titans of greek mythology, including his own father, Zeus. He's a character submerged in hatred and blinded by rage, using the iconic Blades of Chaos to clear any issues standing in his way, both physically and mentally. When the player meets Kratos in the latest installment, we see a man running from his past. Though he no longer physically carries his blades, the weight of a previous lifetime still weighs heavy on a man who sees god-hood as a disease. Kratos knows his own rage-fueled god blood flows through Atreus, making his son susceptible to the hate that empowered him before. He doesn't want Atreus to develop into the monster he once was, and to some degree, still is. Kratos wants him to be better.
Where God of War succeeds the most is in its attempt to humanize a previously one-dimensional rage-monster. It provides insight into the psyche of a man who wants to be a human more than he wants to be a god. A man so consumed in anger and violence that he sees himself as a seed of corruption more than anything else. A man who believes his personal solitary would make the world around him a better place. But a god enveloped in solitude is faced with his greatest challenge yet: raising his son.
A father carries the burden of raising a child to be better than he once was, Kratos more-so than others. He doesn't want his past-self to rub off on his son, showing why he is adamant to remain emotionally walled off from Atreus. Kratos' refusal to even physically touch his son because of his internal-struggle helps the player become aware of the mindset of a father from the point of view of a child, and to some, it has helped them personally with their own personal relationship with their father. The distance that some saw as neglect was viewed with a new perspective upon completion of God of War.
Growing up, our parents represent a lifetime of experiences we have yet to endure. We often think of the world before us as "history," something not physically or mentally tangible for us to comprehend. We frequently neglect to understand the struggles our fathers underwent before we were born, making their actions towards us, whether gestures of love or distance, confusing. For those with estranged relationships with their parent, God of War helped them understand things in a different light.
Inside of our father's seemingly unbreakable exterior lies a human-being filled with emotions and feelings, just like everyone else. The player being forced to act as a man who finds difficulty in showing any sort of affection towards his son is frustrating at first, but when analyzed deeper, potentially allows them to stand in the shoes of their own father. Knowing Kratos' violent past helps the player understand why it's so hard for him to be there for his son, and for some, makes them think more deeply about their own fathers as actual people rather than untouchable figures. Being an observer on a journey between a father and son allows the player to step back and rethink their own personal relationship with the theme of fatherhood. Countless examples of rekindled relationships between fathers and sons can be found across the web, with many players sharing their experience with the game and how it ultimately lead to them understanding their father as a human being. Stories are wide and varied, ranging from people viewing their fathers differently and understanding their actions, to even speaking to them for the first time in years after rolling credits on the game. The sense closure or even new-beginning the game provides demonstrates the power this medium possess.