PGC NEWS

The gaming landscape has shifted dramatically in recent years, with PCs evolving into veritable powerhouses, capable of surpassing even the most advanced consoles. This power shift has emboldened game developers to bring their once-exclusive titles to the PC platform. Square Enix’s early departure from PlayStation 3 exclusivity with Final Fantasy XIII signaled this trend, followed by SEGA’s Yakuza series, and more recently, Sony’s own Days Gone and Horizon Zero Dawn.

Inevitably, the critically acclaimed God of War, a cornerstone of the PlayStation brand, joined the PC ranks earlier this year, sparking both excitement and skepticism. The latter stemmed from the less-than-stellar PC ports of other console titles, most notably the technically flawed Final Fantasy VII Remake. However, God of War PC‘s release on January 13th, coupled with glowing reviews, quickly quelled those concerns, prompting fans to embrace Kratos’s PC debut.

This review focuses solely on the quality of the PC port, rather than re-evaluating the game’s already established narrative, gameplay, and artistic merits. For a comprehensive review of the original 2018 release, please refer to other resources. Here, we delve into the specifics of what makes this PC port a resounding success.

A Masterclass in Porting

God of War PC – Combat

Porting console games to PC is often fraught with challenges. Unless designed with multi-platform compatibility in mind, these ports can suffer from compatibility issues, locked graphical settings, and control schemes ill-suited for keyboard and mouse. This often stems from console games being optimized for specific hardware and operating systems, leading to performance hiccups on PC. Budget constraints can also limit the development and optimization of PC ports, resulting in rudimentary emulation layers rather than genuine code restructuring.

God of War PC defies these conventions. Sony entrusted Jetpack Interactive, a Canadian studio, with the porting process, granting them ample resources, access to the original source code, and two years of development time. The result is a testament to their dedication and expertise.

God of War PC – Environment

From the outset, God of War PC feels like a native PC title, running smoothly without the 30fps lock and blurry cutscenes that plague some ports. The redesigned menu and comprehensive settings options allow for granular control over graphics and controls. The original PlayStation 4 settings serve as the baseline, allowing players to customize textures, shadows, reflections, anisotropic filtering, and more. The inclusion of DLSS and FidelityFX Super Resolution further enhances performance, enabling smoother action sequences even on less powerful hardware.

The game’s impressive scalability allows it to run on a wide range of systems, from integrated graphics solutions like the AMD Ryzen 5 5600G to older PCs. Reports of playable performance on handheld PCs at lower settings further demonstrate its adaptability.

God of War PC – Atreus

High-end PC owners can also experience God of War in unprecedented fidelity. Ultra-high resolution textures, enhanced shadows, and advanced anti-aliasing allow for stunning visuals, even at 8K resolutions. Support for ultrawide monitors, such as the 21:9 Gigabyte G34WQC A, provides a cinematic experience, while high refresh rate monitors enhance the fluidity of combat.

God of War PC – Graphics Settings

The control scheme has been meticulously redesigned for keyboard and mouse, eschewing the clunky emulation often found in console ports. Jetpack Interactive has implemented a native control system that feels responsive, precise, and perfectly suited for the fast-paced combat.

God of War PC – Exploration

Furthermore, God of War PC is remarkably bug-free. A minor memory leak was quickly addressed in a day-one patch, demonstrating the effectiveness of the quality assurance process. This stands in stark contrast to other PC ports, like Horizon Zero Dawn, which launched with numerous technical issues.

God of War PC – Kratos

The Price of Perfection

God of War PC – Enemy Encounter

The only real drawback to God of War PC is its price. At $50, it’s significantly more expensive than the often-discounted PlayStation 4 version. Coupled with the high cost of current-generation graphics cards, this can make experiencing the game at its fullest potential a costly endeavor. However, for dedicated fans of Kratos, the price is a small price to pay for a truly exceptional PC port.