Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice
One of 2017’s standouts, developer Ninja Theory’s Hellblade is an action-adventure title in which a young female warrior who struggles with mental illness battles to overcome her inner demons. Senua is actually Pictish (ancient Scottish), but the game’s story takes place in Hel — a realm of Norse mythology, and there are plenty of interesting references to Gods and warriors that will satiate gamers looking for a fix of Viking culture. That being said, this is a much darker fantasy tale than Kratos and Atreus’ comparatively vibrant jaunt through the nine realms of Norse Mythology.
With respect to gameplay, Hellblade is a third person hack-and-slash affair in the same vein as God of War. Combat here, though, is much more weighted, and enemy encounters occur less frequently.
If you’re looking for a game that takes place in the same mythology and plays in a relatively similar fashion, Hellblade is probably as close as you’ll get. There’s a sequel on the way, too, that looks even grander.
Heavenly Sword
Games like God of War
Long before Hellblade, Heavenly Sword was Ninja Theory’s showpiece PS3 title, and while it might be old hat now, there are so many reasons to go back and play this 2009 gem. Fans of the earlier games in the God of War series, in particular, will appreciate the hack-and-slash style action gameplay that takes more than a little inspiration from Kratos’ original trilogy. The light chain attacks can be switched out for heavy sword attacks on the fly, and Heavenly Sword frequently has you slashing apart waves of dozen-or-more enemies in a similar fashion to God of War.
The story follows a young warrior called Nariko as she seeks to vanquish an oppressive force from her homeland, using a mystical sword to defeat its ranks. The overall aesthetic of its locations and characters has an ethereal quality to it similar to the Norse realms of the latest God of War title. And even though it’s comparatively dated to Sony Santa Monica’s latest PS4 tech showcase, you’ll be shocked at how superb Heavenly Sword still looks today, complete with motion capture facial technology that was way ahead of its time.
While it might not quite reach the same heights as God of War, Heavenly Sword is well worth dusting off your old hardware to experience.
The Last of Us
The Last of Us is arguably developer Naughty Dog’s high water mark, and it’s a must-play title if you’re looking for a similar experience to God of War. Sure, the thematic settings are far removed from each other, but there are several obvious parallels with respect to both narrative and gameplay mechanics.
Indeed, it isn’t too difficult to spot the similarities between Kratos and Atreus’ relationship with Joel and Ellie from The Last of Us. We wouldn’t go so far as to say Sony Santa Monica copied that highly successful formula, but there was clear inspiration drawn from Naughty Dog’s seminal action game. The whole concept of having a young companion under your care and protection certainly makes for a compelling narrative that has the capacity to invoke emotion on a level that isn’t easy to achieve with a solo protagonist.
Beyond mere storytelling, however, the principle of a companion has altered the dynamic of God of War’s game design, with Atreus acting as an overwatch with his bow and arrow. He’s much more involved than Ellie was in The Last of Us, but you still have those brilliant gameplay moments in which she rescues Joel just at the last moment when he’s been overcome by enemies.
Elsewhere, The Last of Us’ large, explorable level design, crafting, and general platforming gameplay also feels like a lineage that’s been woven into God of War’s DNA. There’s now even a remade version of the game available for PS5 and PC with graphics that hit even more impressive heights than the original.