If you’re still looking for more God of War after killing Odin’s pesky ravens and taking selfies, then this video might be for you. Game director Cory Barlog gave his commentary on the game’s first big boss fight in a series on PlayStation’s YouTube channel. Be warned, Sony advises you to finish this incredibly popular game first on account of the heavy spoilers in the video and this post.
God of War is filled with hints and small details that are easy to miss on your first run, which Barlog’s commentary helps illuminate. For example, you can see Kratos’ secret package in the house if you know where to look for it. Although Barlog wasn’t as forthcoming about everything, especially the easy-to-miss mural on one of the rocks. Some sleuths have gone back and been able to figure it out, revealing even more clever foreshadowing.
Barlog spent most of the episode, as the title implies, giving us a behind-the-scenes look at the fight with The Stranger. The fight was originally about two to three times longer but most had to be cut for time. Some of the interactive moments also had to be turned into cutscenes in order to save time. After all, for every interactive cutscene-like moment, the developers have to create a fail state, which takes significantly more time to make.
The Stranger fight was, as Barlog stated, meant to bring down the scale of the game. He explained that each God of War game became a “scale arms race” because of the increasing scale that each successive title had to top. This relatively small battle was meant circumvent that expectation and break away from what the series had stuck to for so long.
Most games benefit from a detailed director commentaries because these behind-the-scenes peeks allow players better appreciate the decisions that go into every square inch. If you liked this and want more, check out the first episode here where Barlog talks over the game’s intro. For Barlog’s feelings on the state of single-player games, click here.
