Announced during E3 2016, this returning franchise was a sight for sore eyes for PlayStation fans that have been actively chomping at the bit for God of War's resurrection. Much to the delight of said fans, Kratos is once again the star of the new God of War game arriving exclusively for PlayStation 4 in 2018. While exact details of the plot are still unknown, the exceptions being Kratos has a son and the theme now embraces Norse mythology leads as the setting of the story, there are many questions that fans of the series still have about the project.

Screen Rant has put together an overview of the news, rumors, release date information and more to help keep fans of God of War in the know.

WHAT IS GOD OF WAR’S PS4 RELEASE DATE?

This is easily one of the most important questions that a gamer may have about the return of God of War, and fans will be excited to know that the release date isn't all that far off. Fans can mark their calendars now, as God of War will arrive exclusively for PlayStation 4 on April 20, 2018.

God of War Trades GREEK For NORSE Mythology

As is immediately evident in the God of War debut trailer, the developers at Sony Interactive Entertainment Santa Monica have moved on from the Greek mythos in which the franchise was based so heavily in throughout previous entries to take on the Norse mythology. This means that Thor, Loki, and Odin all exist within this new realm that Kratos has opted to call home following the murder of the Greek gods.

Whether or not the seemingly retired god of war will task himself with ensuring that Asgard's rulers meet the same fate remains to be established, but Kratos will still be seeing to the demise of a number of other beasts from the same mythos. An example of what awaits the protagonist is the massive troll-like monster that Kratos battles in the debut trailer, which is likely a Jötunn from Norse mythology, although dragons, armed skeletons, and more are also said to be making an appearance.

Be ready, as there are quite a number of fearsome beasts and deities that stand ready to interfere with Kratos and his newfound companion – his son, Atreus.

IT'S A BOY! KRATOS NOW HAS A SON

After the death of his wife and daughter in the original games, fans could be forgiven for believing that Kratos would have plunged into a life of solitude following his victory against the Greek gods. As the studio behind God of War, SIE Santa Monica, has made clear, that is not at all the case. As the offspring of Kratos, Atreus is set to play an interesting role in the finished project due to his rather hostile bloodline.

Despite not coming off as aggressive as his pater familias, Atreus appears ready to pick up a bow and arrow in order to help out Kratos during conflict. This back and forth between the father and son duo is sure to lead to some intense narrative moments as they set out to honor the final wishes of Atreus' deceased mother.

Considering that trailers have indicated that Atreus knows nothing of Kratos' past, or of the hidden potential of his own powers, things are sure to become interesting for players going through this experience. That latter point holds especially true now that Kratos once again has something to lose, so fans should be ready to meet a very different, more sentimental god of war.

THERE'S A NEW ACTOR VOICING KRATOS

Throughout the entirety of the God of War franchise, fans have been hearing Terrence Carson as the voice of Kratos. There's a lot of history in those vocals that fans have come to accept as the de facto voice of the god of war, but this time around newcomer Christopher Judge will be behind Kratos. So, what lead to this changeup? Apparently, it all came down to the difference in real-world size between Kratos and Carson during motion capture work.

God of War's creative director Cory Barlog said as much when asked about the decision to cast Judge in the starring role.

“The size difference between Kratos and Terrence is very great. Offsetting that for the size of a child, it turned out it was going to be almost impossible to try and actually shoot them and go in and redo the animations.”

WHERE ARE THE BLADES OF CHAOS?

The Blades of Chaos are as infamous as Kratos himself, but the pair of chained blades hasn't been spotted anywhere in the marketing materials for the title thus far. Instead, Kratos has taken up an enchanted axe known as the Leviathan Axe that he can recall at a moment's notice. According to a GamesRadar interview with God of War's creative director, Cory Barlog, opting to forego the inclusion of the Blades of Chaos was one that carried much more emotional weight as a result of what the weapons represented to the series and its protagonist.

"We were experimenting with lots of different weapons, lots of different things. I think we wanted to create an identity, because to me the blades represent a very dark time in [Kratos'] life. They are not just a weapon to him. They are his scarlet letter. They are the marking that somebody tricked him, that he made a bad deal, that he made a mistake. Powerful, but I think also powerfully charged in its emotion. So I think of part of him wanting to move forward is being able to [leave the blades behind]."

More than that, it gave the team reimagining this God of War title an opportunity to innovate and build upon the experience through a new weapon – among a number of other thematic and gameplay alterations.

"It gives us the freedom to experiment with what we really want to do. I think the magic moment with the axe, honestly, was when a programmer and a combat designer was like, 'I have this cool idea.' Right away the magic of throwing the axe, having it stick anywhere in the world, and then recalling it, and then kind of playing around with that, and realizing you can hit people with it, you can throw it behind them, move in front of them, recall it and hit him in the back.

"So it's like, *gasp* a shield guy's standing in front of you! You lob the axe over him and he's like, 'Ah, I got you!' And then you call it back and hit him in the back. It's just phenomenal. It has so much potential for play that we just realized, alright, this has gotta be something we're gonna do."

Still, it doesn't look like Barlog and his team are ready to completely abandon the fan-favorite Blades of Chaos, as the ESRB rating (via reddit) for the game indicates that they will be returning. According to the the ESRB's justification for God of War's 'M for Mature' listing, the title will allow players to traverse "the Norse wilderness and use axes, double-chained blades, and swords to battle various enemies."

GOD OF WAR PS4 TRAILERS

Official Website: PlayStation