The video game industry has grown increasingly more cinematic over the last few decades. While video games have always taken inspiration from cinema when it comes to storytelling and presentation, that became truly prevalent in the mid-2000s and beyond, with seemingly every AAA game trying to look, sound, and feel like a summer blockbuster. Franchises likeUncharted,Gears of WarandRed Dead Redemptionall leaned heavily into their respective movie genres, and that was no different for Santa Monica’sGod of War.
TheGod of Warfranchise has always been incredibly cinematic in nature. From vast sweeping backdrops and larger-than-life boss battles to a rich mythological story,God of Waroften feels as though it could be directly translated to the silver screen as is, and that feeling has only grown with time.God of War2018 revitalized the franchise for the modern age, an age in which video games and movies are closer than ever, and in doing so it added a plethora of new features that made the series more cinematic than ever before. But there’s one cinematic technique that the nextGod of Warshouldn’t feel the need to keep.
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The Next God of War Doesn’t Need to Be a One-Shot
God of War2018 brought a lot to the table. A more grounded, emotionally mature story, complex character dynamics, satisfying combat mechanics, and bombastic set pieces were all neatly packaged intoGod of War2018, and it somehow managed to elevate the franchise even higher than it was before. But of all ofGod of War2018’s cinematic features, it was the game’s cinematography that garnered the most buzz after its release.
God of War2018, and its sequelRagnarok, employed aone-shot camera technique. This essentially means that the camera never cuts once during the entirety of the game. For many fans, this one-shot camera technique might not be all that noticeable, but it does bring with it a number of benefits that may not have otherwise been there in such force. For instance, the one-shot camera angle helps to makeGod of War2018 feel like one gigantic, but cohesive journey across the Nine Realms.
This also means that whenever a camera cut does happen, it’s extremely impactful. For instance, when the camera finally cuts at the end ofGod of War2018, it feels like players have reached the end of a long journey, as though they can finally rest, just like Kratos and Atreus themselves. But whileGod of War’s one-shot camera technique does add some unique cinematic qualities to the series, it isn’t all that necessary.
Back in April 2018, Polygon interviewedGod of Wardirector Cory Barlogabout the game’s one-shot camera technique. Barlog revealed that although the one-shot had been a passion project for him for a while, it wasn’t easy, requiring a slew of technical tricks and a lot of extra effort to pull off. And while the one-shot does make the player feel closely connected with Kratos in a way that previous games in the series hadn’t quite achieved before, many fans are now fully invested, and the nextGod of Warmight not need to go to such lengths to establish that connection in the first place.
As much as the one-shot camera technique can enhance the emotions ofGod of War, it can also potentially hinder its storytelling capabilities. When using the one-shot,Santa Monica Studioneeded to be pretty careful about the set pieces it chose, and how they would be framed by the camera. This also bleeds into the story itself. If the camera can’t cut away, then it’s much harder to show the progression of time. This type of technique can easily be quite restrictive for developers, and the nextGod of Warshouldn’t feel the need to stick with it.
God of Waris available on PC, PS4, and PS5.
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