God of War is one of the biggest first-party franchises under the PlayStation Studios banner and has received a significant overhaul from the camera work, cinematography, and combat. It would make sense for other game developers to follow this example for new projects and give the gaming community a great experience.
Immersion is essential for video games that have a large emphasis on combat that ties into the narrative and how it smoothly transitions to cutscenes on a dime. Santa Monica Studio has perfected this technique in the Norse Saga and carried over to the sequel with some creative cuts.
God of War Is a Masterclass for Camera Work and Cinematography in Video Games
Santa Monica Studio has struck gold with this soft reboot and sequel of the Greek Saga and all those years of hard work have paid off. The gaming community was caught off guard after seeing the return of Kratos to a foreign land after desecrating his homeland, killing the God of Olympus, and seeing the Ghost of Sparta interact with the Aesir Gods.
Some fans believe another God of War game set in the Norse lands is an option given the many loose ends there were in Ragnarok. The game developers crafted a new technique where the whole game is one endless shot without any cuts or loading screens, and the rare few were creatively hidden. Other game developers, such as Game Science are interested in this technique and have seemingly applied it to their newest project.
The camerawork in Black Myth: Wukong is inspired by the God of War single-shot cinematography (gameplay into cutscene). #BlackMythWukong #黑神话悟空 pic.twitter.com/UmeMhuEoFm
— GermanStrands (@GermanStrands) July 27, 2024
The gaming community was blown away by what the developers achieved with what seems to be 20 and a half hour’s worth of story-telling some fans were eager to play the demo and early previews would suggest this upcoming project is another unique take on the Soulslike genre.
Transitions may not mean much to the average player but having a smooth transition from gameplay to a pre-rendered cutscene without fading to black, cuts, or noticing any changes is quite astonishing. It helps preserve the illusion of one long interactive experience and amplifies the storytelling and immersion.
Black Myth Wukong Is Taking Notes From One of the Greatest Video Games of All Time
The early promos and previews are enough to convince the gaming community that this new ambitious project will be better than Elden Ring. The latest Soulslike game has been hailed as one of the greatest experiences but it did not have the same camera work as the recent God of War games had.
Perhaps the fancy camera work and cinematography inspired by the PlayStation exclusive will make or break this new game and propel it to new heights that would line it up with fierce competition. Game developers are now more adept with camera work that enhances the experience.
The gaming community is now interested in mixing and matching fancy storytelling techniques to great video games with even more ambitious lore paired with great combat. It is a potent mix for a successful project.
Perhaps other gaming studios will apply the one-shot camera technique. It was revolutionary a few years ago and could become the standard.
What are your thoughts about the camera techniques in God of War? Let us know in the comments section below!
