In 2018, God of War released to great reception from players. The game had one of the best landscapes, a story filled with many thrilling battles and also a few secrets only known to the developers. The secret was the return of the fan favorite Blades of Chaos but now with new combat capabilities and also the character’s main motivation.
Usually, when a game goes into development, there are many leaks and rumors spreading across the internet, but with God of War, Chief Director Cory Barlog and his team made sure the return of the Blades of Chaos and the secret behind the character’s motivation remains intact. After the game’s release, Cory Barlog explained how the process of keeping things hidden for years of development was very difficult.
Crafting a Masterpiece like God of War in Secrecy
The main story of God of War revolves around Kratos and his journey. The hardship and enemies he faces all depend on the story. So if the story gets leaked, the whole game’s out in the open before release. Barlog and his team knew about this and decided to make a pact to never let even a small rumor go out. This dedication to the game made sure that the players will enjoy the game to its fullest.
In the interview, Barlog told many things about the development process of the game. Despite all the effort and hardwork put into the game, the Director was still worried if players would connect with the story. He said:
That pressure is always there, that sense of—how much is too much? How much are they going to accept? What’s going to be the bridge too far, the change you make that makes everybody freak out? The jump, eliminating the jump, I was told by a lot of people that was going to be the thing that everybody really gets upset about.
One of the biggest secrets which Barlog and his team kept was the use of the Blades of Chaos. After seeing the trailer with the Axe, fans were not excited about the decision and wanted developers to bring back the blades. But the Director wanted to keep that a secret as his team was working on new combat moves with the blades. His exact words were:
That was frustrating. I was so big on keeping the secret of the blades. But I was getting bombarded. Why do we want this new weapon? No one cares about this new weapon! We want the Blades of Chaos! I wanted to be able to tell everyone, ‘Don’t worry. It’s gonna be fine.’
The frustration and challenges faced by the team only served to enhance the sense of triumph and satisfaction that players felt upon uncovering the game’s best-kept secret.
God of War: A Revelation Worth the Wait
Barlog and team maintained the standard right from the start. Every stage of the game development, from scriptwriting to gameplay design was done with keeping the information safe.
The challenges and frustrations of the whole team paid off in a huge way after the release of the game. The game is now considered a masterpiece and will serve as a testament to developers’ faith and hard work in their game. For players, the well-hidden secrets of God of War made a huge impact as they loved every twist in the story.
Barlog’s dedication towards the game showed in the final product. As players continued to play, they too felt the hard work put towards the characters, story and combat.
