While everyone was wondering why the classic Blades of Chaos of Kratos has been replaced by a new ax weapon, the game’s director has revealed the real reason behind it.
During his interview with Games Radar, director Cory Barlog mentioned that the classic chained dual blades were intentionally ditched by Kratos because they reminded him of his old tragedies in his life. Barlog also went on to discuss about the new primary weapon to be used by Kratos.
He said, “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].”
Barlog also teased the gameplay mechanics of the ax during the interview. Kratos will now be able to throw the ax, stick it to a particular place and even recall it back. One of the interesting mechanics of the ax would be to throw it behind the enemies and then recall it back such that it hits them during its return.
God of War is scheduled to release in early 2018 exclusively for PlayStation 4.