God of War’s original trilogy remake announcement should have been a moment of celebration. Sure, one could nitpick and say it’s frustrating that it’s only in early development given how long the God of War remakes have been rumored, but the fact that these classics are being given a fresh coat of paint after two decades is exciting nonetheless. Amazon’s God of War series skipping to the Norse saga could see casual fans wanting to learn Kratos’ backstory, but a large chunk of that narrative being tied to some visually dated PS2-era games could put newer gamers off. These remakes are a blessing for this new audience, then, while existing fans looking for a reason to replay God of War’s older entries will soon have one. Yet despite this undeniably good news, I’m left rolling my eyes at the God of War community.
Much like there’s a valid reason to dread Grand Theft Auto 6 being made part of the culture war, there’s now good reason to be concerned that the God of War remakes will be swept up in the ever-frustrating complaints about “wokeness.” I’m very familiar with pathetic gamers lashing out over things that shouldn’t be issues to begin with; whether it’s MJ’s face model from the Marvel’s Spider-Man series being harassed, the despicable Last of Us 2 hate subreddit, or the constant “fixed this” posts where characters like Horizon’s Aloy are given makeup to “look prettier,” there are no shortage of childish takes online from the same crowd that worshiped Stellar Blade for something other than its satisfying combat. Add on Nicole from Dead Space remake looking “too old,” or the likes of Asmongold crying because of female soldiers in Battlefield 6, and the list of gross complaints goes on and on. And sadly, it seems God of War’s remakes are next in line, all because of a sex mini-game that’s quite literally irrelevant.
Every God Of War Game, Ranked
Santa Monica Studio’s God of War has produced many great games. Naturally, some of Kratos’ bloody PlayStation adventures are better than others.
I Truly Don’t Care Whether God of War’s Remakes Keep the Sex Mini-Game
The approach Santa Monica takes with this absurdly small mechanic really doesn’t matter, because in a series that prides itself on epic battles, grand environments, and satisfying combat, there are much higher priorities to consider. The God of War remakes need to nail the character models, mechanics, and visuals, while also eliminating pain points like inconsistent frame rates and load times. These are the things fans of the series should actually be talking about; there are interesting discussions to be had, such as whether the remakes should embrace the newer Norse combat style and camera perspective or remain hack-and-slash titles. Potential cameos, new dialogue to add depth to Kratos, and whether all games are combined into one package are other interesting topics to discuss. Yet, for whatever reason, the discussion is all about whether players will get to “press circle to smash.”
Who’s That Character?
Identify the silhouettes before time runs out.
Identify the silhouettes before time runs out.
Easy (7.5s)Medium (5.0s)Hard (2.5s)Permadeath (2.5s)
For those unfamiliar with the Greek God of War saga’s sex mini-games, they were about as 2000s as one could get. Players would press a button to initiate the act, the camera would pan away, and then one or multiple women would moan louder the better players performed in a QTE. At the end, gamers would mash a button to match the climax, and a bunch of XP orbs would appear on the ground (and a PlayStation Trophy would be unlocked in the PS3 remasters). For such small scenes that one is likely to forget by the time the credits roll, it’s frustrating that they’re suddenly the most common point of discussion in the days since the remakes were unveiled.
There have always been two camps when it comes to these scenes. There’s the first, which has deemed them a cheesy product of their time at best and misogynistic at worst. The other camp, which original God of War director David Jaffe is a part of, defends them as something crucial to the narrative. According to Jaffe, the scenes were meant to show how Kratos is numbing himself through meaningless sex and keeping his mind off the loss of his family. And while this makes sense in theory, the way the scenes were framed and the way that players interacted with them went against the idea, as they came off as crude humor and extra edginess more than anything else.
There’s a Healthy Middle Ground for God of War’s Sex Scenes, Even If They Ultimately Don’t Matter
The obvious solution is to emphasize that Kratos is using meaningless sex to distract from his trauma through better writing and by removing the player interaction from the scenes. If they really were meant to serve a narrative purpose, then having topless women run into a room one by one for an orgy while players mash a button isn’t needed. Removing that element of male gaze from the scenes and reframing them as an actual part of the narrative could help them work better. Kratos had the depth of a puddle in the original trilogy, being little more than a rage monster and feeling like a Zack Snyder “cool guy” more than the nuanced character of the Norse Saga. Giving him a little more depth by polishing up the weirdest aspect of the original trilogy wouldn’t be the worst approach.
But, again, I personally don’t mind either way. If Santa Monica wants to leave the scenes as is to satisfy purists and emphasize how terrible of a person Kratos is, that’s a valid approach to take. And if it wants to cut them entirely because of the baggage attached, and how childish they look by today’s standards, that’s also fine by me (though hopefully we’d get an extra red orb chest to make up for the lost XP). I just can’t believe that we’re going to be getting a new version of God of War 3’s epic Poseidon fight and the giant Ares battle from the first game, and all the internet can seem to talk about is a cringey mini-game that means so little in the grand scheme of themes.
God of War: Sons of Sparta Bringing Back This Forgotten Character Feels Like the Calm Before the Storm
The shadow-dropped God of War: Sons of Sparta is surprising by its very nature, but one member of its central cast is especially meaningful.
With God of War’s Remakes Still Years Away, I’m Dreading The Road to Release
“There’s a way to do sex scenes in a mature way, like the critically acclaimed Baldur’s Gate 3, especially if the intent really was to show them as a coping mechanism for Kratos.”
Giving mini-game defenders years to stew over the feature potentially being cut is just asking for trouble. Not only are God of War fans like myself going to have to deal with post after post of “will they keep this,” but the eventual explosion if the remakes do release without the scenes is likely to be massive given all the culture war arguments that have already begun. Hopefully, Santa Monica makes its stance on the scenes clear as soon as possible so that the “will they, won’t they” debates can end before they get worse. Grifters are already complaining about the younger Kratos potentially being made “softer” like the Norse version if these scenes are removed, and it’s so tiring to watch unfold.
Would I personally prefer that the scenes are altered, if I had to take a side? Yes, I would. There’s a way to do sex scenes in a mature way, like the critically acclaimed Baldur’s Gate 3, especially if the intent really was to show them as a coping mechanism for Kratos. I’d drop the QTE aspect, make sure that the women aren’t treated as objects and “rewards” for Kratos and the player, and I’d avoid panning the camera in a way that feels like “oh, we know this is naughty, wink wink.” If users are actually concerned about censorship and not just the weird interaction element or seeing naked women, then surely the scene showing more, but framing it in a more respectful way, would be ideal. Ultimately, though, it’s not up to me or any other gamer; it’s up to Santa Monica to alter or leave any of its own content as is.
If God of War‘s sex mini-games make the cut, then anyone who finds them gross and outdated can just not engage with them; they are optional, after all. And if they are scrapped, then anyone bothered should, quite frankly, get over it. It’s pathetic to be heartbroken and waste energy complaining about a crude QTE full of off-screen moaning and grunting potentially being left on the cutting room floor. No matter what happens, I’ll be looking forward to the parts of God of War that actually matter. It’s just a shame that, to find proper discussions about these remakes, I’ll seemingly have to keep digging through pages of arguments about a mini-game that has no impact whatsoever on the quality of the experience.
