Speaking to IGN recently about God of War: Ascension, Sony Santa Monica game design manager David Hewitt explained that if all the series had to offer was the affect of showing violence in a game, then the creators would “be in big trouble.”
Hewitt stressed that while the presentation plays a big part in attracting players, it is the mechanics of the game that matter. Hewitt explained that while Santa Monica has wanted to keep improving the presentation, the game is not driven by that factor alone.
“The series has wanted to keep upping itself in presentation and making sure we have those moments where people kind of recoil a bit—genuinely uncomfortable moments that are part of the feel of this franchise.
“We’ve stuck by those, but the game’s not driven by those,” states Hewitt.
Hewitt stresses that Santa Monica are pushing for mechanical innovation with God of War: Ascension.
“Making the combat rewarding, having every button press feel magnified with a lot of feedback,” adds Hewitt.
“Some of that comes from these gory outcomes, but what we’re looking to do is provide that extra level of depth and complexity, to give the player more tools to use — new weapons and sub-weapons, the new tether mechanics and so on.”
The seventh installment in the series is a prequel to the entire series and will be the first title in the series to feature multiplayer.
God of War: Ascension is slated for March 12, 2013 and remains a PlayStation 3 exclusive.
