Five games to play if you like God of War

DMC: Devil May Cry is the easiest game in the series to get into for those who’ve never played a Devil May Cry title before. Sure, die-hard fans will decry me for even suggesting that anybody should think about the reboot for more than a second.

However, if you want some quick-fire, rapid-paced action without the trappings of the lore that the main series has then look no further. Sure, this isn’t the Dante that fans know and love, sure it doesn’t quite have the same amount of charm, but in terms of combat, it’s one of the finest experiences you could even play.

Look, we both know that you’ve probably already played Skyrim. It’s released across three different generations, with releases in Virtual Reality and even on a Smart Fridge.

It’s not exactly a small indie game, but it’s something that anybody who likes the God of War series should consider playing. While not as deep in terms of story complexity, nor as refined in the combat department, Skyrim more than makes up for that with a wide open world and a huge assortment of mythical beasts to defeat.

You’ll put hundreds of hours into this game before you even consider using mods to make your world deeper.

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Ghost of Tsushima is perhaps one of the greatest games I’ve played in the last couple of years. It perfectly blends a highly emotional story with some seriously complex characters, without skimping on the satisfying combat.

Every single sword strike, every block, you feel all of it and it all carries significant weight. I’ve never felt more satisfied than in a one-on-one duel successfully parrying an attack and returning it, or quickly setting my sword alight in an attempt to destabilize the balance of my opponent, yet it feels grounded in familial ties and weight.

Another game getting a sequel next year, Horizon: Zero Dawn is an incredibly fun romp through a future-set open world. You take on a selection of robotic animals, some of which tower above you and you attempt to survive the cruel and harsh world while your character, Aloy, attempts to find out more about her past.

It doesn’t come close to the emotional weight that God of War has, but the combat is an insanely fun time and something you should all experience before the sequel releases next year.

On the face of it, you’d think there’s not a great deal of similarities between Final Fantasy VII Remake and the God of War series. To be honest, you’d be right to think that.

The reason I’m suggesting this as a game you should play if you enjoy the God of War titles is the story. While the gameplay isn’t anything remotely similar to the God of War series (you won’t find huge combos and quick-fire weapon changes here), the story is one of the finest in recent years and actually rivals the quality of the 2018 God of War release.

I’ve been thinking about the final few hours of the game pretty much on a weekly basis for the last year, ever since I played it for the first time.