Chapter 738: Where Did This Child Come From? Was He a Gift from a Mini-Game? (Requesting Subscriptions, Monthly Passes)

This short video, less than 30 seconds long, immediately sparked heated discussion among countless players.

After all, though the video was short, the content it revealed was simply too abundant and too explosive.

First and foremost was Kratos in the game, which was officially confirmed to be alive, and a sequel was also on its way.

For players who love God of War, this was undoubtedly an exceptionally pleasant surprise.

Another point was that the Kratos in the video was no longer the Kratos of his youth, but an aging Kratos entering middle to old age.

Furthermore, with the Olympian gods in Greek mythology essentially wiped out, the setting of the new game also made many players curious about Kratos's current whereabouts.

At the same time, Kratos's appearance also astonished players.

What kind of character was this?

Whether they had played the game or only learned about it through videos, they all shared a common understanding: this Spartan strongman was a maniacal character.

Even before becoming the God of War, while still serving the Olympian gods, Kratos was always in an incredibly frenzied state.

And after the second installment, once Kratos was ambushed by Zeus, he completely transformed into an enraged machine of vengeance.

Slaughter was the eternal theme, and the endless aesthetic of violence caused players' adrenaline to surge.

Kratos at that time could be described as fearless, a being who would slay gods if they stood in his way, and buddhas if they did.

But what about now?

In this video, Kratos's gaze appeared remarkably calm, and his face had aged considerably.

As for whether gods had age limits, no one could say for sure.

Yet, the only undeniable point was that Kratos had aged, at least judging by his appearance in the video.

With such a setting, what kind of story would this God of War sequel ultimately present to players? Furthermore, judging from this video, Nebula Games clearly had a deliberate plan.

It wasn't merely a case of seeing good sales for the God of War trilogy and then scheduling a fourth installment.

If that was the case, why wasn't this sequel released in the same manner as the previous trilogy?

Many players looked bewildered.

Nevertheless, the video was enough to excite and captivate players, and that was sufficient.

Although God of War was a brand new IP, its trilogy's epic narrative and content that pushed the aesthetic of violence to its extreme forced players to admit that it was truly exhilarating to play.

Even though the content of this God of War sequel had not yet been announced, its timing, content, and everything else remained a mystery.

Yet, many players had already declared, “Buy, buy, buy! Not buying it makes you inhuman!”

Kratos alone was enough, and they also believed that with the foundation of the first three installments, the quality of this new entry was guaranteed.

Of course, some players expressed doubts, as even though it was just Kratos shown in a mere 30 seconds, the style felt completely different.

In reality, although this was also God of War, and Kratos was still the protagonist,

this sequel was completely different from the previous trilogy.

The game projects were developed simultaneously, but their core concepts differed.

It wasn't merely that the game's setting shifted from Greece to Norse mythology; more crucially, the gameplay and content also changed.

The previous God of War leaned more towards platforming and actions, while the God of War set in Norse mythology leaned towards RPG, aiming to tell players a better story.

Of course, this didn't mean that God of War's action depth was gone.

That's why Chen Xu only started promoting this game after the trilogy was released, when players were debating the ending of God of War III.

At the same time, Chen Xu didn't use “God of War 4” as a suffix for this new God of War; it was simply titled God of War.

After the game's title was announced, players also looked perplexed, rubbing their eyes and wondering if they had misread it.

“What's the meaning of this? Isn't it God of War IV? Why is it called New God of War?”

“Could it be that it's no longer Kratos's story? Is Kratos just making a cameo in this God of War, just a minor role?”

“It's not impossible. After all, Kratos's story has been told, and most of the Greek gods have been killed.”

“So, has the game's style changed too?”

Not only players but also many industry designers were somewhat surprised by New God of War.

After all, the success of the previous God of War trilogy had arguably solidified the series' gameplay style.

However, judging by the game's title and some previously revealed content, this entry seemed to aim for some breakthroughs, rather than being confined to the previous God of War trilogy.

Many industry designers secretly speculated in their minds.

This was a very bold move, but the crucial question was: could Nebula Games succeed?

Many industry designers remained doubtful about this, and of course, some designers secretly hoped that Nebula Games' New God of War would suffer a Waterloo.

Especially FOW, which had launched Olympus for testing, aiming at the VR DOTA market, was still in its open BETA testing phase. However, its popularity had now been completely overshadowed by God of War.

Even if the genres weren't the same, and both merely shared a Greek theme, the crucial point was that players' time was also limited.

Moreover, for FOW, the most important aspect of Olympus was to collect player data and simultaneously generate buzz to quickly carve out a share of the DOTA market.

After all, compared to their new title, the DOTA market was already well-established.

But the sudden emergence of the God of War series completely disrupted FOW's promotional plans.

Now, FOW's only hope was that Nebula Games would make drastic changes to New God of War, altering the entire game beyond recognition, and thereby provoke player resentment.

………………

Amidst the attention of the industry and players, New God of War didn't make them wait long this time; after all, it had already been in planning during the development of the God of War trilogy.

In mid-June, New God of War launched on the Nebula Games Platform.

However, after many players entered the game with eager anticipation, they were all dumbfounded.

Although everyone had made various speculations online beforehand, upon truly entering and experiencing the game, a single thought crossed everyone's mind.

“Is this really still God of War? What exactly happened to Kratos during this time?”

Zhang Yi watched Kratos in the game, gently caressing a golden handprint on a tree, leaning against it, and lost in thought, muttering to himself.

And this was a question that all players collectively pondered.

Why had Kratos become like this?

How did Kratos's Blades of Chaos turn into an axe?

With such confusion, Kratos in the game was seen swinging the axe in his hand, chopping heavily at a large tree.

Accompanied by flying woodchips, the large tree was severed at its trunk and fell to the ground.

As he bent down to pick up the tree trunk, the bandage on Kratos's left hand came loose.

This seemed to stir a long-dormant memory in him. He closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and then began re-wrapping the bandage.

“I found some…”

Just then, a small boy's voice came from behind Kratos.

A Boy Kid was seen holding an unknown plant, curiously approaching Kratos.

Kratos, at this moment, instinctively turned, moving his bandaged arm out of the Boy Kid's sight.

“Get on the boat, boy.”

Kratos said expressionlessly, simultaneously hoisting the large tree from the ground. He turned and walked with the small boy named Atreus towards a small boat moored by the stream.

Kratos threw the tree trunk into the water, tied it to the stern, and then rowed the boat along the river towards another dock.

A child?

This was Kratos's son?

Kratos actually had a son?

Was he his biological son or adopted?

If biological, who was the mother?

Could he have been a gift from Kratos playing a mini-game before?

Impossible! The mini-games were clearly all for Red Soul Extraction!

In that instant, Zhang Yi's heart was filled with confusion.

(End of Chapter) <>