Here's Why Recalling Kratos' Leviathan Axe in God of War Feels Amazing

Boy#Word up Son

It is truly amazing and i def see it has a feature that developers are going to ape in the years to come

All of it, the combination of the sounds, the animation, the damage and even the rumble... It all adds up to visceral oomph that never gets old. I love it.

One brilliant thing I noticed yesterday when chucking my axe at water barrels in The Lake of Nine; depending on when you press the recall will actually affect who long the axe takes to come back... because once it hits the water it starts to sinks, thus increasing the distance from Kratos. The fact that the game registers that there's depth there in the water (even if hidden from view) is bloody brilliant.

This is, in my meagre time with the game, possibly my favourite combat mechanic in many many years. I throw my axe at everything (oi oi) just so I can recall it and I have pulled off some amazing moves that make me feel like a badass by attacking, throwing it, retrieving it and doing damage on all three actions.

Yet when I do it in real life, people scream and the axe doesn't come back. Sigh.

@Rudy_Manchego Perhaps you're not putting enough top swing on your throwing technique.
Also, don't throw your axe around in public. Most people wouldn't understand and may call the bobbies on you.

@Turismo4GT Could be - practice does make perfect. That said, I found that throwing it around supermarkets makes it easier to stake out whats yours and let everyone know your intent. Plus, people clear space around you...

I'm still not on board with the lack of auto recall. There have been several times when I've tried to do that rune push back but I can't b/c my axe is laying on the ground somewhere, or just walking away from areas and having my wife say to me - "You forgot your axe again." Backseat gamer.

When it's stuck in someone or something that makes sense, but when I throw it at a guy and he moves first so it just hits the ground and lay there, well if there was an option for "Auto axe return when not stuck" I would turn it on.

I know this all reads like "git gud" but that's how I feel. Now I do appreciate how good it feels when you do recall it, when I remember to, and missing a guy but then hitting him on the way back in is kind of cool. I realize that very early on fighting that bgi troll. After that I never even got close to him, just kept throwing the axe form far away. Which felt really lame for Kratos but whatever. And sticking it into a guy and watching him freeze is way cool. But if it's just sitting there on the ground I feel like it should return to Kratos. After it hits a magic rune it should certainly auto-return, absolutely no reason for it not do while we are doing puzzles. Same for cutting down high up objects. If it isnt' stuck in something, return. At least when I walk 20 or 30 steps out of an area and I forgot about it b/c I was looking for stuff to pick up.

Who knows, maybe they'll patch in an auto-return option later today. At least on easy mode. I can't be the only one who would like it to auto return. Too much Ratchet & Clank I guess.

@Rudy_Manchego Ah yes, the perfect technique to mark out that last package of Angus Steaks on the shelf.
Carry on smartly then.

I love how it feels like it has weight when it hits Kratos' hand.

Stop me if you heard this one before:

What did Kratos say to Atreus?

"Word Up, Son"

That's true, it is expecially fun when you miss the first hit and then the axe hit the enemy when you recall it!

I find myself throwing the axe and then deliberately moving to the most advantageous position for maximum damage on the recall...fabulous stuff!!

I have noticed many neat details on the Axe recall alone, but here's a new one. When you recall the axe, if it touches any surface, you can see the marks it makes on said-surface. It disappears after a while but it's incredible how many details they implemented on the Axe recall alone.

That was fascinating and enlightening. Amazing little details that combined to have the full effect such as the "wiggle" time for the axe to dislodge itself from the enemy/object, placement of his arm, and arc of the axe. That attention to detail can become invisible to the player, but the overall experience benefits so greatly from it. This game is an astoundingly beautiful blend of art and science. Sony Santa Monica deserves all of the praise that they are getting.

@get2sammyb Don't forget the perfect controller vibration!

@rjejr The auto recall wouldn't make sense cause the bare handed combat is a real thing!
Later you unlock some "auto recalls" if you press attack buttons when using L2 if that makes it easier for you...

Sweet

This game is just awesome. About an hour in I realized by accident I could press triangle to "recall" the axe when it's hooked on my back instead of pressing the d-pad. About that same time I noticed the latch the axe is hooked to is an Omega.