In case you didn't already know, God of War is delivered as one unbroken shot from start to finish on PlayStation 4. The camera never cuts away, and there are no load screens. When we first heard about this during E3 last year, we couldn't quite bring ourselves to believe it. A whole game playing out through a single shot? Is that even possible?
Funnily enough, cinematography director Dori Arazi initially thought the same thing. In a new behind-the-scenes video, Arazi puts it bluntly: "I thought it was impossible. When I read the script, I thought it was impossible. When I looked at our equipment, I thought it was impossible. When I looked at the reality of our production pipelines... But it's possible. Just incredibly challenging."
The video outlines how the developer managed to make it work, and to be honest, we're still finding it hard to believe. It sounds like the kind of task that could drive a team insane.
Comments 36
They really put their heart and soul into making this game something special, it seems.
I love the red writing.nice😇
Oh yeah cant wait.this is the best franchises.cant wait.this is going to be a legendary adventures word up son
I think this is properly mind-blowing. I just know I'm going to be sitting there glued to my TV looking for a camera cut.
It's really cool, I like that they had the vision and then the conviction to stick with it.
Single shot still means they can zoom out to show a big *ss titan right?
Cue the outrage over Arazi using the word 'cinematic'.
IF this is true, I don't think many developers will have an excuse from now on lol
Interesting. I spent the whole of the movie birdman looking for a cut as they promised the same thing. Tbh it probably distracted me from the movie a little too much. Bravo SM studio if you managed it mind. And mega props for no loading screens in such a beautiful looking game.
I wonder if this game will support 3D audio on the Platinum headset. Maybe an audio-focused dev diary video is incoming?
@Rob_230 I imagine this game will have older launch PS4s (or newer ones that are dusty or poorly ventilated) actually hovering off surface from that jet blast sound they'll make.
Absolutely can't wait.
I actually don't like the sound of this. Not that I like loading screens, I don't, but I like camera cuts for dramatic affect. Like if my character goes to sleep at night and wakes up in the morning. If this game is 30 hours long and there are no cuts when does the boy sleep, or does he just stay awake for 30 straight hours?
Sleep is just 1 example, but I won't discuss bathroom breaks.
I guess this is all linear straight ahead then and no fast travel? I like my fast travel. But if it's linear it doesn't really need it.
Oh well, I'm sure it will be fine and I'm reading this wrong, but wee'll see. Not really something I'd normally pay attention to anyway.
You know when developers put this much effort into a game that it is going to be good. I look forward to playing it, though I have to play catch up with all the past PS4 titles so I am not sure when that will be!
@rjejr This doesn't mean time can't jump forward. Let's say they do go to bed (why? ), they could turn the camera 180 degrees, show the sky, speed up time like a cartoon where you see the sun dropping like a brick and the moon rise and fall within seconds, sun comes up, camera turns around and Kratos and son wake up. All within a couple of seconds. Now, I don't think that will happen, but it's possible.
And I don't think there's any fast travel in this game.
@Octane I'm assuming at some point Kratos will get hit in the head and get knocked out for 5 or 6 hours. He'll come to and ask the boy who isn't Aloy what's been going on while he was out. The boy will say "If you want to find out you have to buy the DLC."
I do like your fast time idea w/ the sun, hadn't thought of that. Seems like cheating but technically correct. And yeah I know, nobody in video games ever sleeps eats or takes a dump, that's what we really need in GoW, a Kratos takes a dump behind a bush minigame w/ rumble, but this game is supposed to be 30 hours long, that's a long time for a little boy if this whole game plays out in 1 cut.
As I said before, if I hadn't read about it it's probably something I never even would have noticed, but knowing it I'll be looking for it, and that will be distracting. I'm easily distracted.
I also like my cuts to close ups of villainous faces giving their soliloquies over their defeated enemies when they should be finishing them off instead of giving them time to recover. I'm all about the dramatic effect. Not sure how you get a dramatic effect w/ 1 long 30 hour cut. But we'll see I guess.
@rjejr It's not cheating as long as the camera doesn't cut. And the camera can still fly off to a distant location showing the evil guy doing evil stuff in his Evil HQ. But I doubt this will be that kind of game. And I doubt we'll see Kratos sleeping, he didn't do that in previous games either as far as I know.
@Octane "doubt we'll see Kratos sleeping"
Well he did sleep with 2 women. ka ba ching
Those other games lasted 6-8 hours, this one is 30, and I don't think Kratos needs to sleep, even though he's an older man, but that boy is young, can't see him going for 30 straight hours. I suppose the boy could sleep for a bit while Kratos does some stuff, that would work.
I don't know, sometimes I think just b/c somebody can do something doesn't mean they should, and I just hope in their efforts to do this game all in 1 take they didn't focus on that aspect too much.
@rjejr Hah, you're way overthinking this stuff!
It's very cool, but will it make a tangible difference to the player? Probably not really?
Having said that I do enjoy games that do this - Half Life 1 and 2 comes to mind, I suppose, although it doesn't quite manage it throughout if memory serves me.
@Octane agreed, I find it amazing video games have progressed to a point where we're concerned with a character's sleep patterns as if they're real.
@Turismo4GT haha fair. My PS4 is horrific with some games like horizon. Good job i have noise cancelling headphones!!
Remember the start of the gen when ubi and ea were moaning about the power of the ps4. Its all 720p they said. Hahahaha.
Then GoW smashed it with no loading looking absolutely amazing.
It's interesting that they pulled this off, because, if you think about it, it also really limits what kind of story you can write. Your story requires a time jump at some point? That requires a camera break. With a story that never cuts like that, you're forced to write something really focused that takes place over a relatively short period of time. Congrats to them for pulling it off.
I've never even played a game from this series, and I'm excited for this!
No camera cuts? Is this an action-adventure epic or a pretentious art-house film?
No loading screens is... cool, I guess. I don't really mind loading screens that are short or fun in some way (Bayonetta comes to mind), but I guess it's good for the people who absolutely don't like waiting.
@rjejr maybe that's why it's a 30 hour game. Kratos sleeps and you literally wait 8 hours for him to wake up. Maybe 3 nights worth. 😂
@Octane Overthinking is what I do. Well that and derailing threads. Though I think we've managed to stay on topic fairly well in this one.
@ArkhamKnerd Maybe the boy sleeps and Kratos sits there singing him Greek lullabies all night.
@Tsurii If Kratos doesn't have to go #2 in GoW now I'm going to be disappointed.
If GoW were to make it's way onto Switch Kratos would be spending his time milking a lot of cows.
Massive props to Santa Monica for doing what they thought was impossible.
Yeah, if anyone's not really sure what this means, watch this scene:
There is some bad language in the clip, but it demonstrates the one shot thing perfectly. It's pretty impressive.
@Savino You know I've never seen Birdman despite liking everything I've heard about it. You may have just motivated me, I'll let ya know how it goes, thanks.
@get2sammyb the memories of that show..
@get2sammyb That scene is so awesome, just like the entire first season of the show.
Can't wait for God of War, still need to wait almost a month.
Wow God of War will be the Birdman of videogames, except it really will be a single shot.
What happens I load a saved game?
@Neolit He "don't need no" sleep.
So is the boy officially Kratos kid? All I've seen so far felt to me like - I don't know you boy, but I promised yer mama I'd take care of you after she was gone, and I will.
Him being Kratos flesh and blood changes things, and certainly sets up an heir for plenty of sequels to come. Thanks for the heads up.
@Neolit I did some research after your comment and yes he is Kratos son. But I'm 50-50 on a twist near the end of the game saying he isn't.
But until then, no sleep 'till Brooklyn for our quarter demigod.
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