God of War Ragnarok's Camera Is a Single Shot from Start to Finish, Just Like the Last Game

Great, but I wouldn't have expected otherwise after the first one.

a silly unnecessary gimmick, this isn't film

The last game was easily the best entry in the series and the single-shot approach was a crucial part of setting the tone and the pacing, so very happy to hear this. Not at all surprised, though.

@Bad-MuthaAdebisi @Steel76 You're both factually wrong.

I've always had mixed feelings about this one-shot cinematography, even in some movies that use it famously. It's a cute gimmick, but I've never really understood the thematic purpose of it being used in God of War aside from showing off. In films like Oldboy, Goodfellas, and Nostalghia, there's narrative and thematic justification for their famous one-shot sequences. But, the explanation for using it that Barlog gave before the 2018 game came out by comparing it to a scene from Hard Boiled always seemed really flimsy to me, and it just seemed like yet another excuse to compare video games to movies. I really don't buy that the emotional impact of God of War would be lessened if they cut every once in a while. The Last of Us uses plenty of cuts and that story is emotionally exhausting by the end.

I'm not going to bemoan that they're going with that one-shot style again, but, at this stage of the game, it doesn't really impress me.

@Octane yes of course facts 🙄 someone else to block

@RBMango I guess we can add this point to the videogames as art discussion too, as long as is an artistic choice it is basically for the sake of it.
Is what they wished to do and wanted to deliver.
Is how they want to tell their story.

First the boat animation and now this. It’s basically the same game and the devs are just lazy!!!!!!11one

@RBMango Buts its their vision i guess and it does not ruin the experience.

In the end we just play the vision of a gamedeveloper and how he believes it works the best so i dont see the issue here.

And in what way does it hurt us as the gamer i would't know we can always pause or save and do something else.

N.i.c.e. god of war 2018 best game ever 👑.word up son

@Voltan Why may i ask you believe they dont work hard enough? I believe its a hard job and calling someone lazy because they reuse animation is stupid.

The game oozes quality, detail its insane to expect developers not to reuse stuff. And the scene still looks beautifull so whats the issue?

Not thrilled about that tbh. It's a gimmicky narrative choice that they should've abandoned after GoW2018.

@Flaming_Kaiser I never said it "ruins" God of War. I think God of War is great. What I'm saying is that I think the one-shot cinematography style has always struck me as odd and questionable thematically when used in a game like God of War. For comparison, I think the one-shot style is much more effective in a game like Hellblade, because that game is all about experiencing the effects of psychosis through the eyes of its protagonist. Cutting away in that would rob the player of the psychological effect that the game is going for. Hellblade would not work half as well without that one-shot style.

@Flaming_Kaiser I thought the exclamation marks and the emote were enough to indicate I was joking

It is the kind of comments you could find on Twitter (the boat one specifically).

@Voltan Im not always the brightest my apologies.

Not sure why all the hate, but like the article says, I didn’t consciously notice it while playing the game, but I absolutely loved the game so whatever works!
In retrospect, I do think the game had a very ‘personal’ feel, which was probably influenced by the single shot. I do think it helps you bond to Kratos and feel like you’re in his shoes a little more when there isn’t cut away moments.
Looking forward to it!

They do not need to change anything about this game in my book. Everything was brilliant and a blast.

Just continue the story.

Great news. Just beat GoW 2018 and I loved that it always felt like you’re controlling Kratos. The final boss fight is a perfect example.

Once you hide level loading and get rid of pre-rendered cutscenes, surely one-long-shot is the default? It would take creative decision to insert cuts, rather than just not having them. I can't say I care either way, I'm just confused as to why this is a big deal.

The "single unbroken shot" thing might be technically impressive, but it's not really improving the player experience in 2018 so far, IMO.

I'd love to see them opt for more more dynamic and creative camerawork in future games instead of having Kratos back fill the screen all the time.

I thought the way they implemented this into the first game was awesome and really unique. I personally loved it.

@Octane
Oh no - you got blocked!!! Hope you don’t lose too much sleep over it….

@Lumic I'm pretty sure that's impossible actually. But people surely can't take a joke anymore these days

Meh. It doesn't harm the game, but the whole Blair Witch Shakeycam footage thing feels kind of kitsch for a story that's supposed to be grandiose. It kind of makes it seem smaller than it ought to. Which is a little weird for God of War of all things. It worked once, but it would have been nice to play up the environment and creatures more.

I like God of War but I honestly wish they just zoomed out the camera for Kratos. So many of my frustrations in the game has to do with me getting hit from behind and having to rely on the attack indicator to let me know that there's an incoming attack cause the camera is so zoomed in on his back which I hate a lot. Especially when it comes to enemies using projectiles.

@Th3solution I noticed it a lot personally. It was some impressive cinematography. And it fits how personal the journey is. The beginning of the game has a large emotional impact for not having yet built any connections. How praised the story was shows how effective the cinematography. Fatherhood is a constant thing, particularly on this journey, and the one shot is contact as well.
By comparison, playing God of War made watching 1917 less impressive because God of War did it first and better.
And to people saying “this game wasn’t a one shot and was emotional.” Do you realize how art works? Kojima has a unique style. That’s like dismissing because can make a normal work without it. They chose a style that works amazingly and they did it fantastic. It doesn’t look like the LoU, and that’s the point.

@playstation1995 that is for debate, boy

@SystemAddict. Be better boy.word up son

@DomGC There aren’t tons of games that do the same thing, not at all. You’re thinking of games that just stick your camera over e shoulder and don’t bother with cinematography. However, they have level switches, loading screens ect, that disqualify them.
I don’t think you understand how big and hard a task a one shot is. The director wanted to do this before and was told no, that’s crazy and far too difficult.
A one shot isn’t a new idea, but it’s an ambitious one.

@Octane just ignore the trolls , its much better with out them

@Octane I think it’s clear a lot of people don’t understand how art works or what a big task a shot really entails. They also have no idea why they thought GoW had a powerful story, just that it did.

@The_New_Butler Probably either Egypt or Japan given that they specifically were foreshadowed in 4 and either of those is pure GIMMIE THAT NOW!!!!!!!!

@The_New_Butler Yeah when you're going down the elevator in Tyr's vault there's a giant's carving of all the different places he traveled there was Greece and underneath was Egypt and Japan ^__^

@Jaz007 Yeah, I’m seeing quite a bit of criticism for a 10/10 game that won GOTY in a year that had Marvel’s Spider-Man, Red Dead Redemption 2, Super Smash Bros Ultimate, Forza Horizon 4, AC Odyssey, Celeste, Detroit Become Human, and Monster Hunter World. 😂
But you’re right, I’m a fan of the way Sony Santa Monica told the story. Panning out to show a large area, or switching to a loading screen would have hampered some of the emotional impact, I think. At the very least it would have changed the personality of the game and who knows what we would have ended up with instead.

@Jaz007
Metal Gear Solid V had almost every cutscene as a continuous shot and would have been a continuous shot if it wasnt for the player travelling back and forth between their base. And that game ran on a PS3 of all things. It's not that it was super hard to do, most studios just fought against it because they either saw it as either a gimmick or just not an appealing way to tell a story. Which that form of storytelling to be fair does admittedly have limitations cast upon it. Also Half Life had an unbroken perspective all the way back in 1998.

@PegasusActual93 I haven’t played MGSV, but Kojima from MGS1 and Desth Stranding is far from a one shot. If you look up one shot and what any director says about it,, you’ll see how hard it is.
Also, providing MGSV borrow’s from one shot style, your example and argument is still terrible because Kojima is a cinematography genius - better than the vast majority of movie directors and game directors. Kojima did it doesn’t prove anything is easy, heck, that shows it’s hard if anything because he’s one of the most talented men around. In no way does MGSV prove it’s easy.
Hardware also has nothing do with it aside from loading screens. It’s a story telling challenge, not a technical challenge.

@Keyblade-Dan I find it kind of awkward and satisfying at the same time that they took this series and basically made it Stargate SG-1. And then got Teal'c as the lead so it feels like a proper unlicensed continuation.

Maybe they can get Claudia Black in an all new sci-fi IP featuring Muppets and an S&M anti-villain. I will retract every bad thing I've ever said about Sony if they did that

@Jaz007
Doing one shot in a live action movie is one thing but doing it in a video game is not hard aside from dealing with loading screens. Like i said Half Life never broke perspective all the way back in 1998 and nothing now is really stopping any developer from doing the same thing in third person provided the story makes sense. Also yes MGS V was done with almost an entire continous shot unlike Death Stranding.

@NEStalgia Anything with Claudia Black has my interest 😅

Obviously this isn't a popular opinion but I felt like the last God of War game lost my attention way faster than all previous entries. Kratos felt heavy and sluggish in the controls, Norse mythology has NOTHING on Greek Mythology and the selection of enemies left a lot to be desired. For what it's worth, I loved the Uncharted games but also despised both The Last of Us games for being too slow and boring.

@Keyblade-Dan That is the correct opinion!

Again I’m very happy with what they showed of it. I wasn’t completely sure about the sequel if it was going to be still a boy and if everything would be the same. A different director is a big change and I can feel it straightaway. Also looks like a more complex and full plot this time giving unexpected turns and ending. Although I’m convinced Kratos will be killed off and possibly young man Atreus set for the next games.

@JJ2 It feels like that's the direction it'll go, but that's also somewhat predictable and cliche. And would also be a little challenging to actually kill off a major platform mascot since PS2. The brand implications could prohibit it.

The way GoW 2018 was created with a one-shot-camera was incredibly immersive for sn reasons incredible game.

Just give me the sequel already. If it us just as good as the 2018 gane, it will already be one of the best games ever made.

@NEStalgia
I mean we can see Kratos is getting old. Just like Drake it might be difficult to carry on unless through a prequel. I could see it happen. Drake retiring but Kratos ending like is fitting. As long as they don’t golf club him I think that will do the character justice.(especially because of Atreus that will make sense and keep the spirit alive if they are good enough to establish that connection through a young man)

Huh? Didn't the first one have a ton of cuts, like every time I fast traveled?

@JJ2 story wise,I can see it. Though I'd be disappointed if it went in such a predictable, overused direction. I mean, The happily ever after alternative is trite, but there has to be something more interesting to do with him than relive the Lion King in Asgard and replace an iconic hero with a semi generic young replacement. They could of course leave the franchise at that as a statement. But I doubt Camp Ryan would leave a powerful brand on the cutting room floor

@NEStalgia
If it was only one game I’d agree with you, it would be cliche. We are talking about a long running franchise here. It’s not cliche. It’s just unavoidable logic of life. It’s not about telling that story in a naive way like Lion King in one movie. It’s only a matter of being consistent and justify not seeing him anymore later as an old man.
Now of course what do we know haha

@JJ2 There's also the whole immortal god issue, and the fact it would be like the third time they kill him off in the series... It's almost tradition to kill Kratos off at the end of a subseries. (Granted, the postcredits hinted he was alive last time, but still...)

@Milktastrophe Nah, the camera followed you through the world tree, never cut

@Bad-MuthaAdebisi you block people that correct you?

@RBMango god of war would definitely be a different experience if it cut away from the character because it's very show don't tell so it's very effective

@Th3solution I agree with you 100% but how couldn't you notice it. I've never played a game that doesn't cut or have watched alot of movies that do it well for that matter so I noticed as soon as it transferred to gameplay so seamlessly and I knew I was in for something spectacular

@Ralizah because you're probably thinking about it too much instead of letting it be apart of the experience. It's really good

@middyone of course, it was a correction a d not an opinion 🙄 bye

@Victor_Meldrew nothing about it is gimmicky and it is definitely does not have to be exclusive to film. hell it does it better than most films i've seen.