Shifting to Norse mythology, instituting a peerless cinematic presentation and retaining its gold standard hack-and-slash gameplay, the new God of War does two things I never would have thought possible: it brings the series back to cultural relevance, and it finally makes Kratos a likeable character.

Once notable for his frequent manly bellowing, gratuitous violence, awkward button-mashing debauchery and overall cartoonish masculinity, the former Greek god is now living a humble life in the woods of Midgar and wants nothing more than to forget about his former life. But when Kratos finds himself left to care for his young son Atreus, and is threatened by a messenger of King Odin (who does not look kindly on potential rivals in his realm), he is motivated to leave the protected woods, come out of retirement and make his once sickly son into a warrior.

What follows is a beautiful, exciting and genuinely heartfelt adventure that, rather than sweeping the main character's problematic attitudes and nature under the rug, exposes them. This is not just a brilliant roadtrip through Norse myth, but a great feat of game storytelling too. And, of course, you get to kill a Valhalla-load of demons with a sweet axe.

The aging, bearded Kratos is slower but just as deadly as ever, with a frosty Mjölnir-inspired axe replacing his godly chains. The ability to throw and recall the weapon is not only incredibly cool (if you leave it far enough away you'll hear it clanging and banging as it zooms magically back to you), but it adds an interesting layer to the familiar combat, deadly traps and light puzzle-solving fans will expect.

By combining axe attacks and throws, a new shield mechanic, bare-fisted strikes and support from Atreus and his bow, the fighting becomes a satisfying mix of aggressive offence and enemy pattern recognition. Different enemies, from shuffling undead draugrs to screen-filling behemoths, require different strategies, whether you're going for direct damage or trying to fill a stun meter that allows you to pull of a devastating and often cringe-inducing final blow.