God Of War (2018) helped me heal from a tragic loss

I’d say my mental health is pretty good. Sure I have good days, bad days and worse days but as they say, such is life.

That said, I am guilty of falling into a depression hole every now and again. Usually the cause is burn-out, but sometimes the reason isn’t as logical, sometimes I’m just feeling low for no discernible reason. Recently though, my mental health has been at an all-time low after my partner and I endured an awful, awful bereavement, and my first bereavement.

It’s been without a doubt the most excruciatingly painful and horrific experience of my life, and I wouldn’t wish it on my worst enemy. When the dust settled from the cataclysm I was left with a lot of time on my hands as I waited to return to work, and during that time I tried to take my mind off the whole ordeal by playing some games, new and old. They were a nice distraction but it was God Of War (2018) that did more than merely interrupt the melancholy, it spoke to me on a near spiritual level and told me exactly what I needed to hear.

Sony Interactive Entertainment

As I’m sure many will know, God Of War is the fourth mainline instalment in the series and one that took it in a bold new direction. The Greek God Of War Kratos has somehow found his way to the Nine Realms of Norse mythology but he’s not keen on starting another pantheon killing-spree. The game follows Kratos and his son Atreus as they mourn the loss of Faye, Kratos’ wife and Atreus’ mother. They undertake a quest to spread Faye’s ashes at the tallest peak in all the realms, but get sidetracked by pursuing Aesir like Baldur and Thor’s children.

This was my second playthrough of the game through NG+ and I have so much more appreciation for it now than I did back in 2018, especially where I was in life by the time I booted it up again.

Kratos for all of his godly might is a very relatable character. He knows that for all of his strength he’s a very flawed man and has worked hard over the years to suppress and control his rage before it can consume him entirely. While I wouldn’t say I’ve got anger management problems I’ve often let frustration get the better of me, hell I think as human beings we’ve all been guilty of that at some point or other, so his story is one you can easily be invested in.

Atreus is another relatable character, struggling with his own emotions as he’s constantly pushed to be stronger, smarter, faster, better by his father. He’s another character I feel like I can see myself in, as he can go from diffident to overconfident at the drop of a hat or the flight of an arrow.

Sony Interactive Entertainment

The journey they share is one of fear, loss and love. Both fear they’re not good enough for the other with Atreus wanting his father to be proud of him whereas all Kratos can think is “we must be better.” This of course is expanded upon further in God Of War Ragnarök, and playing both games one after the other is one hell of a journey. It’s a reminder of how powerful video games can be as an emotional medium.

I’m not saying Kratos and Atreus have “cured” me of negative feelings, and I’m certainly not saying video games can be more effective than therapy or simply voicing your feelings with those close to you, but on this occasion it really, really helped.

I’ll close this out with a quote from God Of War Ragnarök which I was reminded of while I was writing, one that’ll stick with me for a long time to come. Faye says to Kratos: "The culmination of love is grief, and yet we love despite the inevitable. We open our hearts to it... To grieve deeply is to have loved fully. Open your heart to the world as you have opened it to me and you will find every reason to keep living in it."