Ever since Sony announced the PS5 and spent a longer than expectedtime discussing its SSD, fans have been considering what the new hardware could offer new games. In a general sense, loading times in games will get better (or be completely done away with), but there are some more specific examples of how the SSD can benefit PS5 games.
TakeGod of War, for example. The title has been universally praised for its combat, storytelling, and design, but it has a few elements that could really benefit from new hardware. Sony Santa Monica did a great job hiding the seams in the game (the loading points), but the PS5’s SSD can allow the dev team to do even more.
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God of War’s biggest ambition was to tell Kratos' story in one complete shot. The camera never “cuts” away from a character to a new angle or jumps to a loading screen. Everything feels continuous from the moment Kratos chops down the tree.
It’s an impressive achievement for director Cory Barlog and his talented team, but one has to wonder what limitations that approach also put on the game’s design. Because gameplay has to seamlessly blend into a cutscene, were their ideas that were left on the cutting room floor? Hopefully forGod of War 2on PS5, the developers are able to go further with the “oner” concept.
The other element ofGod of Warthat could almost assuredly benefit from the fast SSD is the invisible loading screens. While the game likes to keep players involved in the action through the single take, there are sections where it is clearly preparing the next area. Using the Mystic Gateway is one of the ways thatGod of Wargets around the no cuts concept while still offering a fast travel system. There is a lot to do in the game andcollectibles to find, so being able to quickly travel throughout the open world is very useful.
But when Kratos and Atreus enter the Mystic Gateway there is always a pause before the portal opens up. This is an obvious load and some players might have picked up on what the game was doing.God of War 2on PS5, however, should be able to replicate this system without that sense of waiting.Early demos of the SSD’s impacton games shows that the technology can render worlds very fast with no pop-in.
It’s possible thatGod of War 2on PS5 will introduce a new system for realm travel (assuming Kratos will travel realms in the sequel), but theBifrost was an elegant wayto present new locations while preserving the tracking shot feel. Like the Mystic Gateway, though, there is an obvious sense that the game is loading the next world. It’s a slow process to complete the shift to a new realm and an incorrect selection can make things even worse.
For the next-gen, the Bifrost will presumably be an instant travel system where the only waiting will be for some visual effects to complete. Without a doubt, Kratos is going to visit Asgard for a showdown with Odin. Maybe not in the next game –Thor seems like the primary antagonistthere – but eventually.
To Sony Santa Monica’s credit, Mimir helps mask a lot of the loading with interesting fables about the world ofGod of War. Some follow traditional Norse mythology while others cut their own path, but all were worth hearing. We even found ourselves trying not to progress the story to hear Mimir’s story all the way through, even though he does pick up where he left off.
But the PS5 should offer theGod of Warteam a more powerful foundation on which to realize its systems.Fast travel should be truly instant, the sense of hidden loading sections will be gone, and the single tracking shot concept can be blown out to even bigger proportions.
