Based on leaked concept art, God of War 4 will ditch the Greek myth setting for a Norse one, but it looks like Kratos will remain as the protagonist – a different version of him, at least.
The images that recently surfaced are hot on the heels of when industry insider Shinobi602 made a teaser of the game via Twitter.
Across the rainbow bridge...
— shinobi602 (@shinobi602) April 4, 2016
...to the halls of Valhalla. My boy.#GodofWar4 — shinobi602 (@shinobi602) April 4, 2016
After some time, NerdLeaks was able to get their hands on a trove of said images, which quickly spread like wildfire. Unfortunately, they have been taken down, including their archives at Imgur. On the other end of the spectrum, they are now posted on the NeoGAF forums for everyone's viewing pleasure.
Needless to say, they depict a dramatically different environment and a bearded Kratos, who apparently now wears trousers and wields an axe as his weapon of choice.
Other elements that the leak revealed include Alfheim and "Land of the Fairies," supporting the expected Norse setting.
A word to the wise, Sony hasn't made any announcement regarding a new installment of God of War, so there's more or less a chance that these images aren't going to be how the next in the series will turn out to be. Perhaps they're just an idea that the developers are exploring but aren't really going to go through with.
On that note, it's no mystery that Santa Monica Studio of Sony is already working on the following God of War title, as the creative director of the studio confirmed this news back in 2014, noting that it's not a prequel. It could be a reboot, though.
Well, if this development indeed holds true, the finest way to bid farewell to the original Kratos is to rewatch five of his best boss battles.
