The modding community has wasted no time with God of War on PC since its release this past January. It didn't take very long for a modder to give Kratos his signature shirtless, goatee look that was so iconic to original God of War games.
In the franchise's nearly 20-year history, God of War has evolved Kratos' design significantly. The original PS2 and PS3-era titles typically depicted Kratos in nothing but a kilt embroidered with Greek patterns, and gauntlets that his Blades of Chaos were bound to. With the 2018 game, Santa Monica Studio was able to age and flesh out Kratos' design, the character now sporting a grown-out beard, and a series of practical armor pieces like a shoulder pauldron that wraps around his torso. God of War Ragnarok looks to continue this design trend, as footage has shown Kratos bundling up for the inclement weather being brought by Ragnarok.
Originally reported by PlayStation Universe, a new God of War mod gives Kratos his classic goatee and clothes, making for a pretty nostalgic experience. The mod was created by Omega Fantasy, who removed Kratos' shoulder pauldron and beard, and replaced them with his signature trimmed goatee and Greek clothing. Omega Fantasy uploaded a video of the mod in action—naturally during God of War's epic stranger Baldur fight—and it looks astonishing in both cutscenes and gameplay. Also, it is worth noting that Omega Fantasy uses another mod that hides Kratos' shield and wrist armor, allowing just his bloodied bandages to be seen.
Prior to its PC release, God of War's director encouraged players to create mods, which for many was sort of a green-light to get to work. While modding is a generally pretty difficult thing to do, the director spoke about how challenging a system Santa Monica created for developing God of War, and that adding built-in mod support, while desirable, would be very difficult to accomplish. Omega Fantasy's mod joins a slew of other brilliant ones, like one that adjusts the player's POV to give them more vision of the battlefield, and another that makes the game playable on older versions of Windows.
One of the most interesting things about Omega Fantasy's mod is that it shows the possibility of something many players currently want: God of War remakes with modern aesthetics. Seeing Kratos in his original attire but with the reboot's graphics and gameplay is a tease of what could be some of the most ambitious remakes ever made.
Imagine venturing through the Underworld or riding on the back of Gaia with the over-the-shoulder camera, feeling every hit like never before. If not full remakes, a "Classic Skin" for Kratos in God of War: Ragnarok would be pretty good too.
God of War is available on PC and PS4.
Source: PlayStation Universe