From the opening fight with Poseidon to the punishing final fight with Thanatos this game is absolutely gripping. Tons of fun new elements to the combat, lots more options for upgrades and alternate weaponry although the majority of the game still takes place with the blades or similar weapons. This game felt like it expanded much more on the deeper cuts of Greco-Roman lore, hitting on niche characters and weaving Kratos deeper into the games canonical mythos. It very much felt like the dev team were really hitting stride at this point, getting a bit stale in terms of mechanical upgrades and so turning inward and telling a compelling story on top of the solid foundation of gameplay built up over years of development.