God of War dev 'pulled back' from violence against women

Kratos will fight a varied host of beasts and humanoids in upcoming action game God of War: Ascension, but don't expect the game to place much focus on violence against women. Speaking to IGN, Sony Santa Monica game design manager David Hewitt elaborated on the line the team draws with regards to violence.

"There are some things we’ve pulled back from. I think where this has been an issue is with violence against women," he said. "The team’s pulled back from some of that and assessed that a little more carefully. There are certain things that carry a different kind of resonance that we don’t want to get into. This isn’t about statement-making in that regard. It’s about fleshing out this character."

Speaking more generally about the way in which Sony Santa Monica goes about implementing violence in God of War: Ascension, Hewitt explained that Kratos' bloody fury is not designed to feel gratuitous.

"He’s seeking revenge and he’s after his ultimate objective and he will tear through enemies--rip them in half--as quickly as he can," Hewitt said. "But there’s not a lot of flourishes, there’s not any kind of enjoying the moment. There’s nothing about this that he’s enjoying."

God of War: Ascension is a prequel to the original trilogy that will tell Kratos' origin story. The game's multiplayer mode will include persistent features as players develop their Troy or Spartan soldiers over time. Performance on the battlefield can yield blessings from the gods in the form of new perks, weapons, and abilities. There will also be a number of different combat roles for players, depending on the god they associate themselves with, be it Hades, Poseidon, Zeus, or Ares.

For more on God of War: Ascension, check out GameSpot's latest preview.