God of War Ascension Director: Kratos was an Asshole, Will Be More Likable This Time

While Kratos is the protagonist in Sony's God of War franchise, this doesn't automatically mean we're going to like him just for being the "hero." On the contrary, his mission being fueled by anger and rage means he's more inclined to kill everyone he sees…and that gets old after a while.

It seems this sentiment isn't lost on God of War: Ascension director Todd Papy. In an interview with Game Informer, Papy admits that Kratos was an "asshole" when God of War III ended. This is also one of the reasons whey they went the prequel route; so that people can relate to that bald killing machine more.

With the way that God of War III ended, Kratos, was…um…an a**hole, to say the least. I think some people connected with him, but it was more of an, "I've been through this journey with him from the start." And he wasn't a very likable character, versus God of War 1 – he was still somewhat ruthless, but there was a side to him that you could somewhat relate to. And that was something that I wanted to get across. I felt the best way to do that was going more for a prequel.

As someone who played almost all the God of War games, I have to agree. I know Kratos wants revenge and whatnot, but his schtick did get old after a few games. Add in the fact that you're not given the choice if you really want to be an asshole or not, and well, you can see why they needed to add in a dimension or two to Kratos' angry personality.