An interesting exploit has been discovered in Santa Monica Studio’s PS4 exclusive God of War that has players experiencing the story of the game in a whole new way. God of War has been praised for it’s excellent visuals and incredibly life-like character animations. Of all the game’s strengths, the cutscenes and storytelling are on par with the cinematic quality of titles like Metal Gear Solid and Uncharted. With all the attention and love God of War has received since its release, it may be surprising to find that the 2018 critically-acclaimed title and winner of multiple Game of the Year awards apparently still holds some undiscovered secrets.
The cutscenes of God of War, similar to most third-person action games, are viewed through a fixed camera that gets right up in the action. For most games, once that fixed camera is removed, cutscenes are often very jarring. Character models and environments are often teleporting around and quickly shifting through various poses while off-screen. The magic of cutscenes is how real and seamless they look, when in reality they are usually choppy animations strung together with well-placed camera angles. It’s almost like watching a play, the viewer only ever sees what they are intended to. Throughout the gameplay of God of War players are completely free to look around the environment, but once a cutscene begins, the fixed camera takes over and the level of interaction they have with the world decreases.
In a recent post on Twitter, user @manfightdragon was able to hack the fixed cutscene camera within God of War. The result grants the hacker complete movement capabilities while the cutscenes are still playing. In other words, fans are able to step out of Kratos’s view for a moment and stand right in the middle of the action, able to move around freely. As evidenced in the tweet embedded below, @manfightdragon showcased this new skill by showing players the fight scene between Kratos and The Stranger through the eyes of a bystander.
As multiple Twitter users pointed out, seeing the game operate from this angle was extremely eye-opening as to how expertly made God of War truly is. When viewing a God of War cutscene outside of its intended camera angles, the expected choppiness is nowhere to be found. Instead, both players and developers alike were amazed at the level of detail that is consistent throughout the animation, and even characters who are clearly off-screen are animated smoothly in a life-like fashion.
Above all, this camera hack reminds players that the God of War series is much more than just some animations and programming stuck together. It’s a living and breathing world that functions even when players aren’t looking. Cinematic cutscenes are one aspect of video games that actively take players out of the gameplay and thus lower the level of interaction. This bystander camera angle, combined with the ability to freely move around and explore, could be just what cinematic games like God of War need in order to pull users deeper into their vivid worlds.
Next: God of War: Essential Tips & Tricks For Beginners
Source: Twitter
