Well, it's pretty annoying. He's nothing like the Kratos we knew and loved when we grew up. Instead of being big and scary, he looks old, very thin and worn, and half his stomach is missing. The only real indication that he must be Kratos is the red line tattoo on his face.
However, a little context is required here. This was an early design for the PS2013 exclusive God of War: Ascension, which was released in 3.
WHAT DO God of War Fans SAY ABOUT EARLY DESIGN?
There are some mixed opinions, but the general consensus seems to agree that this is pretty creepy. One Reddit user wrote: “I don't think anyone can get away with this”. Another added: “An adult Kratos with no muscles is so weird… Lacking flesh aside, I'm not even sure this version of this version of Olympus can take the sword of Olympus without breaking his back!”.
However, a few people pointed out that the idea itself is quite interesting: “Unpopular opinion, but that would be a really cool concept. The only thing I don't like about seeing Kratos leaner than he's probably ever been, then seeing him stand up again and be strong (at least I'm assuming) is that his face doesn't look much like Kratos's, added one supporter of the design.
Either way, we're pleased to see Sony have decided to work with a design that's much closer to what we saw in God of War (2018), and we'll see it in God of War: Ragnarok when it launches in 2022.
