One of the most important elements that made 2018’s God of War such a successful video game is the carefully balanced level design, which uses the game’s core pillars to deliver a compelling experience for players. Sony Santa Monica’s Rob Davis went deep on all aspects of God of War’s level design during a GDC talk in 2019, focusing on the famous level ‘The Magic Chisel’, which takes place around the halfway point through the game.
If you still haven’t played God of War yet, note that this article will contain some minor spoilers.
New Directions
During the pre-production phase for God of War, game director Cory Barlog oversaw the creation of three central pillars that would define the game’s tone, structure and direction. These three pillars would be central to all decisions that the team would make throughout development, so much so that Cory would have them framed and placed high on the wall in Sony Santa Monica’s main building.