(Design) gods don't need rules. Well, that's what I learnt while playing the first few hours of the upcoming God of War for PlayStation 4, where Kratos now resides in the world of Norse mythology, having left ancient Greece, or as he referred to it as while leaving "Stink Town".

Actually, the game is quite good but does have a few things that irk me a little. Here's a snippet from my hands-on:

So far, so good, right?

Well, here’s the thing. After you essentially finish the tutorial which ends in a fight with a giant troll, the two return to their cabin. Kratos collects the ashes from the pyre and everything sort of seems normal. Now, remember I’d mentioned a bit earlier that some of the low-level enemies were seemingly ill-balanced against my actual character? It reared its head in full fashion at the opening sequence’s close, because we’re introduced to “The Stranger” -- a heavily-tattooed character who creepily stalks outside the cabin and wouldn’t be out of place on the set of the History series, Vikings.

He and Kratos exchange words, and the mystery around him -- and Kratos’ current situation -- only deepen as a result before everything escalates into an epic battle. And I mean epic. This thing is Dragon Ball Z levels of insane, and while it’s edge-of-your-seat and full of blood and gore, and the ultra violence, it reveals one major flaw: if Kratos is this strong, and this capable; destroying someone who we all know will be revealed to be a god (he also ‘magically’ heals himself mid-fight -- something you couldn’t do the entire intro fighting the Draugrs), then why is regular baddie fighting so challenging. Moreover, he punches through the side of a massive boulder, picks it up and drops it on The Stranger. But in regular non-boss battle play, he struggles to push through gated parts of the environment.

Click here for our in-depth hands-on with the first few hours of God of War.