The story of 2018’s God of War is being retold in adorable storybook form with God of War: B is For Boy, a forthcoming adaptation that transforms the PlayStation 4 action-adventure into a way to learn your ABCs. Unlike Kratos and Atreus’ video game adventure, God of War: B is For Boy is mostly safe for kids — there don’t appear to be any beheadings or visible gore, but there is some slightly salty language.
God of War has been adapted into a children’s book (for adults)
Learn your ABCs with God of War: B is For Boy
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Image: Insight Editions/Sony Interactive Entertainment
Michael McWhertor is a journalist with more than 17 years of experience covering video games, technology, movies, TV, and entertainment.
God of War: B is For Boy will be published by Insight Editions — publisher of things like official cookbooks for Fallout and Overwatch — and will be released on Sept. 1.
The “ABC storybook for adults” is the work of young adult author Andrea Robinson and illustrator Romina Tempest. The pair collaborated with Sony’s Santa Monica Studio on the book, which retails for $16.99. The storybook is available for pre-order.
Image: Insight Editions/Sony Interactive Entertainment
In an email interview with Polygon, Tempest called God of War: B is For Boy “an abridged version” of the 2018 game’s story, adding “a few familiar items and characters into the environments to allude to other aspects of the tale.” It is not meant to be a comprehensive adaptation of God of War, a 20 to 30-hour game, given its 26-letter limitations.
“My main focus was to try and recreate the same father and son relationship between Kratos and Atreus through their expressions and body language,” Tempest said. “Kratos has a very different personality in this game, so we needed to avoid the more belligerent facial expressions that are reminiscent of his younger self.”
Tempest said that the cartoonish B is For Boy is kid-friendly “for the most part,” but that “You may have to cover your kid’s eyes in one or two places to guarantee a completely kid-friendly experience.”
Image: Insight Editions/Sony Interactive Entertainment
“My art tends to lean towards a more lighthearted and cartoony style, which I do love to juxtapose with more adult-oriented themes,” Tempest said. “Although gory, the game’s story doesn’t tend to center on that, but instead focuses on the relationship between a father and son (with the gore amplifying the graveness of the tale). The presence of Atreus introduces a sense of innocence that wasn’t present in the original games. I think the light-hearted art style helps to complement that innocence, but contrasts well with the darker moments.”
You can watch a teaser trailer for God of War: B is For Boy via Insight Editions’ Twitter:
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