God of Warsure has grown up.

The Lily LaBeau Archivesdays of gratuitous sex and violence are over. Kratos is older and wiser, and he's got a second shot at being a family man. When you add all of that together and see how the full story plays out, it's clear: God of Warhas something to say.

It's alsoan enjoyable action-adventure with lots of big set piece moments and stunning visuals. So much so that it's easy to get swept up in the game's more visceral pleasures.

This is a story you don't want to miss, however. So, having played through the entire game now to nearly 100 percent completion, I've put together a short list of things you should do that help to keep you plugged in.

Go for the "Story" difficulty

God of Waris more punishing on its standard "Give Me a Balanced Experience" difficulty than most games coming out in 2018. It rarely holds your hand and never pulls its punches in battles. The longtime God of Warfans among you should know what to expect.

If you find yourself dying frequently, even when you're facing off against a group of scrub enemies, don't be afraid to choose the "Give Me a Story" difficulty setting. It's still reasonably challenging, especially once you get to the tougher foes, but it makes the game far more manageable for those who may not be as well-versed in combo-driven action games like this.

Best of all: You're never locked into a set difficulty in God of War. If you turn it down and suddenly feel like everything is tooeasy, you can always ratchet the challenge back up with nothing more than a quick trip to the pause menu.

Read your journal frequently

The in-game journal -- accessed at any time by pressing the controller's Touchpad -- is actually a tangible object in the game world. It belongs to Kratos's young son, Atreus, and new entries are written in his voice, from his perspective.

Atreus was born in Midgard, and he's learned a lot about the land's history and the beings that dwell there from his mother. But he's never traveled widely, and that's reflected in every entry he writes.

Just about anytime you discover a new location or foe, get a new quest, or obtain a new treasure, there's something new added to the journal. If you watch the left side of your screen for a pop-up, you'll see you can press up on the D-pad to quickly view what Atreus has written. Do that. Every time. You'll learn so much more about the world of Midgard.

Explore, and keep up with sidequests

Unlike past God of Wargames, there's a big focus here on exploration and optional activities. Take advantage of that every chance you get, for two reasons.

First: The more optional stuff you do, the further ahead you are on the power curve. Completing sidequests levels you up and, in turn, cuts down on the challenge of working through the story. Just watch for enemies with yellow or (preferably) green health bars -- that means you're on or above their level. Blue and purple health bars are stronger, so take note when you see them and try again later.

The other reason to stray from the main path: There's so much more story out there! The more you explore, the richer Midgard's world becomes. In addition to all the secrets and treasures tucked away, there are entire, completely optional subplots that help color your understanding of Midgard. Go find them, you won't regret it.

Spend extra time in your canoe

Roughly one-third of the way into the story, a third character joins Kratos and Atreus on their journey. He possesses an encyclopedic knowledge of Midgard, and he loves sharing tales from the past when you're cruising around the open world in your canoe.

Let him finish. He always stops talking when you leave the boat. He'll pick up where he left off when you return, but even if heremembers the tale he was sharing, you might not. Hang out and let him say his piece before you disembark. There aren't any time constraints on your adventure, so just indulge in the moment and absorb what he's saying. You'll learn a lot.

Catch up on the original trilogy

God of War has been around since 2005! That's a whole lot of story. There's an original trilogy, plus two PlayStation Portable spin-offs and one PlayStation 3 prequel. The spin-offs and prequel don't have much bearing on the new game, but the original trilogy does.

If you haven't played those first three games and you have both the time and the money, do that. They're great, and they hold up surprisingly well from a gameplay standpoint.

If you have played them but don't really remember any specifics, or you just plain don't have the time to commit to three 10-plus hour games before taking on the new one's 30-40 hour playtime, read a recap. We have one right here. There's also a comprehensive series wiki.

You can't really go wrong with either option, and catching up means you won't miss any of the various backward nods in the new game's story. More than that, the new God of Warhas so much more emotional resonance when you really have an understanding of what Kratos has been through and where he's come from.