Its best evasion tool, the backdash (performed by holding back on the right stick) is the safest option in the game, but it also sacrifices the player's offensive capability. On the other hand, God Hand has very few options in comparison.
Kratos can dash, roll, and even has a parry when those first two options seem inefficient.
Even in other behind-the-back action games like God of War (2018), the player still has access to some lateral movement options that help with defense. When it comes to God Hand, the game only gets fun once the player learns that positioning takes precedence over evasion. Positioning and Evasion: Which Is More Important? This is mainly due to the game's satisfying evasion mechanics, move variety, and absolutely dehumanizing level of challenge that actually changes depending on how well the player is performing. In actuality, God Hand is one of the most exciting and unique action experiences one could imagine, even if it takes some time (and maybe a couple YouTube videos) to acclimate to the game's movement and controls. This may sound like a terrible way of designing an action game focused on dispatching multiple enemies at once. As a result, moving around the world of God Hand feels stiff and cumbersome. In other words, players could not side-strafe, and they could only move forwards or backwards. This action kept the player completely stationary the whole time. This means the right analog stick was dedicated to the player's evasion options, and the only way for the player to look around was to turn their character with the left analog stick. Even more extreme was that it implemented tank controls in combination with this camera. In stark contrast to the way stylish action games had been designed up until that point, God Hand put its camera right up behind the main character's back. Related: God of War: Best Things To Do After Beating The Game
However, the 2006 game developed by Clover Studios God Hand was an entirely different beast altogether. It had very little (if any) RPG elements and, much like its direct competitors, it too placed its camera further away from the main character so that players could keep track of all the action going on in the battleground. It was more brutally violent, and the power-fantasy element of it was more upfront.
It should be noted that God of War was a very different series when it first came out in 2005 than what it is today. There were the Devil May Crycopy-cats and the God of War-alikes. When it came to action hack-and-slash games of the mid-2000s, games were divided under one of two columns. However, the niche PlayStation 2 title God Hand did something similar with its camera over a decade beforehand, making it somewhat of a predecessor to God of War. Few action games play exactly like the latest God of Wardue to it's close-up third person camera, a choice that lends itself to the game's cinematic qualities but heavily contrasts with the majority of action games.